Entrepreneur Highlight: Charles van Valkenburg, of Apis Cera
Meet the Founder of Apis Cera
[NOTE: the below interview is originally from December 2021. Two years after, Charles welcomed me in his atelier near Aix en Provence. It felt very special to finally meet him in person and see where the magic of Apis Cera happens. A beautiful place full of treasures from places he loves. I left rather inspired! Scroll all the way to the end for the photos of my visit and a special discount for you!]
Apis Cera is another brand I discovered through Instagram and instantly loved. Maybe because it is so connected to nature (🐝 ), or maybe because the branding is so creative and inviting. Just like its founder, Charles. I sent him an email on a hot morning of August to introduce BFF and our purpose, and he answered within minutes with a welcoming and enthusiastic tone. You can tell he loves what he does and is happy to generously share his gift with the world! Keep reading to learn about his career and how he became a fulfilled artisan.
Charles, tell us about you. Who you are, where you live and what you do.
My name is Charles, I’m 40, half Dutch/half French. I’ve lived about half of my life in each country.
Passionate about design, I worked as a webdesigner for about ten years, in various agencies then at Louis Vuitton.
I am now based in Provence and I make beeswax candles and honey soaps for a living.
What triggered you to become an entrepreneur? How did your business come to life?
I never planned to be an entrepreneur, but I’ve always wanted to do something with my hands and create a physical product. Before I started Apis Cera, I was working full-time as a webdesigner, and I had enough staring at a screen all day. I needed something ‘real’.
I started making candles as a hobby after work. My friends and family liked them so I tried to imagine a nice packaging around it, then a brand name (merci Google translate for teaching me that ‘Bees Wax' in latin is “Apis Cera”). In 2012, I bought the domain name. My business was officially born (and I can’t believe it will be a decade-old next year!).
What does a typical day of work look like for you?
I start my day at 8 am with a cup of black tea, in my Emma Bridgewater mug.
I like to deal with emails first. Then I pack the orders I received during the night. As for the rest of the day, it will depend on the business needs. Sometimes I make Ambroise candles for 3 days in a row nonstop, sometimes I stamp soaps in the morning, and wrap them in the afternoon. Or sometimes I go on a walk with my dog and then in the afternoon pack the big orders for shops around the world.
There is no typical day, just the first hours of the morning where I need to answer emails and prepare orders.
Have you always had a passion for bees or making beeswax candles?
My passion for bees actually came later. It’s funny because usually you will see beekeepers at the market selling honey and also some beeswax candles to have a bigger product catalogue. For me it’s the opposite, I first loved the candles and the aroma of the wax, and then I came to learn the fascinating world of bees.
What is the raison d’être of Apis Cera and what impact do you wish to have?
I hope that through Apis Cera I can help promote the beauty of Nature and the need to respect it. Beeswax is 100% made by little bees and I find it amazing that we can use it in so many ways! Nature is my number one inspiration.
In the past years, I’ve made it a goal to reduce my ecological footprint by getting rid of plastic, using solar energy for my lighting system in my workshop, grouping the deliveries (by the way if you find the shipping costs too high, please gather a few friends and place a group order!).
(photo credit: Jamie Beck)
How do you see the future of Apis Cera?
I imagine Apis Cera becoming a physical place, surrounded by flowers and beehives, that people could visit and where I would have a boutique, host workshops, manage the daily operations… It’s not for tomorrow but it’s a long term vision I have for the company.
Any advice you can give for the aspiring entrepreneur or artisan that may read this?
You have to LOVE what you are doing and be your first fan. I created Apis Cera because I wanted to buy the things I made.
Do you have a mantra or quote that keeps you going?
I have two:
« Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish » - Steve Jobs
« Don’t grow up. It’s a trap! » - Peter Pan
Memories from my visit of Charles’ atelier in June 2023