Check Out Melanie Apple-fields’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Apple-fields

Hi Melanie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Originally, I am from Montreal, moved to Los Angeles, spent most of my summers in the South of France, and spent almost nine years studying and living in Paris. My parents loved traveling and we traveled a lot, Hawaii, Mexico, everywhere! As far back as I can remember, I always loved fragrance. Los Angeles has to be one of the most fragrant cities in the world. The smell of orange blossom every spring, night-blooming jasmine, and gardenias around our swimming pool brings back the most incredible memories of my childhood. The South of France with its similar climate to Southern California also influenced me considerably. I have spent most of my life studying the art of perfume-making and still do – I can’t get enough of it! I was a fashion designer for many years and traveled all over the US and Europe for trade and fabric shows, and it was then that I realized my passion for fragrance was yet another business I had to create. Every city in the world has its own particular scent, whether it is a plant, flower, church, or building. Paris is extraordinary for fragrance as well and it caters to every bit of my olfactory sense creating feelings of love, euphoria, and passion. This is what drove me to create my line, Voyage et Cie. Nineteen years later, I have a brick and mortar store in Studio City and a store & factory (where I still hand-make our products) in DTLA!

Voyage et Cie Studio City
13035 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
(818)387-6358

Voyage et Cie Downtown LA
2123 Bay St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213)221-7479

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting this business on my own was certainly not easy! But, I will say, COVID was the biggest challenge I have experienced. I am incredibly grateful that my business (particularly my website) was thriving, but I was not allowed to have any staff, and fulfilling all of my orders with my daughter was a new obstacle! I also did not realize how dependent I was on international importing. Through a lot of improvisation and trial and error, I am now my own distributor!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I first started making candles, there was not a lot of information available. Wax was either paraffin or soy. I chose soy wax and could not get a good throw. In order to have a good throw, the wax needs an oil, and I knew I did not want to use paraffin. I approached the wax company that I work with about creating a product with more coconut oil, perhaps apricot oil? And, it worked. My blend is just perfect. Coconut, soy, apricot, and beeswax. Formulating fragrances can be very costly, and I could have chosen a cheaper fragrance or fine fragrance. I chose the latter. All Voyage et Cie’s perfumes are the highest grade and most expensive, whether it is for a candle, perfume, or diffuser. I would say my signature piece is definitely my large vessels. At the time I began making candles, I had never had another company offer as many large-size candles as I offer!

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
The integrity of my product. I am truly invested in what is healthy and what is okay to breathe. I use a very high grade vegetable wax, which is mostly coconut wax, apricot, soy, and beeswax. I also use the best quality fragrance for my candles, perfume, home products, and body products.

Pricing:

• $32-$350

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.voyageetcie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voyageetcie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoyageEtCie/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/voyage-et-cie-studio-city

Image Credits
Jenna Peffley