Sheikha Amna Abdulaziz Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Founder of Lava Candles shares the story of her brand and her plans for world domination.
Founded by Sheikha Amna Abdulaziz Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi Lava Candles is a collection of hand-crafted candles and home products produced entirely in the UAE. Born around the idea that we all need a special piece of luxury in the home, Sheikha Amna was inspired by the landscape and surroundings of her home country and she wanted to share a piece of that with others through her passion for candles and fragrance. Inspired by the exquisite beauty of the deserts and seas surrounding the United Arab Emirates, as well as the natural elements of the Earth each candle has a careful composition of ingredients, designed to elevate your home. Since creating her brand in 2016, Sheikha Amna has diversified into fragrance and gifts for the home and plans to take the brand even further. Here we find out more.
What can you tell us about the vision of Lava candles and why did you decide to launch this business?
My vision for Lava is to be the most updated brand in terms of scents, shapes, colours and definitely with the highest quality. The summer of 2015 was the time when I decided to open the brand and start this unique concept.
We know you are inspired by the surroundings of the UAE – what do you love about the landscapes and nature here?
Yes, Lava’s collections are indeed inspired by UAE’s surroundings, especially the exquisite beauty of the deserts and seas surrounding the country. For example from the UAE, deserts have inspired the Blanc Noir collection that features the Moonlight and Stormy desert candles. These reflect the most two inspiring elements in the dark nights of the desert, the moon and the power of the sand storms.
The range has diversified a lot since you launched in – tell about the different lines within the range and do you plan to expand further?
Proudly the brand has expanded in many ways during the last 5 years. We were able to add different products other than candles, such as room sprays, diffusers, perfumes and hair mists. Even our candle collection has expanded to more than 90 different products.
What else is in the pipeline for the coming year at Lava?
At Lava we always look for new attractive products, scents or ideas that will inspire our customers and keep them excited to try the new products and help us to expand the brand globally, serving all kinds of tastes in shapes, colours and scents. For this month we are launching our new “Bukhoor Collection” which consists of the first candles worldwide that will allow you to enjoy a house full of the inspiring “Bakhour” scent just by lighting a candle.
This month we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UAE, what does this occasion mean to you?
As a young Emirati lady, this country has given me all the opportunities and possibilities to dream big and achieve my dreams. Therefore celebrating 50 years of UAE makes me proud; it leaves me full of all positive feelings and definitely looking forward to a bright future
What is a message that you would send to your country on this occasion?
My message to my beloved country is that I am very proud and I highly appreciate the safe place they have created for all the people living in the UAE, and for always being a role model for the entire world in achieving success in all aspects.
What is your fondest memory of the UAE from your childhood?
As a young Emirati lady who has been born and raised here, I can’t limit my happy memories to just one. Luckily it has been a journey full of happy memories with my family, friends and now with Lava.
How will you be celebrating the 50th anniversary?
I hope to spend the 50th anniversary of my beloved country with my friends and family as we watch on the television our rulers coming together to celebrate this remarkable day.
What do you think the UAE has that no other country possesses?
In my opinion and from what I have seen since the day I was born, the UAE has always been a country that gives everyone the chance of living in a safe environment, a chance to build goals and achieve them and is always supportive of all kinds of successes.
Where would you like to see the UAE in another 50 years?
I am sure that I will see the UAE as one of the top countries in all majors and continue to be a role model and a safe place for everyone.
As an entrepreneur what advice would you give to others who are looking to start their own business?
Starting your own business in a challenging environment full of successful local brands is very interesting! It gives you motivation and inspiration. And definitely for any goal to be achieved you need to work on it very carefully with determination and persistence. So my advice for everyone who is interested in starting their own business is to always continue the journey with strength and motivation and keep it unique, with an added value to your customers both locally and internationally.
Who or what inspires you the most?
My family always comes first in supporting and inspiring me. Also seeing successful young ladies around the world achieving their goals and becoming worldwide icons always gives me motivation.
What is the biggest challenge you face in what you do?
In our industry, it’s important to always stay updated on the customer’s needs and tastes especially when it comes to scents and perfumes. So the biggest challenge is creating a mixture of scents that will satisfy a wide range of different tastes, as well as keeping the original Lava touch in the mixtures.
What is your biggest achievement so far?
I am very proud of my brand and happy with where it has got to so far. We are currently very well-known locally and starting to sell and distribute around the world, and gladly we are competing with other well-known brands. Therefore I consider Lava one of my biggest achievements that will hopefully continue to grow and shine worldwide.
What is something you would still like to achieve that you haven’t done yet?
I still have a lot of plans and goals that I am working on and hopefully try to achieve soon. I believe you must always have new goals to keep up a successful life and mindset.
What is the personal motto that you live by?
My favourite motto is “we are all a work in progress”. As we know, no one is perfect but you should always try to be the closest to perfect you can be. I also apply this at Lava as we always try to improve the candles we produce by getting feedback from clients and building on their needs.
What is your personal favourite candle or scent from the collections?
This is a very difficult question as I have many favourites from different collections, but if I had to pick one it would be Gold Treasures as I remember the special memories that came with choosing that scent.
Can you tell us why everyone needs a Lava candle in their home?
A Lava candle is not just a candle with one or two fragrance components, each candle has a luxury mix of over 7-9 components from nature, gathered and mixed with care to give you a scent that you have never smelt before, a scent that you can’t find in any other place. Also, our candles have a very unique burning experience with very long burning hours. Adding the attractive luxury colours we choose for the candles and having over 90 different scents, I am sure Lava candles will astonish everyone.
