A family company that manufactures natural homemade candles and fragrance products is targeting international growth, thanks to support from Business Wales.

Eve Victoria Candles, based in Pontypool, was set up by mother and daughter team Beverly and Eve Thomas in June 2012. From making candles in their kitchen as a hobby, the company has grown into a business that can name some of the country’s largest department stores among its 100 trade customers, including all five Leekes branches in Wales and John Lewis stores in Cardiff and Bristol.

The company opened its first retail store in Hay-on-Wye earlier this year and has been so successful that it has already secured larger 50 sq ft premises in the town, which it moved into last month.

Eve Victoria has ambitious growth plans, and with support from Business Wales, the Welsh Government’s business support service, it hopes to enter European markets in the next two years.

Eve Thomas, one of the founders of Eve Victoria, said: “The business took off incredibly quickly, and by December 2012, my brother, Nick, and I had both left our jobs to focus on the company full-time.

“Business Wales has provided us with invaluable support on a range of areas to help us grow the business, including referring us to an export advisor to help us move into European markets. We already attend regular trade shows across the UK, and will be attending our first European trade fair in Germany in February, with a view to start exporting across Europe by February 2016.

“With the opening of our first store this year, we have also contacted Business Wales for advice on recruitment to help us increase our workforce as we continue to grow.

“We were relatively new to the business world so the support we have received from Business Wales has really helped us. Our business advisor really understands our business and what we are trying to achieve and it is really beneficial that you can keep going back to ask for more advice if it’s needed.”

Eve Victoria’s range of products has grown to include fragrance diffusers, room sprays and soaps, and it will introduce a new line of hand and body lotions, which it has spent more than 12 months developing, in early 2015. The company focuses on high-quality natural ingredients, and is unique in not using any palm oil in its soap products.

Ms Thomas said: “The whole family has worked hard to grow the business from a kitchen-table company to a fully-fledged, high-end brand, stocked by some of the UK’s most respected retailers.

“This has been a fantastic year for the business, seeing us open our first retail unit, as well as secure the contract with Leekes in October 2014. This success is in no small part due to the invaluable support of the Business Wales team, and I am excited to see what else we can achieve with their help.”

Phil Summers, the business adviser at Business Wales who has helped support Eve Victoria, said: “Eve Victoria is a great example of the talent and creativity of small Welsh businesses, and the things they can achieve with the right support behind them.

“Eve, Beverly and Nick are a focused family team with a clear picture of the heights their business is capable of reaching, and we are delighted to be able to help them achieve that.”

Business Wales is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.