Christopher Kelly is the founder of Cernunnos Farms, a beeswax candle company dedicated to environmental protection and sustainable practices. Each candle is made from 100% natural, locally sourced beeswax, and the company offers a wide range of unique designs.
Christopher Kelly | Cernunnos Farms
Christopher Kelly, owner of Cernunnos Farms: Pushing the boundaries of traditional craftsmanship
After more than thirty years working at the intersection of creativity and technical ingenuity in the entertainment industry, Chris chose to venture into entrepreneurship. He channelled all of that experience toward a pursuit that was both unexpected and deeply rooted in his background, the artisanal crafting of beeswax candles. Today, Cernunnos Farms ships its handcrafted creations across Canada and internationally, and Chris credits part of that success to the support of Microcredit Montréal.
His entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin with candles. While pursuing an agritourism project, a lavender farm outside Ottawa where beeswax candles would serve as a complementary product alongside lavender and honey, Chris discovered something unexpected. The candles were taking on a life of their own, and their growing popularity made the path forward clear. He pivoted to make them the heart of his business.
An entrepreneurial path beyond the original vision
What began at a small farmers’ market in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, gradually grew. Customers kept coming back, requests for new points of sale multiplied, and the side project slowly became the main business.
“As is often the case, you start with a plan and end up somewhere else. Part of the beauty of entrepreneurship is recognising that you haven’t gone off course — the train is moving powerfully in a direction, and you need to be able to adapt and follow that momentum,” he explains.
Growing a Montréal business through innovative practices
Building Cernunnos Farms required an uncommon range of skills from Chris. Each candle begins as a 3D-printed prototype, which he then transforms into a mould, allowing him to explore unconventional shapes. He also developed his own natural dyeing process and built much of his production equipment himself when commercial solutions were out of reach. This combination of creativity and mechanical skill has allowed him to develop candles that truly stand out in a crowded market. He was also recently accepted as the only candle maker within the Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec, a recognition that speaks to the originality of his work.
Financing a micro-enterprise with microcredit
When Chris began looking for financing, he quickly ran into a familiar obstacle for start-up entrepreneurs. Traditional small business loans were largely out of reach, as his business fell into a category that conventional financing simply doesn’t serve. That’s when he discovered Microcredit Montréal.
“I realised I wasn’t a small business — I was a micro-enterprise. And I thought, what I need is microcredit.”
He received a $5,000 three-year loan from Microcredit Montréal, which allowed him to build a solid foundation for thoughtful growth. Beyond the initial financing, his adviser also supported him through the process of becoming a recognised artisan with the Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec. “That first $5,000 really gave me the momentum I needed to gain greater recognition for the business.” Chris also received financial support from the Canadian organisation Rise, whose mission is to help people facing mental health and addiction challenges become entrepreneurs.
Today, Cernunnos Farms is present at Montréal’s major artisan markets and ships its products to customers across North America, as well as to Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands, all through entirely organic growth, with no formal advertising.
When asked about it, Chris is optimistic about the future. As the business continues to grow with new products and markets on the horizon, his long-term ambitions go well beyond that. Through his company, he sees a real opportunity to introduce beeswax candles to a broader audience across the country, to the benefit of the environment and the Québec economy.
“The goal of Cernunnos Farms is to democratise the use of beeswax candles and bring them to the general public.”
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Cernunnos Farms