We're Katherine and Mike.

We met in 2003 at the Grand Canyon — two separate vacations, one enormous landscape. Katherine had come from Texas, with a BFA and an emphasis in printmaking from the University of Texas at Austin. Mike had come from New York, a trades craftsman. We both loved nature, mountains, hiking, and the beautiful sunsets in the west. The Reno–Sparks area, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, a short drive from Lake Tahoe, turned out to be the perfect place for us. Two crafts, one landscape — that is where Verdestry comes from.

Candles were always a part of our home — there is nearly always one burning. But for years, the struggle was finding one that simply performed: a candle we could enjoy without finding ourselves watching its failures. So we stopped searching and started pouring. Verdestry is the candle we were looking for.

Katherine still works like a printmaker, layering scents the way she once layered ink, and shaping the look of every product down to its label. Mike still works like a trades craftsman — measure twice, pour once. From the beginning, our goal was a healthier candle from purer ingredients: phthalate-free fragrance oils and essential oils, hand-poured in small batches, with cotton wicks and a blend of soy and beeswax. In the end, we feel that a candle's performance is the true mark of its makers.

Our inspiration is close to home: Sierra air, Tahoe water, high-desert light — and the verdant green that runs through all of it.