Bolsius history The magic of the flame This

Bolsius history The magic of the flame

This is who we are When you use our candles for the first time, you discover the unique character of our family business Our rich history started in 1870. It is the foundation of our company: with more than 1000 employees we now develop and produce candles in all shapes and sizes, sold in more than 50 countries The combination of knowledge, specialization and entrepreneurship, over the years has brought about a complete range of quality candles for multiple applications

Quality first Entrepreneurship and innovation are in our DNA Our passion for creating quality products is passed on in our candles A quality candle requires a properly braided wick, the selection of the best possible raw materials, colours and scents, and a carefully assembled combination of all these elements Our quality specialists conduct daily inspections to ensure that all Bolsius candles comply with our professional standards. They make sure that every Bolsius candle is of the highest possible quality Manufactured from pure raw materials and with optimal burning properties, a solid colour and shape, and minimum smoke and soot levels. That is why the package of your Bolsius candle displays the RAL logo as proof for high quality products

Product range We offer diversity in a comprehensive range of sizes and shapes, as well as a distinctive colour palette and range of scents. For example, our rustic candle is available in 8 different versions and 30 colours Next to the Bolsius retail assortment, we offer a product line for the hospitality industry: Bolsius Professional. This assortment is tuned to the demands a professional user sets for candles

Always inspirational With our long and rich history as candle makers, we use our knowledge to manufacture candles geared to the wishes and requirements of today’s consumers In addition to a complete basic range of tea-warmers, rustic candles, table, block and scented candles, we develop and produce a wide range of trendrelated and seasonal products For every season and special moments throughout the year, our specialists aim to inspire with new colours, shapes and scents to give your home a new and updated ambience We translate contemporary fashion and interior trends into products. Our product range enables consumers to create their own unique style

How it all started Continuous innovation and enduring focus on quality are the common themes in the Bolsius history The Bolsius brothers laid the foundations back in 1870 for today’s company They used traditional methods to make candles from beeswax With of our rich history and experience we have grown throughout the years into who we are today: a family owned company with a long-term vision, where people matter and where we all aim for high quality products

1870 A new startup After completing his studies, Antonius Bolsius (Antoon 1850 – 1906) set up a primitive wax bleacher in the garden of his childhood home The bleaching was carried out on tables. In the open air during the summer, a greenhouse was used during wintertime However, this place proved to be dusty and he experienced problems with smoke coming from the bleacher into the open air For this reason, his uncle gave him a piece of land next to the meadow at Kerkendijk in Schijndel, where the head office is still located today Bleached wax was melted and packed and then sent to sextons and priests, who used it to make their own candles Honeycomb press displayed at our head office in Schijndel. It was used to press wax from the honeycomb

The early years 1903 Lambertus Bolsius (1848 – 1907) joined the wax bleaching company 1920 Bolsius started to manufacture church candles. In production, a casting machine was used, in which the wick was immersed into liquid wax. The machine was invented by Antonius Bolsius and foreman Driek van Uden Several ladies were hired for the weaving process. In addition, the candles were handmade. The traditional method of making candles by hand was taught by Schijndel's priest, Marinus van Liempd 1927 Bolsius church candles were a huge success and Bolsius became papal purveyor

1940 Wartime The outbreak of the Second World War and the stagnation in the supply of raw materials for manufacturing wax and candles was a setback for the company. To avoid workers from being employed in Germany by the occupiers, the company started to manufacture items including plaster figurines, known as ‘Kniertjes’ (a fisherman's widow from a Dutch play) During the 1944 airdrops, Schijndel was at the front line for six weeks and large parts were destroyed. Bolsius also suffered from the bitter fighting After the liberation of Schijndel Bolsius recovered fast. In 1950, the production of Gothic candles, household candles and pillar candles began.

The recovering years Candles gained increasing popularity in the 50 s and 60 s outside the church environment. During this period, there was a need for candlelight to replace electric lighting and decorative candles grew in popularity. The Bolsius brothers were successful with their decorative candles Profits increased in the Schijndel factory, as did the number of employees, when Lambertus Bolsius and P. van der Heijden managed the company 1959 Lambertus (L. J. ) Bolsius was also a director at Nutricia (manufacturer of powdered milk), where he worked with his hunting friend Martin van der Hagen, the founder of Nutricia. They came up with the idea to produce paraffin powder by allowing liquid paraffin to meet cold air. Bolsius used this technique to create pressed tealights A tower was developed to produce powder and an old tableting machine (previously used to make Maggi seasoning tablets) was overhauled to make a press for tealights. This enabled the production of tealights and votive candles on a major scale. During these years, the company developed from a traditional manufacturing company to a medium-sized industrial business In 1961 Dutch princess Irene visited our factory in Schijndel. In addition Bolsius produced special candles for Princess Beatrix’ wedding dinner. Both events are highlights in our rich history

