22 May INNOVATION: Mind your beeswax

When you think about candles, you probably don’t associate them with geospatial surveying aircraft, 3D printers, and high-definition laser radar – but that’s exactly what Brad Swift’s Cascadia Candle Co. is about. Brad makes candles that are perfect replicas of famous mountains in America’s northwest – think Mount St. Helens, but shrunken down to about seven inches or so.

After four years running a small company called Portland Bee Balm and thus being surrounded by wax, Brad was inspired to do something different. Reaching out through his network of friends, he got his hands on some very detailed topographical data and after a couple of failed attempts managed to create his first tiny mountain candle. Harnessing the talents of the team at Digital Trends, Brad was able to access 3D printing technology that created the models for his candle moulds. The results are truly stunning – you can see and read more about Brad’s candles here.