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Our Story

Makana Founders, Romely Levezow and Josh Levezow
Makana means "gift" in Hawaiian. Traditional Hawaiian beliefs contend that people, animals, and the land do not exist independently of one another.  Rather, all of our destinies are intertwined.


At Makana, we believe in the beauty of living well, clean design and creating fresh, botanical-based products.  Our products are not manufactured by the thousands in a factory, but are hand-poured and hand-blended in small batches in-house in our California studio using artisanal techniques.

We believe in a clean, minimal, uncomplicated ingredient list and process. Our methods and philosophy are rooted in both the traditional and modern. We strive to live each day filled with balance within ourselves, harmony with each other and respect for the land and sea. This way of life is based on aloha.

We believe in slowing down, unplugging and recognizing the beauty in the moment. Fragrance creates new memories with each new experience. But more importantly, fragrance evokes stored memories, transporting us thousands of miles in an instant - to a person, to a place, to a moment frozen in time, reliving an experience that may have seemed to have been gone forever.

This is our Makana to you - the gift of fragrance.

 

OUR STUDIO

Nestled in the artist community of Laguna Canyon in the southern California coastal town of Laguna Beach, founders, Romely & Josh Levezow, began Makana in 2008 with the desire to create candles that aren’t only beautiful, but free of unnecessary and harmful additives. All candles were meticulously hand-blended in tiny batches - 8 candles at a time!  Each were labeled by hand and shipped to local boutiques and specialty stores from our studio by the beach.

Today, we are located in a larger studio in nearby Irvine, California. Just as when we started, each product is still hand-crafted from start to finish in the artisanal tradition using the same simple, sustainable ingredients – 100% soy wax, phthalate-free fragrance and essential oils, and lead-free cotton wicking – with packaging that is also green and beautiful. All candles are poured in our recycled glass vessels that have simple and clean lines which fit perfectly in any home décor.

THE ARTISANAL TRADITION + WHAT IT MEANS TO US

Makana products are crafted in the same way that artisans have been creating their hand-made goods for many years – meticulously selecting each ingredient and blending by hand in small batches to produce a quality, one-of-a-kind product.  Inside our studio, you will not find large equipment or factory-style machinery. Instead, you will find small melters, pouring pots and hand-blenders. You will find containers and boxes of natural ingredients and bottles of premium oils. You will also find many beautiful labels and fine, hand-crafted packaging made with environmentally-safe materials.

Through our products, we strive to combine our passion for the environment and love of simple design with west coast, tropical sensibilities and Hawaiian ties. Following the Hawaiian tradition of malama i ka ‘aina (caring for the land), we ensure that each of our products are made and packaged with carefully-selected ingredients that are both kind to the environment and our health. In this spirit, we believe that by taking care of the land and its inhabitants, it will in turn take care of us and provide the gifts of sustenance, balance, health, and well-being.