Domestic Retail · India · Bulk Tealight Manufacturing

Supplying a large Indian retail chain, year after year

A large Indian retail chain was looking for a domestic manufacturing partner for its tealight candles. The product needed to meet agreed burn-time and quality standards while remaining competitively priced — with volumes expected to increase during festive periods, requiring advance production planning.

About the Client

A large Indian retail chain sourcing tealight candles domestically

The retailer needed a domestic manufacturing partner for its tealight candle programme — one who could meet agreed burn-time and quality standards at a competitively priced point, while handling the volume swings that come with organised retail.

The Challenge

Consistent quality at scale, with seasonal spikes

01 — Meeting agreed standards at competitive pricing. The product needed to meet defined burn-time and quality benchmarks while remaining commercially competitive for a retail price point.

02 — Managing seasonal volume spikes. Tealight demand typically increases sharply around Diwali and other festive periods, requiring advance planning rather than reactive scaling.

03 — Maintaining consistency across large production runs. Organised retail requires dependable, repeatable quality run after run, not just in an initial sample batch.

Our Approach

From specification to a repeatable production programme

01 — Specification and sampling. We reviewed the retailer’s specifications, target pricing, packaging requirements and expected volumes. Samples were developed and evaluated through burn testing and commercial discussions before the product specifications and packaging were finalised.

02 — Production at our Bengaluru facility. Production began after approval, following defined manufacturing parameters and regular quality checks, including periodic burn testing, to maintain consistency across large production runs.

03 — Planning ahead for festive-period demand. Where forecasts are available, we plan raw materials, packaging and production schedules in advance. Close coordination with the customer helps manage demand changes during peak periods. We have also expanded our tealight manufacturing capacity to support larger domestic and export requirements.

The Outcome

A multi-year retail supply programme

Welburn supplied the retailer’s tealight programme for several years, gaining experience in producing and managing high-volume candle products for organised retail.