Meet the Maker: True Hue

It's been awhile since we've introduced you to the incredible makers who fill our boxes! All our products are sourced from independent artisans and makers across Minnesota, Wisconsin & beyond. This means, when you buy a gift from us, you’re not only supporting our small business but the dozens of makers who make up our gift boxes.

Today, we’re so excited to introduce you to the next maker in our Meet the Maker Series: an ongoing meet and greet with the incredible makers who fill our boxes.

Meet Griffin, owner & founder of True Hue, and the brains behind the candles we’ve fallen in love with. Our favorites so far? Summer Solstice & Split Rock, but you really can’t go wrong!

We got to interview Griffin on his story, how it all began and what advice he would give to those just starting out, and we can't wait to share it with you. Keep reading for our full Q&A!

Tell us a little bit about your story! How did you get started?

Having been coined the “elephant” in the family attributable by my sharp memory skills, I often thought about how I could capture those memories into something I could continue to live by. Due to our sense of smell being the fastest to recall memories, I thought, why not work with fragrance? Candles and lifestyle branding was always something I was interested in and it helped that my sister and I would often melt down unused wax in the bottom of our candles and re-pour them into new ones. I started True Hue while at school at the University of Minnesota which helped shift my major to Business Marketing Education and Design Studies to better suit what I was trying to learn in my business. After graduating a year later, I’ve been lucky to have continued with True Hue for almost 3 years now!

What do you love about the medium you work with?

It is so hard to pick just one thing I love about making home fragrances because I truly love all of it. Certainly the little jobs get tiring, but I often remind myself that I get to wake up everyday and do what I want to do. I think most of all, I love the stories behind what I am creating. Each scent has a background. You can actually now read about them under the ’Scent Stories’ tab on our website.

If you could offer any advice to other creatives who are just starting out, what would you say?

My biggest piece of advice to emerging creatives is to take it easy on yourself. Things take time. I didn’t create the best fragrances right off the cuff, design a whole website overnight, and I didn’t learn how to hone my craft without having spent hours and hours putting in the effort. Be patient. I often say, the caterpillar doesn’t go to sleep knowing they will one day turn into a butterfly.

What are the best ways for people to support you right now?

The best way to support right now would be to shop on our website or at your local carrying retail shop. If you love our products, it would mean the world if you both shared it with us and also with the retailers themselves. This last one is a shameless plug, but please follow us on instagram at @truehue.co!