A LOCHGELLY firm has the sweet scent of success after helping to light up homes across the UK and further afield.

Rock n Rose Aromas, based in Kelly Brown's kitchen, has been named the Candle Retailer of the Year 2021 by Scotland's Prestige Awards.

The mum-of-two's luxury home fragrance brand was also nominated for a Fife Business Award and she owes it all to a gift she gave for Mother's Day.

Kelly, 36, recalled: "I had a candle making lesson in November 2018 as I'd always wanted to make my own.

"I'd bought it as a Mother's Day gift for my mum.

"A woman in Anstruther, an award-winning candlemaker called Jo Macfarlane, now teaches and me and mum just had such a brilliant time.

"We were there about seven hours, we learned the process, picked all our scents and came back with five different candles.

"I was absolutely buzzing. I just fell in love with it."

She added: "I'd been a dental nurse for 18 years, I felt I'd outgrown it but had no idea what to do next.

"It was my husband, Colin, who said I could make a go of this and so I went back for the advanced course."

After learning the craft her first candle was, fittingly, released in time for Mother's Day and she sold 30-odd gift boxes in a matter of days.

It took off, she quit her job as a dental nurse and the business has just celebrated its second birthday.

Rock n Rose Aromas sells hand-poured soy candles, reed diffusers, wax melts and room perfumes, as well as gift boxes, corporate presents and private label candles for other clients, in an array of wonderful scents.

The most popular are the amber, orange and vanilla, and the blackcurrant, bergamot and apple fragrances and all the products are designed, hand-poured and packaged in her kitchen in Lochgelly.

She said: "Everyone seems to love them and I get a lot of returning customers, word of mouth and social media have been a huge help.

"I've got customers locally and all over the country, England, Wales, I've even sent products to Holland, Italy and Australia too!

"Some of the fragrance blends are very unique and I try to have a bit of everything, fruity, feminine, floral, masculine.

"I've always had a passion for fragrances. My friends always laugh about it as rather than buy shoes or handbags, I'd buy a bottle of perfume. I've got a bit of a collection!"

She added: "I make everything, package it, deliver the local orders, I do all the social media, I'm a one-woman band!

"During lockdown I could still work from home and do contactless deliveries and, because everyone was fed up and stuck in the house, they wanted to treat themselves.

"I was really busy last year and it's been crazy ever since."

Customers loved her products enough to nominate her for the Scotland Prestige Awards, which recognise small and medium-sized businesses that have proven to be the best in their market over the past 12 months.

Kelly said: "Just to be nominated was a bit of a shock, my business is literally run from the kitchen table, and it's pretty full on, it's like a candle factory!

"There's going to be an awards ceremony, Covid-restricted so not as big and fancy as they normally do it, in Glasgow or Edinburgh where I get the trophy.

"They've still to arrange the date but it sounds brilliant."

You can find out more at the Rock n Rose Aromas Facebook page and the website, www.rocknrosearomas.co.uk