Adversity The company flourished in the 60 s but run into major difficulties in the 70 s Bolsius could not compete with the fierce competition from Eastern European countries The Bolsius family was no longer involved in day-to-day management, since Lambertus Bolsius was managing the Nutricia company and only a shareholder at Bolsius The candle-making sector has always been a traditional one, which consists of mainly family companies. Because of the financial struggles the Bolsius family started considering to sell the company. A survey for potential candidates was conducted

1978 The Kristen family takes over Bolsius A. J. B. (Anton) Kristen, descendant from a family of wax candle manufacturers, bought the company from Lambertus Bolsius Business continued under the Bolsius Kaarsenfabriek B. V. name, since Bolsius was the brand best known to consumers Kristen invested in fully-automated candle production lines, what more than tripled annual turnover Introducing candles in stylish packaging and gift wrapping along with selling candle accessories also proved to be a major opportunity

Continuous growth 1983 Bolsius went for gold and took over the NV Koninklijke Stearine Kaarsenfabriek Gouda-Apollo and so acquired the Gouda brand 1984 The Bolsius factories primarily produced candles for non-religious use. The acquisition of Hoogeland Sons company based in Roermond, producer of church candles, made sure that Bolsius remained active in the market for religious candles. Bolsius UK was founded in this year in Weston-super-Mare 1989 Vincent Kristen, current CEO, joins the company 1990 The Bolsius Group advanced company activities in Scandinavia: Bolsius Nordic A. B. was set up in Stockholm and a subsidiary company, P. A. Trading-Bolsius A. B. , was established in Oslo 1991 Verkade sold its tea light (waxine lights) activities to Bolsius. Verkade started producing tea and night lights made from paraffin wax in 1898. The factory in Zaandam was opened in 1902. The patent was purchased from the Englishman Morris Fowler, son-in-law of E. G. Verkade

1995 Expansion by means of acquisition The market changed, and so did Bolsius. Economies of scale made sure we kept serving our customers. With the takeover of one Danish and two German candle factories, the Bolsius Group became Europe’s largest candle manufacturer With the acquisition of the Danish Midtjysk Lysfabrik the Bolsius Group attained a large market share in the Scandinavian market With the purchase of Mϋnz und Kieser Kerzen in Germany, the Bolsius Group entered the market for fashionable candles, i. e. candles with frills and ornamentation of the sort, widespread in Bavaria and Austria Candle factory Kristen in Delden became part of the Bolsius Group

1996 Bolsius 125 th anniversary To mark our 125 th anniversary, we donated a bronze statue to the city of Schijndel: ‘Woman with candlestick’ Bolsius donated this work of art (sculptor Niek van Leest) to express our close connection with the Schijndel community

1997 The Polish connection The European acquisitions resulted in an extremely complex production: by the end of the 1990 s, the factories were producing a total of approximately 35. 000 items. Some of the factories supplied the same customers. Bolsius decided to centralise the sales organisation into three regions and to build a central warehouse next to the head office in Schijndel. The number of manufacturing sites was reduced to three, with a new site in Kobylin, Poland. In Kobylin we produce candles that used to require manual labour in production It proved to be a smart decision. The central warehouse in Schijndel was moved to Helmond, where service provider Vos Logistics provides distribution and storage services on behalf of Bolsius since 1998.

Milestones 1998 Bolsius buys harbour facilities in Moerdijk to store heated raw materials, allowing us to guarantee the quality of our candles. This form of vertical integration is unique for the industry 2004 Bolsius introduces rustic candles in all colours of the rainbow 2009 Bolsius introduces Bolsius Professional Twilight, a modern terrace light. A full range, top-quality product for the hospitality industry 2011 Bolsius introduces Bolsius Aromatic, a wide and high-quality range of scented candles 2013 Bolsius acquires Eika Kerzen in Germany. With the German brand Eika we add another quality seal to our portfolio 2015 Bolsius Italy was added to the family Today Started as a wax bleacher, Bolsius has developed into one of the largest candle producers in Europe. From our head office in Schijndel and our various European branches, Bolsius brings light, scent and atmosphere into millions of households worldwide