Today we’d like to introduce you to Drexel Brooks.
Hi Drexel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I am a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and moved to Houston in 2017 to start a new job. While working in the financial and insurance industries I learned a lot about business management and networking which I learned later would help in my future endeavors.
So like others, I was stuck on my daily grind and then CoVid hit and I started working from home and knew that it was the perfect time for me to start a new business. Being that I have always been a connoisseur of fine fragrances and luxury-scented candles from famous brands such as Diptyque and Cire Trudon, I decided that I would start my own luxury fragrance brand. And Beautiful Brûlée was born.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Looking back I will admit that the road has not been completely smooth. Growing up in an environment where money was limited I learned early that hard honest work pays off if you believe in yourself and what you are doing. While I may not have had advantages from a financial standpoint, I did have grandparents that instilled in me hard work, honesty, independence and drive which has helped me throughout life.
Another self-imposed challenge that I faced was ever since I came up with the idea to start Beautiful Brûlée, I knew that the first product that I would focus on releasing would be luxury scented candles. With that in mind, I set high standards for what we would bring to the table. An example of these standards was that I knew that I wanted the candles to be truly authentic luxury scented candles on par with the famous brands I admired. I also wanted them to be 100% vegan, clean-burning, and uniquely blended so that each candle fragrance would be unique to our brand. To achieve those goals, I set out to learn as much as I could about candle making, blending fragrance oils, and the candle industry. After months of testing and the desire to achieve positive results, I was able to see my hard work finally come to fruition.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Beautiful Brûlée?
Beautiful Brûlée House of Fragrance is a luxury home fragrance brand that specializes in 100% vegan luxury scented candles, that are inspired by a love of blending fragrances, history, and opulence. Started as just an idea in my kitchen and has now grown into something beautiful, hence the name Beautiful Brûlée.
One thing we are known for and get great feedback on all the time is that our candles smell true to the names that they are given. Whether it is Monsieur, Strawberry Crème, or Kingston ‘79 when lit stay true to their name. I think the best example of that is our top-selling signature scent “Opulence”. When asked what it smells like? I tell customers it smells like nothing you ever smelled before but think of luxury and once they smell it, they say it does smell like a luxury. That is the best feeling in the world. Another interesting thing that we are known for also is that each of our candles has a story behind them and our customers love to hear them.
One thing that sets us apart from other smaller candle makers is that we are an authentic luxury candle brand, we are 100% vegan, and since each candle fragrance is uniquely blended with our brand it allows our customers to actually have their own signature scent for their home, sort of like their favorite perfume or cologne.
At this point, we are very proud of the things we have been able to achieve in a such short time such as being among the first, if not the first, candlemakers to take a real-world cooking recipe and create a candle when we created Brûlée Rouge. Having a successful first business year and also the networking and business opportunities that have come since starting the business while still continuing to stay true to our mission of being an eco-friendly brand.
We would like the readers to know that at this time on our website www.beautifulbrulee.com, we carry 11 standard candle fragrances. We also release limited-time seasonal candle fragrances such as “Hathaway Holiday” and carry accessories such as wick trimmers and t-shirts on the website for purchase. I am also working on new products for the brand such as room sprays and other fragrance-based products which will be released later this year.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That we are a black male-owned and operated fragrance brand with Louisiana influences but based out of Texas.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beautifulbrulee.com
- Instagram: @beautifulbrulee
- Facebook: Beautiful Brulee
- Twitter: @BeautifulBrulee
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