Votivo hits the road

At Votivo we want to launch new products that you, “our customers”, will love.  So, we hit the road with new product ideas.  We invited Votivo fans for dinner and an evening to talk about Votivo.  We had great groups in all the cities we visited, including Hilton Head Island, SC, Nashville, TN, and San Jose, CA.  At the focus groups we showcased new product concepts from the brand team.  The great feedback we receive from our groups influences our decisions about products to launch in the future. 

It is very fun to be around Votivo fans that love the brand.  We all shared Votivo stories.  One dedicated attendee even shared that they take Votivo on vacation so they don’t miss their favorite fragrance!  The group even got a sneak peak of the new addition to the Votivo line called Dalian, that has just launched.  It was met with “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” from the crowd. 

Dalian Collection

They all wanted to take the candle in black cut glass home.  Be on the look out for Dalian in your local gift shop and at www.votivo.com.

We will hit the road again next year!  If you would be interested in participating in a focus group please email your name and address to adawes@gracemg.com. 

Thanks to all those that participated in our road show.  Be on the look out for how your feedback influences Votivo products we launch in the future. 

 Amy Dawes

Customer Experience Manager

Grace Management Group

864.515.9515 ext 238

Focus Group Fun

It’s not Rocket Science, but….

Candles are complex little creatures.  It’s true.  Before I started working at Votivo, I thought you put a little fragrance in some wax and that was it.

Little did I know that there are millions of different wax combinations out there.  Not to mention that different fragrance oils burn differently and require different wick sizes to make sure they burn correctly.  Then you have to look at the shape of your glass, what materials you wick is made out of, the color of the candle, and on…and on.

I mean. We have a lab on our premises!  Stocked full of lab techs, chemists, and a perfumist.  What!? 

Of course. That’s part of what makes Votivo unique from other candle companies.  Instead of farming out our fragrances and manufacturing, we do all that stuff a few yards away from my office.  Very cool.

Now, I know we’re not making the iphone (which I love mine!), but there is definitely a lot that goes into making a high quality candle. And, I mean, I work for VOTIVO!  That’s pretty awesome in itself.

P.S.  – We’re getting ready to unveil some really cool stuff for the upcoming season!  Here’s a sneak peak of one of my favorites! Introducing The Dalian Collection – http://twitpic.com/s3d1f. 

Let me know what is your favorite Votivo Collection!

Thanks,

Trey, Product Guru

What is your fragrance story?

As I pull into the garage after a busy day, I anxiously await my daily stress buster. I shift the car into park, gather my cell phone, keys, purse and other attachments collected through the day and open my car door. I hurriedly stop to love on my four-legged friends and then I begin the ascent. Up the steps; fumbling for the house key; find it; almost there. The key goes into the lock. I turn it with anticipation of what awaits me. My husband? No. My clean house? No. My children? No. It is the smell of Votivo’s Deep Clover.  Thank Heaven for the smell of nature and our ability to mimic it as close as it gets to how God made it!

Janet Rosman, Marketing Manager

Hi, I am Janet Rosman, Marketing Manager for Votivo. I enjoy my job because I get to hear about all the different places that fragrances take you. For me, a mother of two, the ‘thinking-time” I have can only occur when I am on the lawn mower cutting grass. No stress, no decisions, just back and forth with the hum of the mower and visual results that prove that you accomplished something. To remind me of this treasured time, I have a Deep Clover Votivo Reed Diffuser strategically placed to greet me each time I enter my back door.

Votivo’s Deep Clover is described as “a gentle blending of recently mowed fescue and rye grass, the clean fresh scent is enlivened with the tangy appeal of red clover peppered with wood chips and earthen moss perfect for a day of self pampering under a blanket of white billowy clouds contrasted against the lush lawn of youth.”

Ahh, can’t you smell it? Can you feel the stress of the day drip away? Tell me your story about your favorite fragrance. I would love to hear about it!  The top five stories as rated by our brand team will win a special product prize pack!  Get your entries in before November 9, 2009 to be considered for the contest.

 

A day in the life of Amy Dawes, Customer Experience Manager

Amy loves Red Currant!

VOTIVO just completed celebrating Customer Service Appreciation Week.  Through the celebration I was reminded of what a fantastic group of people we have to service you. Votivo is committed to provide “YOU”, our customer, an exceptional experience each time you use our products or contact us. Based on our commitment, we created a department that focuses on Customer Experience.  This is where I fit into the company. 

