I sat down with founders Cheptoo and Chebet Chirchir for a discussion on the ethos of the company, building scent profiles and why The Hills is so much more than a candle company.
On a picturesque Saturday morning at Artcaffé in Westgate, I was settling into a quiet corner when two statuesque women approached me. I knew who they were instantly: sisters Cheptoo (Chep) and Chebet Chirchir, founders of The Hills Signature Collection, a candle company with scents as effortlessly chic as its shepherds. In a brown sweater with a scalloped hem and pink Ralph Lauren button down respectively, Chebet and Chep are warm and inviting over cappuccinos and Aquamist sparkling water. They’re a little nervous too.
I quickly dismiss Chep and Chebet’s concerns that there won’t be room for both of their perspectives in our interview—not out of any belief that my skills rival Oprah’s (though, if someone else said that, I wouldn’t object…), but because the connection between these two women is as natural as the blood that bonds them. That connection is the heartbeat of The Hills and why the brand has quickly become a staple of Kenya’s burgeoning artisan industry.
Like many passion projects that have morphed into beloved businesses, they founded The Hills during the pandemic, though the company’s roots stretch far before we all knew what COVID-19 was.
“I think the genesis could have been from our days in university,” Chep explained. Both sisters studied abroad in the UK. After a period of homesickness, a feeling that is deeply tied to The Hills’ ethos, Chep came back to Kenya in 2018 and Chebet returned the following year. They pursued their own careers until the pandemic hit and both were laid off.
“We wanted candles and we didn’t really find anything we wanted or saw any brands that were familiar to us,” Chep explained. “All we came across were candles in jars that had no branding and you couldn’t really relate to them. We thought to ourselves, ‘if we like it today and burn it today, will we come back in two months and find the same exact candle?’”
Probably not. Kenyan retailers are notoriously inconsistent with their inventory and that lit a fire under Chebet and Chep “We were like, ‘let’s make our own candle at home with our favorite fragrances,” Chep said, “let’s figure out how we’ll melt paraffin wax, pour a bit of our favorite fragrances into it and make a candle.” The sisters laugh as they recount learning that “perfume is flammable, so that actually can’t go into a candle,” but their newfound passion persisted.
“We were all bored and stuck at home,” Chep remembered, “and during that period, it was all about self care and being okay mentally while at home all day.” Cabin fever pushed Chebet and Chep to come up with ways to “make the house more interesting to be in, since we were there full time” and one day, while on a shopping trip to spruce up their parents’ home to make it feel like theirs again, inspiration struck.
“We kept on researching,” Chep started before Chebet added, “and making candles for ourselves, based on the things we liked.” But candles weren’t the only thing they were experimenting with. Chebet shared they also founded a “thrifting business” around that time. “We were just trying to be innovative and find ways to clear our space filled with clothes we don’t wear,” she explained before Chep added that the “over consumerism in the West” led them to acquire a ton of clothes they would wear “once or twice” before they’d disappeared into their overflowing closets.
The sisters spent the next year envisioning every aspect of the company, from branding to signature scents to the customer experience. Every step of the way, their parents kept urging them to “go bigger.” Soon, they had an at- home workshop with hundreds of jars filled with scents loved by them and their close knit supporters. And The Hills was born.
While experimenting with scents, Chep and Chebet discovered there are emotional ties to what aromas people gravitate towards, which was a turning point for their business. “What we noticed is you only like a scent if you’ve been exposed to it or you have a memory of that scent,” Chebet explained.
“Jump in. Don’t be scared. Take the risk and start it as a business.”
With that in mind, the sisters decided to start with a “simple” collection of everyday scents for a wide range of buyers.
But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the sisters, who, like all entrepreneurs, have had their fair share of challenges. Like trying to reach their customers during the pandemic, which Chep said was no easy task. “Everybody was still kind of indoors and selling a sensory product that people can’t smell before buying was difficult,” she told me. Chebet said they “overcame” that by drafting vivid descriptions of their scents and the feelings they evoke. “Even using our photos on Instagram and making people aware of the different candles and when to light them helped,” she added.
Another obstacle, which I point out to them, is the most blatant: running a business with a family member. Though they’re symbiotic in so many ways, they are two very different women, as their scent preferences indicate (Chep prefers muskier, more calming scents, while “wild” and “adventurous” Chebet gravitates towards “sweet [and] fresh” scents). Conflict is inevitable, but Chep told me they’ve mastered how to navigate disagreements. “When we disagree, just like you would as siblings, get away for some time, give each other space and come back as if nothing happened,” she explained. “Then when we do we’re like, ‘So are we doing this or not?’ Then we make a decision and keep it moving.”
It’s a good system which, beyond Chep and Chebet’s sisterly bond, is a direct result of the intentionality and forward thinking behind The Hills. Every aspect of the company has been meticulously thought out, from the quality of their jars to the delivery experience, all to sustain an unforgettable (and consistent) experience for their customers. And for the sisters, that’s the ultimate definition of luxury.
“Luxury can be defined by anyone,” Chebet explained. “It’s subjective. For us, it means being aspirational and accessible. [The Hills] is both for someone who has an unlimited budget or someone who has saved for the whole month to buy one of our products.”
The sisters have also made a point to share the behind-the-scenes process to creating their candles, a system that’s crafted in love and, according to Chep and Chebet, also inherently luxurious. “We want our buyers to know everything is done by hand so they understand the quality of our products,” Chebet explained.
Their efforts represent bigger shifts in consumerism in Kenya. The 2010s saw an initial wave of “for us, by us” spending habits amongst Nairobians. Now, halfway through a new decade, a second wave has hit and it’s propping up the artisan market in Kenya.
“I think people have started to celebrate and appreciate the artisanal market and that’s why spaces have started to open,” Chebet said, referring to the boom of flea markets in the Nairobi area, many of which The Hills has participated in.
Those flea markets and “word of mouth” reviews have helped The Hills soar. And the future of the brand is bright. As our conversation comes to a close, Chebet and Chep gush over where they’re going after this: their new office. But that’s just the beginning of the vision the sisters have for the brand. “We want to breathe life into the fragrance market here,” Chebet shared. “We’re a homegrown Kenyan brand, but we also want to be global, authentically African, and even more accessible.”
They’re already on their way to The Hills being in homes around the world, with products currently stocked in South Sudan. In the meantime, Chep added that they want to continue to build their customer base at home.
“I want every Kenyan to experience The Hills,” Chep added. “So many still haven’t.” They don’t just want people to buy their products, theywant their products to become an intimate part of their customers’ lives.
“Whether it’s a birthday or Valentine’s [Day], we’ve always said that we want The Hills to be a part of special moments,” Chebet shared.
They want to be a part of the small moments too, like when you’re getting ready for work or coming home after a tough day at school. The Hills wants to offer so much more than products that make your home smell great. They want to be your home. And I’m sure in time they will.
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