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Donated artwork fills a shelf at Door County Candle Company. The round piece is actually a satellite dish with a glass and tile mosaic.
CARLSVILLE — Christiana Trapani’s estimate was a bit off.
She had used her Door County Candle Company for a fundraiser to aide a Ukrainian Catholic school in Chicago in January 2022 and sold 20 or so candles.
So, a month later, after Russia invaded Ukraine, where Trapani has family and friends, she launched her own campaign selling yellow and blue candles in 16-ounce glass jars.
Trapani, whose maiden name is Gorchynski, thought — and this is no joke — that she would sell a few dozen and raise maybe a couple hundred dollars.
Christiana Trapani, a second-generation Ukrainian American who was born in Chicago and largely grew up in Door County, purchased Door County Candle Company in June 2021. Eight months later she started making yellow and blue candles to benefit those in Ukraine.
Only this fundraiser took off beyond her wildest imagination.
Her little shop on the Door County Peninsula has been overwhelmed with orders. Machines have broken from overuse, pouring tables have been added to keep up with the demand, and an expansion has just been completed to provide more space for storage and shipping. She’s added more employees, while a team of volunteers over the past year have put in a collective 200,000 hours to help the cause.
Jake Vander Velden at Door County Candle Company partially fills 16-ounce glass jars with yellow wax that ultimately will become candles to benefit Ukraine. After the yellow wax dries, blue wax will be added to top off the candle. The company has sold more than 90,000 of the $30 candles and raised more than $851,000 for the people of the war-torn country.
As of last week, on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, more than 90,000 candles had been sold by Trapani’s candle company and more than $851,000 donated to Razom, a nonprofit formed in 2014 to help the people of Ukraine.
When I visited last week, Trapani was still in disbelief that a simple $30 candle could create such an outpouring of support.
“I didn’t even tell my staff we were doing it because I figured it was something we could do on the weekend and be done with,” Trapani said as we toured her business. “It’s really been a journey. When we started, we weren’t prepared for the volumes and we didn’t know how to manage the volumes. Every day was a learning curve for us but we made it work.”
Door County Candle Company has sold more than 90,000 candles to benefit Ukraine.
When Trapani, 29, bought the business eight months before the war, it was making about 15,000 candles a year. This being Door County, the fragrances include cherry, McIntosh apple, pumpkin, cranberry chutney and another that smells like grapes to mimic a vineyard.
The shop is in Carlsville, an unincorporated community established in the 1860s within the town of Egg Harbor that, according to local lore, got its name because of the number of men named Karl who lived in the area. It’s unclear why it’s not named “Karlsville.”
A dove holding a Ukrainian flag is part of the art work that has been donated to and displayed at Door County Candle Company along Highway 42 in Carlsville, just north of Sturgeon Bay.
But tourism is big business here, and Carlsville has become one of the first stops along Highway 42 for visitors heading north out of Sturgeon Bay en route to Sister Bay, Bailey’s Harbor, Peninsula State Park, Washington Island and, for the more adventurous, Rock Island State Park.
Of course there are cherry orchards here in Carlsville, but also Door Peninsula Winery and the adjacent Door County Distillery, Red Oak Winery, Door County Coffee & Tea Company and, just to the east, Simon Creek Vineyard & Winery.
Glass jars are placed on a pouring table that has a raised edge that allows Jake Vander Velden to partially fill a jar to the top of the edge, which ensures uniform fills.
The candle company was founded by Mike Felhofer in the early 1990s before it was bought out by another company. Felhofer reopened the business in 2003 and then sold it in June 2021 to Trapani, a second-generation Ukrainian American who was born in Chicago and moved with her family to Egg Harbor when she was in second grade. She gradated from UW-Oshkosh and later founded a company that sells Door County products, which included Felhofer’s candles.
Julia LaViolette, an employee at Door County Candle Company, works on topping off scented candles. In the foreground are 5-ounce candles to benefit the people of Ukraine.
In late 2020, Felhofer approached Trapani about buying the candle company but had Trapani work for him for six months to ensure it was a good fit. Felhofer also volunteered his time for five months straight once it became apparent that the Ukraine candles had taken off quickly and were overwhelming the staff.