No day is ever the same for me as I put myself into the position of being YOU, the customer.  Daily I might be working with manufacturing, product development, shipping, customer service, or speaking with customers all across the country. We realize that you have many choices when it comes to fragrance products and are glad you have chosen us.  We want to consistently exceed your expectations.

I know there are some loyal Votivo customers out there.  I need your help.  Imagine for a moment that Votivo was your company. If you could change one thing about Votivo what would it be?  I can’t wait to get your answers!  Email me at adawes@gracemg.com.

The Fragrances of Christmas

Trey - imagine, design, create

What up.  I’m the Product Manager for Votivo. But please, don’t let the words ‘product’ and ‘manager’ bore you,  ‘cause what I really do is imagine, design and create all of Votivo’s new packaging and fragrances!  With a lot of help, of course!

This fall, we are introducing a redesign of Votivo’s Holiday Collection.  And it’s very cool.  The packaging alone puts me in the Christmas mood. I’m sure, like me, there are a few things in this world that remind you of Christmas, like the smell of Bread and Company’s, Tarragon Chicken Salad! No?  

Well, one fragrance I’m sure you’ll love is Votivo’s new Holiday candle, Clementine and Clove. It downright puts you in the mood to curl up by a fire with a good book and some amazing hot chocolate.  (Oh. ‘downright’ is a Southern word I was recently introduced to that means: most definitely)

So. What reminds you of Christmas?  Any fragrances? Places? Sounds?  I’m curious to know…

Fragrances from around the world

Have you ever climbed into a NY City taxi that smelled good… I mean REALLY GOOD, not just “not too bad?” It happened to me a few days ago. The mystery of the sweet fragrance began to unfold as the driver, a charming gentleman from Bangladesh, and I began to chat. He asked, “Did you enjoy your visit? Business or pleasure?” “Both”, I said, “I accompanied my niece to a Strings Camp and also visited retailers who sell Votivo. I’m Sales Manager for Votivo, a candle company.” He smiled and said, “I had a candle store many years ago. I love fragrance and candles.” This was the beginning of a brief, but sweet ride and friendship!

My niece, Sarah, (the strings camp attendee) wrote this song (I would like to think she was inspired by Votivo):
“There are roses in the garden so we can smell them
There’s a candle in the window so we can see now
And the sun in the sky, so things all look brighter
And the moon at night, with its silvery glow
What a wonderful world this is”

The air we breathe is “fragranced” in some form or fashion everywhere we go. My favorites are tucked away in each room at home. I have a Mandarin bathroom, Soku Lime kitchen, Deep Clover bedroom, and a Clementine & Clove living room. When I leave home, it’s an adventure to breathe in the rest of world.

What Votivo fragrances do you enjoy in your part of the world? I would love to hear from you.

Virginia and family in Times Square

Greetings from Votivo.

Bob samples a new fragrance in the lab.

Bob Caldwell, Jr, Executive Vice President of Votivo

Our family owns Votivo and has been involved in the fragrance industry for over 25 years.  Growing up in the fragrance business I developed an appreciation for fragrance at an early age. Needless to say, I’ve smelled a few fragrances over the years!  Though I like all of our fragrances, I’ve never really had an overwhelming favorite.  That is, until Amberwood came along, one of our newest fragrances in Votivo.   

Amberwood is a wonderfully smooth fragrance.  It’s a well-balanced blend of delicate tea notes coupled with the warmth of sandalwood, amber, musk, and clove; lurking deep in the background is the faint hint of a smoky tobacco note or two.  The fragrance is incredibly rich, full of complexity and depth, yet it doesn’t leave me searching for a point of familiarity.  The fragrance is simply full of mystique and quite memorable!

My wife and I burn an Amberwood candle nearly every evening in our home.  When we travel, we take one with us.  It has definitely become our all-time favorite candle fragrance.

Do you have a favorite Votivo fragrance – one that keeps drawing you back for more?  I’d love to hear about it.  How did you discover it?  What makes it your favorite?  I’ll share a free candle in my favorite fragrance, Amberwood, with the first twenty people who share their favorite fragrance with us!  Just send your favorites to vtmarket@gracemg.com and we will get your candle sent out ASAP!