Balancing a career with schooling is no easy task. But Aristidis Tsoulakos is proving otherwise.
Currently in Year 11, the teenager recently launched his own business, Fos Candles, named after the Greek word for ‘light’.
The young man was first inspired to try his hand at making Greek Easter lambades (candles), but after investigating the different types of wax used to make them, he discovered that they weren’t very natural, or safe for that matter.
This led Aristidis to conduct further research, to find a formula to make candles as natural as possible.
“For example the wax kerosene, white candles and soy candles that people typically buy are made from petroleum by-products and when they’re burnt they release black toxic smoke into the atmosphere,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“I discovered that bees wax is the purest form of wax. As it burns, it ionises the air and purifies the atmosphere, as there are a lot of people with breathing problems that can’t burn conventional candles.”
Artistidis’ candles are made from 100 per cent pure bees wax and a pure cotton wick, making it 100 per cent organic.
Featuring a honey comb pattern, as the candle burns, it becomes translucent and the candle lights up.
But what’s particularly special about Aristidis’ candles is that he creates each one personally, by hand.
“When I’ve been approaching shops now, I notice that the product is very unique; there’s only one competitor in Sydney that hand makes the candles. Because they’re not hand-caught, they’re rolled out of the honey comb sheets, which are placed into the hives to collect the honey,” he explains.
Aristidis has a clear understanding of his market, and what makes it even more impressive is that he shares his time between his business, a host of other hobbies, and his main focus, completing Year 11.
He revealed that he has his sights set on becoming either an architect or interior designer – so there’s no plans to slow down any time soon.