“He’s been a great mentor,” Trapani said. “It’s been a whirlwind. But it’s been amazing how many people care and how many people want to help and how many good people there are.”
Wax is melted in large vats at Door County Candle Company before it exits a spigot into a small bucket and then is poured into glass jars.
Ultra Fiberglass Systems in Milwaukee donated two pouring tables to help speed up production, while locals made meals for staff and volunteers. Artwork has been donated for display, including a Ukrainian flag made of fire hose, a painting of sunflowers, several drawings by school children, and a platter-sized satellite dish decorated with a glass and tile mosaic that includes colors from the Ukrainian flag.
While orders for Ukraine candles have tapered off a bit, other candles have been added to the mix and for other causes.
An old coffee pot is used to melt wax at Door County Candle Company. The left side holds blue wax for the top of a candle for Ukraine, while the right side holds beige-colored wax for candles that will benefit earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
In December, Trapani launched Tin Candles to Ukraine, in which a candle in a small tin is sent to Razom to distribute to those in Ukraine. There is also a red and white candle in the colors of the Polish flag in an effort to thank the people of Poland for their help in the war effort, another for Hurricane Ian relief and, most recently, a candle to raise funds for UNICEF, which is aiding those devastated by the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.
Kay Ellis makes the drive from Green Bay to volunteer on a regular basis at Door County Candle Company. Here she is adhering wicks to the inside bottom of glass jars that will eventually become candles.
On Tuesday, Kay Ellis, of Green Bay, stood beneath a Ukrainian flag and used a copper device and adhesive to attach wicks to the inside bottom of candle jars that would eventually be filled with wax. At a neighboring table, Laura Donnell used a wipe and isopropyl alcohol to clean errant wax off the sides of glass jars. She has been volunteering since May and makes the 40-minute drive every Tuesday from her home in Ellison Bay near the top of the peninsula.
Since May, Laura Donnell has driven each Tuesday from her home in Ellison Bay to Door County Candle Company in the hamlet of Carlsville, just north of Sturgeon Bay. Her job last Tuesday was to use wipes and isopropyl alcohol to clean the wax from the outside of glass containers that hold candles to benefit earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
“Even the small things matter tremendously,” said Donnell. “Everyone is doing what they can. Nothing is too small.”
Virtually everything is done by hand, from cleaning the jars to installing the wicks to pouring the wax drawn from vats and old coffee pots. Boxes used to be hand taped, but a machine has been purchased to speed up that part of the process. The expansion also means no longer having to store supplies outside or at the Door County Coffee & Tea Company, which required multiple trips a day with a forklift.
Door County Candle Company is located along Highway 42 and is across the road from Door Peninsula Winery.
The story of the candles and the fundraising has been told by swaths of local media and has been featured on “ABC World News Tonight” and “PBS NewsHour.” Trapani’s aunt lives in far western Ukraine and turned down offers to evacuate to Poland. But the war, for all of its tragedies, has helped introduce the world to the Ukrainian people, while the candles have provided something tangible for those who are looking for a way to help, Trapani said.
“I think people in the world have learned how resilient Ukrainians are and how strong they are and how they don’t give up,” Trapani said. “It’s opened my eyes to wanting to be a philanthropic candle company, not just a candle company. I want to do more of giving back because so many people want to help and often they don’t know how to help. I want to make the biggest impact that we can.”
Empty boxes await filling at Door County Candle Company. A recently completed expansion project has provided more room for packaging and shipping.
Christiana Trapani, owner of Door County Candle Company shows off the packaging that helps protects candles during shipping.
Some of the art donated to Door County Candle Company after it began making candles to benefit the people of Ukraine.
Door County Candle Company has sold more than 90,000 candles to benefit Ukraine.
Donated artwork fills a shelf at Door County Candle Company. The round piece is actually a satellite dish with a glass and tile mosaic.
The artwork of school children decorates Door County Candle Company.
A dove holding a Ukrainian flag is part of the art work that has been donated to and displayed at Door County Candle Company along Highway 42 in Carlsville, just north of Sturgeon Bay.
