Origin Story

Hi there! I’m Steven Kocerka, the founder of Poured Goods. What started as a necessity has grown into a journey of passion and purpose, and today, we’re proud to make candles that thousands of customers and retail partners across the country love.

It all began when we ran our retail store and struggled to find the perfect candle. We needed something premium—high-quality and affordable—but the big brands just didn’t cut it. Most were filled with phthalates and made overseas, which didn’t align with what we wanted for our customers.

Determined to find a better solution, I turned to a local farmers market, where I connected with a small-batch candle maker to create a custom line for us. The results? Clean-burning, phthalate-free candles made with soy wax and organic cotton wicks—an instant hit with our customers!

But as demand grew, we encountered challenges with third-party suppliers. That’s when we decided to take matters into our own hands. Armed with nothing but a soup ladle, a crockpot, and a lot of determination, we started making candles ourselves. Those early days were humbling—we made about 100 candles a day, learning everything we could about wax types, fragrance loads, and wicks through trial and error.

Fast-forward to today and things look a little different! We now operate out of a large warehouse with a small but mighty team, with the ability to produce up to 1.5 million candles a month. Every candle is still with care, using clean fragrances, soy wax, and cotton wicks—all proudly crafted in the USA.

We’re grateful for everyone who’s been part of this journey, from our first customers to our incredible retail partners nationwide. Thank you for inviting us into your business and for being part of our story. We can’t wait to see where this adventure takes us next!