An Osborne Park-based candle company has celebrated its 10th year, boasting more than 100,000 candles sold and $100,000 donated to charity.
The Prospect Project has celebrated a decade of success since being started by Shannon Fragomeli as a passion project from her home garage with her best friend Lisa Thatcher.
The simple and charitable concept meant $2 from every candle sold is donated to a charity of the purchaser’s choice, with the philanthropic business idea taking the pair to great heights.
The two women have accomplished some mighty tasks, such as being stocked in Myer nationwide for four years and fulfilling a 17,000 mini-candle order for Rio Tinto.
The Prospect Project has also collaborated on bespoke candles with some of the country’s leading brands and organisations, including TikTok Australia, Donut King, Brisbane Broncos and Cable Beach Resort, as well as creating a unique bacon-flavoured candle for Short Order Burger.
Ms Fragomeli said the business idea was a gentle way to encourage consumers to donate to the charity of their choice.
“I wanted to feel good when I donated, not forced from some guy with a lanyard and a clipboard,” she said.
“I wanted an empowering way to get people to be charitable that’s not cheesy or ramming it down your throat.”
Ms Fragomeli put the success down to offering a unique product using recycled jars, bold custom labels and “weird” scents.
She was particularly proud of the limited edition charity candles, where all proceeds have supported organisations such as Stillbirth Foundation Australia, Breast Cancer Research Centre WA, Camp Quality and The Equality Project.
“Every decision made for the business, our products and our classes comes from a place of giving more. People over profits, always,” she said.