Long-Term Technology Partnership with St. Eval
St. Eval Candle Company is one of Cornwall’s most recognisable brands, combining craftsmanship with sustainability to create candles and fragrances loved across the UK and beyond. Their ethos is rooted in quality, innovation, and environmental responsibility, with a strong focus on reducing environmental impact while growing sustainably as a business.
We have been working with St. Eval for several years, supporting them on a wide range of technology projects. This long-term relationship has allowed us to contribute at both strategic and operational levels – from e-commerce and recruitment advice through to digital transformation and complex system development.
The Challenge
As St. Eval has grown, so too have the demands on their technology infrastructure. Over the years, a series of challenges have emerged:
- Scaling online presence – their Shopify site needed to reflect the strength of the brand while also handling significant increases in traffic and sales volumes, particularly during seasonal peaks.
- Recruitment and leadership – as the business expanded, there was a clear need for dedicated senior technology leadership. Identifying and recruiting the right Head of Technology was vital to ensuring continued growth.
- Legacy systems – production planning relied on outdated and inflexible software, which limited efficiency and made it difficult to respond to the fast-changing needs of the business.
- Operational complexity – managing sales across multiple channels, coordinating stock, and forecasting production created growing pressure on teams without streamlined digital tools.
The Solution
Our work with St. Eval has spanned several phases, each designed to meet immediate needs while preparing for future growth.
Shopify Development: We worked with the St. Eval team to set up and optimise their Shopify store, ensuring it aligned with their brand identity and delivered a smooth customer experience. We introduced features to handle promotional campaigns, seasonal demand, and back-end integration with fulfilment processes.
Consulting and Recruitment Support: Recognising the importance of leadership, we supported St. Eval in the recruitment of their Head of Technology. This included helping to define the role, assessing technical requirements, and advising on long-term strategy to ensure the appointment would drive innovation and efficiency.
Production Planning System: More recently, we are currently undertaking a major project to reverse engineer a legacy production planning tool. By analysing existing workflows and rebuilding the system with modern technology, we are developing a tailored solution that will give St. Eval far greater control over forecasting, scheduling, and resource allocation. This system was designed to integrate with other business data sources, supporting smarter decision-making and future scalability.
The Results
Through this multi-year partnership, St. Eval has achieved significant benefits:
- Improved online performance – the Shopify store has delivered a seamless customer experience, supporting higher volumes of traffic and boosting online sales.
- Stronger leadership – the successful recruitment of a Head of Technology has provided the business with strategic oversight and the ability to plan for long-term innovation.
- Operational efficiency – the new production planning system will streamline forecasting and scheduling, reducing reliance on outdated tools and giving the team confidence in their data.
- Future-proofing – technology investments have been made with scalability in mind, ensuring St. Eval can continue to grow without being constrained by digital infrastructure.
Looking Ahead
Our work with St. Eval continues as the business expands its reach and strengthens its sustainability commitments. We remain closely engaged with the leadership technical and marketing teams, supporting further system enhancement and ensuring that digital platforms evolve alongside business needs.
Conclusion
The partnership with St. Eval demonstrates how long-term collaboration can deliver both stability and innovation. By working across multiple areas – from e-commerce and recruitment through to production planning and system redevelopment – we have helped the business navigate growth while staying true to its values.
