Fréres Branchiaux
Candles, room sprays, and every other home fragrance item you need, handcrafted by a trio of brothers in Washington, D.C.
About Fréres Branchiaux
Your average lemonade stand has nothing on Frères Branchiaux. Brothers Collin, Ryan, and Austin Gill started selling hand-mixed and -poured candles from their kitchen in 2017 to make extra money for video games and toys, and the business quickly took off. Four years later, Frères Branchiaux has become a million-dollar company and expanded its offerings to room sprays, diffusers, bath salts, and more. The boys create each of the scents they sell, from Collin’s Chunky Sweater to Ryan’s 1790, an homage to the brothers’ hometown of Washington, D.C. Since its inception, Fréres Branchiaux has donated 10 percent of profits to homeless shelters in the D.C. area, honoring the brothers’ commitment to their community with every purchase.
Why we love them
We love that each Fréres Branchiaux handmade candle has layers of aromas, like refreshing Lime Cotton or cozy, fall-ready Whiskey Sweet. KCM’s Ciara has the Love Jones scent and, well, loves it. It’s just the right amount of sweet and makes any room feel like the right place to take a nap or read a book. The room sprays are offered in the same scents, work well, and are easy to stash on your night stand or in your backpack. Once you finish your candle, you can send it back to the brothers as part of their recycling program. They’ll use it for their next batch, and you’ll get a dollar off your next order.
Meet Collin, Ryan, and Austin Gill
Celena Gill was joking when she told her sons to get a job or start a business if they wanted more spending money, but Collin, Ryan, and Austin — now 16, 13, and 1o, respectively — lost no time in establishing a brand that’s now carried in more than 50 stores across the country. While they now have employees doing the majority of their manufacturing, the boys are still heavily involved in the business while staying on top of their schoolwork and excelling in sports. Team KCM chatted with the boys about where they started and where they’re going as Frères Branchiaux continues to expand.
In conversation with the Gill Brothers
KCM: How did the idea for Frères Branchiaux come about?
Ryan: Me and Austin wanted more money for Nerf guns so we could make a Nerf gun video, but our mom said, “No, get a job or start a business.” So we looked up what the most successful kids’ businesses were, and it was candles, bath bombs, and soap. We learned how to make all three, but eventually decided on candles.
How did you sell your candles in the early days?
Ryan: We started selling them at our baseball, football, and soccer games out of the back of our minivan.
Collin: Our first customers were mostly our teammates’ parents, family members and friends. We sold them out of our car and we would write down people’s names for orders and would bring them the candles at the next game.
How long were you mostly selling to friends and family? What was the next step in the business?
Collin: We were selling at our sports games for about two months, and then we did our first event at NPR’s All Crafts Considered holiday market in D.C. We completely sold out and had orders, too: We were writing down people’s addresses and my dad had to go out and deliver candles the next day.
