Big Dipper Wax Works candles will melt your heart

There's a sweet smell coming from deep in the heart of Seattle's South Park neighborhood. That's the home of Big Dipper Wax Works, where owner Brent Roose, manager Flower Grosskupf and a staff of worker bees melt, dip and scent pure beeswax candles, which end up on the shelves of Whole Foods, Dean & DeLuca and other stores nationwide.

Roose first envisioned Big Dipper Wax Works in 1993. What started as a way to give the gift of natural, hand-dipped beeswax tapers to his friends grew into a full-scale candle company that dips 600 tapers a day.

While "local" and "sustainable" are now popular buzzwords, Big Dipper has always run things that way. The company forgoes expensive organic beeswax in favor of locally raised, hand-blended, low-pesticide wax. Their supplier checks in with all the beekeepers, ensuring that the hives are well maintained and the bees are healthy.

Big Dipper uses soot-free cotton wicks, eco-friendly dyes and pure essential oils. "There's a whole lot of love in these candles," says Grosskupf, who blends all the oils herself. Highlights from the Big Dipper product line include votives ($3), pillars ($11-$26) and travel tins ($5-$9.50), all available in nine exquisite scent combos (bergamot-mint and sweet orange-clove bud are personal favorites).

The recently released, eco-friendly Early Bird candles ($20 for a 7 1/2-ounce candle or a set of three 3-ounce candles) come in three new scents: Gingergrass Tangerine, French Lavender and Lemon Geranium. Each candle's label is printed on recycled paper, the glass holder can be reused and the packaging can be recycled or put into your yard-waste container.

Aside from candles, Big Dipper offers beeswax-based balms for body ($5), hands ($7) and lips ($2.75), with plans for more body-care products in the works.

You can purchase Big Dipper candles online or locally at PCC stores. Be sure to sign up at the Web site for a heads-up on Big Dipper's twice-yearly sample and seconds sale.

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