Our story

A studio above South Street, started in a kitchen.

Marc R. Butler began in the back corner of a one-bedroom apartment in Honolulu in December 2021. One pot, one thermometer, twenty-four mason jars, and a notebook full of scent ideas that had been waiting almost ten years to leave the page.

The studio is owned and run by Felipe Kinjo Zialcita, a former hospitality manager who grew up between Oahu and the Big Island. The name comes from his grandfather on his mother's side — Marc Robert Butler — who kept a small candle workshop in his garage in Kailua through the 1970s and 80s, and who taught Felipe how to measure wax with a kitchen scale at the age of nine.

We make three things: coconut-wax candles in 8 oz amber glass, reed diffusers in 100 ml ceramic bottles, and small batches of cold-process botanical soap. Everything is made on site at 801 South Street, Apt 213. There is no contract manufacturer, no white-label partner, and no third-party fulfilment.

Our wax is a coconut and apricot kernel blend with a melt point that suits the Honolulu climate. Our fragrance oils are formulated in collaboration with a perfumer in Portland, Oregon, and contain no phthalates, no parabens, and no synthetic dyes. Our wicks are lead-free braided cotton. Our jars are made by a glassworks co-op in Oakland that pays a living wage. The full sourcing list is available on request to anyone who emails us.

What we believe

Small is the point. We cap production at 1,200 candles a month. If we have to choose between growing and pouring well, we pour well.
A scent should remind you of a real place. Every fragrance we develop is built around a specific memory — a porch, a market, a particular afternoon — not a marketing trend.
Show the work. If you write and ask what is in a product, we will tell you the full list of ingredients, where each one comes from, and what we pay for it.
Slow is a feature. Our candles cure for 14 days. Our soaps for 6 weeks. We will not ship anything before it is ready.

Timeline

2021
Felipe pours the first batch of twenty-four candles on the kitchen counter at home in Honolulu.
2022
The studio moves into a small unit at 801 South Street. Two pouring tables are built from reclaimed monkeypod.
2023
The reed diffuser line launches after a year of formulation work. The Kona Coffee & Tobacco scent becomes our best seller within four months.
2024
Cold-process soap joins the shelf. Felipe spends two months in Portland working with our perfumer on the spring collection.
2025
The studio surpasses ten thousand cured candles. We hire our first part-time team member, a friend who has been helping label batches since the second month.
2026
We launch this site to make it easier for people to find us, learn how we work, and write directly if they want to.

Want to visit?

We are not a storefront, but if you are in Honolulu and would like to see the studio, write us a note and we will set something up.