Upepo tealight holder

A tealight holder made from an upcycled wine bottle, on a base carved by hand from mkongo wood with a pattern around its side. The tall glass curves in towards an opening at the top, and the light glows softly through the green. Upepo is Swahili for breeze.

It’s 12.5 cm tall and 7.5 cm across, a nice size for a shelf, a windowsill or a side table.

The glass is a tall section of a wine bottle, one of the empties a team collects from hotels, restaurants and dump sites on Zanzibar. At the workshop the bottles are sorted, washed and disinfected, then the women score the glass, separate it with heat and cold and polish the edge twice.

The mkongo base is carved by hand, so the pattern varies a little from one holder to the next, and the green of the glass depends on the bottle.

The workshop runs on solar power, collects rainwater and is a guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organisation.

Let the holder cool before you move or clean it. Lift out the used tealight cup and remove any wax with hot water and a cloth. Keep the wooden base dry. Never leave a burning candle unattended.