Since May, Laura Donnell has driven each Tuesday from her home in Ellison Bay to Door County Candle Company in the hamlet of Carlsville, just north of Sturgeon Bay. Her job last Tuesday was to use wipes and isopropyl alcohol to clean the wax from the outside of glass containers that hold candles to benefit earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
Jake Vander Velden, left, fills glass containers with wax while Laura Donnell, a volunteer, cleans wax from the outside of candles that will be sold to benefit earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
Kay Ellis makes the drive from Green Bay to volunteer on a regular basis at Door County Candle Company. Here she is adhering wicks to the inside bottom of glass jars that will eventually become candles.
Julia LaViolette, an employee at Door County Candle Company, works on topping off scented candles. In the foreground are 5-ounce candles to benefit the people of Ukraine.
Door County Candle Company is located along Highway 42 and is across the road from Door Peninsula Winery.
Glass jars are placed on a pouring table that has a raised edge that allows Jake Vander Velden to partially fill a jar to the top of the edge, which ensures uniform fills.
Wax is melted in large vats at Door County Candle Company before it exits a spigot into a small bucket and then is poured into glass jars.
Jake Vander Velden at Door County Candle Company partially fills 16-ounce glass jars with yellow wax that ultimately will become candles to benefit Ukraine. After the yellow wax dries, blue wax will be added to top off the candle. The company has sold more than 90,000 of the $30 candles and raised more than $851,000 for the people of the war-torn country.
Liquid yellow wax is filled by hand into glass jars to make candles to benefit the people of Ukraine.
An old coffee pot is used to melt wax at Door County Candle Company. The left side holds blue wax for the top of a candle for Ukraine, while the right side holds beige-colored wax for candles that will benefit earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
Christiana Trapani, who is a second generation Ukrainian, shows off her new packaging and shipping area at Door County Candle Company.
Barry Adams covers regional news for the Wisconsin State Journal. Send him ideas for On Wisconsin at 608-252-6148 or by email at badams@madison.com.
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Barry Adams covers regional and business news for the Wisconsin State Journal.
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Jake Vander Velden at Door County Candle Company partially fills 16-ounce glass jars with yellow wax that ultimately will become candles to benefit Ukraine. After the yellow wax dries, blue wax will be added to top off the candle. The company has sold more than 90,000 of the $30 candles and raised more than $851,000 for the people of the war-torn country.
Christiana Trapani, a second-generation Ukrainian American who was born in Chicago and largely grew up in Door County, purchased Door County Candle Company in June 2021. Eight months later she started making yellow and blue candles to benefit those in Ukraine.
Glass jars are placed on a pouring table that has a raised edge that allows Jake Vander Velden to partially fill a jar to the top of the edge, which ensures uniform fills.
Door County Candle Company has sold more than 90,000 candles to benefit Ukraine.
Kay Ellis makes the drive from Green Bay to volunteer on a regular basis at Door County Candle Company. Here she is adhering wicks to the inside bottom of glass jars that will eventually become candles.
Wax is melted in large vats at Door County Candle Company before it exits a spigot into a small bucket and then is poured into glass jars.
Since May, Laura Donnell has driven each Tuesday from her home in Ellison Bay to Door County Candle Company in the hamlet of Carlsville, just north of Sturgeon Bay. Her job last Tuesday was to use wipes and isopropyl alcohol to clean the wax from the outside of glass containers that hold candles to benefit earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
An old coffee pot is used to melt wax at Door County Candle Company. The left side holds blue wax for the top of a candle for Ukraine, while the right side holds beige-colored wax for candles that will benefit earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey.
Door County Candle Company is located along Highway 42 and is across the road from Door Peninsula Winery.
Julia LaViolette, an employee at Door County Candle Company, works on topping off scented candles. In the foreground are 5-ounce candles to benefit the people of Ukraine.
A dove holding a Ukrainian flag is part of the art work that has been donated to and displayed at Door County Candle Company along Highway 42 in Carlsville, just north of Sturgeon Bay.
Donated artwork fills a shelf at Door County Candle Company. The round piece is actually a satellite dish with a glass and tile mosaic.
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