TIPPERARY, IRELAND and NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 17, 2011) - St. Killians Candle Company, an Ireland-based provider of religious candles, today debuted its new smokeless candle in the US. The first order for the green-friendly product was placed by New York's venerable St. Patrick's Cathedral. The institution selected St. Killians products as a cleaner, safer and more cost-effective alternative to the older-generation candles currently used by churches across the US.
The order was celebrated earlier today after a Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Attendees included executives from St. Killians Candle Company, along with the Most Rev. Archbishop Dolan of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, also attended. The Minister is in New York to attend business events organized by Enterprise Ireland to mark Ireland's tight commercial links with the US. Enterprise Ireland is the government organization responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets.
The market for church candles in the US is large and growing. Currently, more than 1500 distributors supply products to churches across the country. Next to the Vatican, St. Patrick's Cathedral is the world's second most important cathedral and one of the largest customers of church candles. The iconic building draws more than 5.5 million visitors per year, including hundreds of priests from all corners of the world.
St. Killians is well positioned to serve St. Patrick's and other US customers. Founded in 2008, the company is already serving churches in 10 European countries. It recently established an office in Syracuse, NY and sealed relationships with three US distributors to support and grow its US presence. The company's smokeless product represents a new class of church candle. Conventional candles are typically secured in a single glass or plastic container. As the candle burns, it tilts to the side where the heat of the flame causes the glass to shatter or the plastic to ignite. St. Killians candles feature a patented glass configuration comprised of two glass containers, one external and one internal. The internal glass dish secures the candle and prevents tilting, which protects the glass from the flame. Millions of St. Killians candles are used in European churches. Not a single glass has shattered. Moreover, the used wax is collected and recycled.
"It is fitting for us to mark our US debut on St. Patrick's Day with an order from St. Patrick's Cathedral," said St. Killians' CEO, Michael Barrett. "We're honored to count St. Patrick's Cathedral as our first US customer. They have stringent performance, environmental, aesthetic and safety standards for their candles. We're glad that our products meet their requirements."
According to the Very Rev. Mgr. Robert T. Richie at St. Patrick's Cathedral, "We're pleased to source these candles from St. Killians Candle Company -- a dedicated supplier of church candles. Beyond high quality and affordability, St. Killians smokeless products are helping us meet our environmental priorities."
Enterprise Ireland's Chairman, Hugh Cooney also commented, "St. Killians Candle Company typifies the ambitious enterprises emerging in Ireland today. They're making high-quality, innovative products and exporting to high-growth markets. Few companies, however, enter a new market with a marquee first customer. We congratulate St. Killians for this big win and we wish them luck as they expand their US market presence."
For more information on St. Killians Candle Company, please visit www.saintkillians.ie
For more information on St. Patrick's Cathedral, please visit www.saintpatrickscathedral.org
For more information on Enterprise Ireland, please visit www.enterprise-ireland.com
Contact Information:
Contacts
Michael Barrett
CEO
St. Killians Candle Company
Email:
Phone: 001 353 87 2943193