Samuel Parris- An Interview
At Bearded Outdoors we love meeting new people and seeing what exciting new challenges they are giving themselves. Throughout 2017 we hope to bring you plenty of inspiring stories for you to absorb and hopefully turn into fuel for your own adventures, whether its a new business or a hike to the pub!
We came across Samuel Parris on our favourite social media platform, Instagram. Their photos were great and we loved how their products looked. The company has collaborated with artists, adventure seekers, surfers and spent time on the road to come up with some great scents for their soy candles which allow you to have that outdoor lifestyle in your home. They want to be able to capture those experiences and bring them inside so you can enjoy them even on a rainy day.
Each product is hand crafted and made from materials sourced from UK companies. Most of the businesses involved are small time companies like Samuel Parris. Our favourite thing about the candles are the wood wicks which crackle and pop when burnt. You really can enjoy the campfire feel inside!
We chatted to Luke from the company about the details of Samuel Parris...
Where in the country are you based and does that have an impact on your products?
- We are based in Cambridge. They are manufactured, packaged up and sent out from here. Regarding the location having an impact on our products, Cambridge, in fact, isn't overly known for its outdoor activities, being very flat and far from the coast. So we have always been accustomed to long drives, come rain or shine, to really find our piece of nature. Whether that is heading over to Wales for some trekking / mountain climbing, over to North Devon to surf, we have always had to travel to do what we love (but we all secretly enjoy the journey, all part of the adventure, right?)
What adventures and travels have made the biggest impact to your goods?
- We are all keen surfers, mountain bikers and trekkers. From travelling across the country in search of the best swells, peaks and trails, we have been inspired by these activities and always missed them as soon as we got home. Our scents are reminders of those activities; Sea Salt & Birch, speaks for itself, Hickory & Pinesmoke of those campfires etc. We felt we wanted something to remind us of those times when we couldn't be there in person.
Who is in the company? including the people you collaborated with to start the ball rolling.
- It is myself, Luke, Joe and Spencer. We all work across different aspects of the business. Spencer works on the product design, I work on the marketing and promotional aspects and Joe does the logistics and is looking at getting us setup in shops around the UK and Europe. We are a strong team and hope to continue to grow and take on additional staff within a year or two.
What other plans do you have for the future?
- So we are actually amidst a period of redesign of our products, ready to be launched on February 12th 2017. We are going even further with the bond they have to nature and are homing in on our scents to reflect various aspects of UK's natural areas. Watch this space...
What made you want to use soy?
- Being attached to nature, we feel obliged to do what we can to preserve it. All our materials are natural, recyclable and have a minimum footprint. Soy wax is a part of that; it burns cleaner, it lasts longer and is biodegradable. We are all for doing what we can to protect what, in our opinion, is the most fascinating aspect of life: nature itself.
Thanks to Luke and everyone else at Samuel Parris for sharing their ideas and thoughts with us. Head to their website or social media for more information.