Case study · Mouldings + Culinary + Products
A scent brand that ended up using three of the four divisions.
Started as a small candle range. Grew into a food-safe crossover line. Ended up commissioning branded silicone giftware. Three divisions, still one contact.
The brief
What the customer arrived with.
An independent scent brand approached us for custom silicone candle moulds. Over eighteen months the brand's product range widened, and each expansion happened to sit in a different one of our divisions.
How it went
Stage by stage.
First — the candle moulds
Two custom silicone candle mould designs, one pillar and one vessel. Cast silicone from TCI Mouldings, on repeat order. The brand grew fast and the moulds ran through more parts than we initially estimated — they've since been replaced with fresh tooling twice.
Second — the food-safe crossover
A collaboration with a small food brand created a line of scented edible garnishes. The moulds needed to be food-safe. Same silicone family, food-grade platinum-cure, TCI Culinary paperwork. Same designer sat in on the brief.
Third — the branded gift line
A silicone-bodied consumer product carrying the brand's identity, packaged and ready for retail. Contract manufacturing under TCI Products. Small batch, seasonal release.
One contact throughout
One of our engineers held all three programmes. When the brand phoned, they didn't have to think about which brand they were ringing. The internal routing was ours to hold.
Lessons
What we took from the job.
What we took from it
A small brand can grow into needing multiple divisions without changing supplier.
What we took from it
Continuity of contact is disproportionately valuable for small teams — they don't have the bandwidth to onboard multiple relationships.
What we took from it
The paperwork for the food-safe crossover fitted straight into what already existed for the candles.
Related
Where to read next.
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One phone call, one engineer, however many divisions it touches.
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The group
Which divisions worked on this
Every case study is a project we've delivered. The specific customer isn't named — the pattern is what matters.
At a glance
The idea in a picture.
Five brands, one team
Swipe to see the whole diagram
Get in touch
Not sure which division? Tell us what you're making.
Send us a sketch, a photograph, or a paragraph. We'll come back with the right division, the right route, and an honest sense of what it will take.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Group, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- Five brands, one teamMoulds, culinary, construction and contract products, all run from Bidford-on-Avon. See the divisions.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare