About Us

Us at our first ever event 12/10/2013 - St Mary's Island Craft Fair

Our names are Ricky and Axel; we are both in our early thirties and proud owners of Gaia Creations (created in October 2013). Ricky was born in Kent and Axel, whom is French (from the Bordeaux area), has been living in the Medway area since 2005; we both call Rochester our home.

What started it all was our very strong desire to make a difference in the way we live and work. In August 2012 we left the safety of our jobs and went on to travel across Australia, Thailand and Cambodia. There, amongst scores of great people, we met a wonderful lady, called Trudi Pollard; she and her family have welcomed us into their home and we soon got on like a house on fire.

Trudi, although an internationally recognised textile artist by trade (Website: www.pollarddesigns.com - Facebook page click here), practices all sorts of crafts and it is her whom introduced us to natural fibre dying and candle making.
We loved this so much that we nourished the idea of starting our own craft business when we got back to the UK. 2013 was the moment of truth as we embarked on this new adventure and left the safety net behind. If we can’t be sure our business example will work, we know for sure that you will love our products; we put so much attention, pride, time, resources and effort into them. 

Another certain thing is our commitment to the safekeeping of the Environment; we take our SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY very seriously and want to leave this world a better place than how we found it.

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Meet the Team

Ricky

Co-owner

Ricky's the main candle maker and definitely the creative mind behind Gaia Creations.
As with most creative minds, he's mostly quiet, but has his eccentricities.

You'll most definitely find him in the kitchen pouring away candles and singing along to the Spice Girls...

​Passions:
Spice Girls, shopping, more shopping, walking the dogs, holidays, winding Axel up... oh and did we mention shopping?? :-)




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Axel

co-owner

Axel's more of the administrator, bookkeeper, webmaster, salesman; he was given the gift of the gab and he's definitely using it.

You'll sometimes find him helping Ricky out but he's good at making excuses and making himself busy...
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Passions:
Food (had to be first), horse riding, walking the dogs, meeting with friends (and drinking games), playing tricks on friends (often following drinking games...)


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Ella & Poppy

mascots, Mess makers  (also comfort huggers)

Those two are our version of "terrible 2s", so to say.

You'll rarely see them with us at the stall as they're the worst behaved dogs we've had, they're definitely spoilt.

They are however a big part of the Team and family, and love to open and shred letters for us and leave paw prints everywhere.
We apologise in advance if you find some of their hair in your purchase :-)

Passions:
Treats, bones, anything they're not supposed to eat, long walks, getting muddy, cuddling in front of the telly...​

Regular volunteer helpers (and awesome friends) :

Matt

Also an entrepreneur in his own right, find out more here

Paulina

Always willing, always positive, but not a fan of pictures...

What we're about

Our aim is to develop a healthy business in an organic way and that will not only respect the environment but help sustain and improve it to some extent.
We offer gorgeous products, made with high quality supplies at a fair price.
We PRIDE ourselves TO MAKE EVERY PRODUCT A SPECIAL AND UNIQUE ITEM, BY HAND, AT HOME IN KENT. It is not just a commitment but a pleasure too, to offer the best we can to our Friends and Customers.

Our artisan-made techniques and commitment to produce in Kent, with as many local supplies as possible; reflects in our membership to the Produced in Kent scheme, since January 2014.

We will develop other product ranges in the future but would welcome any feedback or ideas from anyone. After all, if this business is to live, it is for its customers and their needs.

Anyone going into business and taking the risks that come with it would be lying if they said one of their objectives isn't to make money. As such, we would love to be able to live off our craft and passion but certainly do not need millions to be happy. As we, as a business, become stronger and wealthier, it is our intention to invest this money into creating employment and generally giving back to the Community. It’s not just for now but when people believe strongly in something and put their whole into it, success becomes a by-product.

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Future as we see it

Currently, we offer candles solely; however, in the very near future, we will be developing a range of naturally dyed silk and cotton scarves, neckerchiefs and women’s clothes.
On the topic of development, we hope to be able to soon offer 100% natural candles, from wax, wick, colouring to fragrance, by the way of pure essential oils; this is a ground-breaking product that requires very accurate dosage and so we are still at development stage.

Additionally, in the future, and as the business grows stronger, we hope to become carbon-neutral by way of sponsoring ecological projects. We would even like to go further by pledging to donate a portion of every sale to environmental and local charities.

How we chose our Business' name

We came about the name of Gaia Creations as it reflects our environmental commitments and projects the idea of creations, thus not limiting us in what handmade products we wish to offer in the future.
“Gaia”, in the ancient Greece, represented the goddess or personification of Earth, one of the Greek primordial deities.
As a bit of history, Gaia was the great mother of all: the primal Greek Mother Goddess; creator and giver of birth to the Earth and all the Universe; the heavenly Gods, the Titans and the Giants were born from her union with Uranus (the sky), while the sea-gods were born from her union with Pontus (the sea).
The mythological name was revived in 1979 by James Lovelock and his Gaia hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that living organisms and inorganic material are part of a dynamic system that shapes the Earth's biosphere, and maintains the Earth as a fit environment for life.

More recently, the term Gaia or its philosophy, have been used in books (Isaac Asimov), video games (Final Fantasy) and movies (Star Trek, Avatar).

Lastly, we are currently operating as a Sole Trader, with the Business being registered in the name of Ricky Hake.
Gaia Creations has been trading since October 2013.

Sustainability and Social Responsibility

At Gaia Creations, we take our Social responsibility seriously and strive on being a green company. What this means is that not only do we strive for great products, customer service and sustainability, but we also take a step beyond to try and create positive changes. 
As a company founded by environmental conscious persons, it’s only natural that Gaia Creations is committed to ensuring that all of our activities, from product to process, have as little an impact on the environment as possible. For that, we minimise packaging and printing and use recycled materials wherever we can; we also avoid craft foams and plastics.

Additionally, we work hard to source the best quality and eco-friendly supplies that make our candles and ensure those supplies can be composted, recycled and/or reused whenever possible.
Lastly, but not the least, we constantly work at raising eco-awareness and influencing our suppliers and customers on working hand-in-hand with us on what is in everyone’s best interest.

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Lastly...

Simply a big thank you for visiting our website and for supporting Gaia Creations, a proud Kentish and British Small Business.

Ricky & Axel
Gaia Creations