A Unified Approach to Productivity, Sustainability and Innovation
Oxford Innovation Advice’s support for St Eval was grounded in an unrivalled understanding of the challenges faced by ambitious SME leaders. By combining strategic funding expertise with hands-on digital and manufacturing guidance, the team designed an innovative, end-to-end solution that leveraged exceptional people, technology and data insights. This integrated approach not only accelerated St Eval’s growth but reflected our commitment to responsible practices that positively impact the environment and local communities.
St Eval approached Oxford Innovation Advice in early 2024 seeking guidance on how to unlock growth, improve production efficiency and strengthen their sustainability commitments. Rather than treating their goals as separate challenges—grant funding, process optimisation and digital monitoring—the Access to Finance+ (A2F+) and Digitisation for Manufacturers (D4M) programmes worked together to create a single, integrated support pathway.
This joined‑up approach, from these two Cornwall Council funded economic development programmes, meant that St Eval received both strategic investment guidance and hands‑on technical expertise, forming a comprehensive solution that enabled them to design, fund and implement improvements that no standalone business support initiative could have delivered.
Company Background
Founded in 1995, St Eval blends traditional candle‑making techniques with contemporary creativity. Inspired by the Cornish landscape, they craft fragrances drawn from nature and pour them into beautifully made candles using both heritage equipment—such as their 1940s drawing machine—and modern manufacturing methods.
With B‑Corp status and ambitions to reach net zero, St Eval places people and planet at the centre of their operations. Their values focus on keeping traditions alive while investing in sustainable processes that protect the environment.
The Challenge
St Eval needed a holistic plan to increase manufacturing capacity, modernise key production areas and ensure their renewable energy generation could keep pace with growth. Their objectives included:
- Expanding production capability from 500 to 2,000 units per hour
- Introducing new condition‑monitoring technology and increased automation
- Upgrading their oldest building with new roofing and insulation to enhance energy efficiency
- Investing in additional onsite renewable energy generation to remain close to self‑sufficient and carbon neutral
They also recognised that temperature and environmental conditions—both ambient and within the wax production process—could significantly affect quality and throughput. To overcome these challenges, they needed both funding support and specialist technical input.
The Integrated Solution
The strength of support came not from separate services, but from the way A2F+ and D4M worked together as one coherent package.
Strategic Investment Support
This element of the partnership reflected the specialist business expertise in accelerating the growth of ambitious SMEs. The A2F+ team ensured St Eval could clearly articulate how its plans aligned with both business objectives and regional aspirations—demonstrating how the company’s growth would contribute to Cornwall’s wider economic and sustainability goals.
Tim Bagshaw from A2F+ guided St Eval through the process of building a compelling, evidence‑led case for investment. This included:
- Application reviews and detailed feedback
- Advice on messaging, terminology and impact framing
- Identifying how the different elements of St Eval’s plans connected, and ensuring the grant proposal reflected this integrated approach
This work supported St Eval in securing a £276,280.50 grant from the Cornwall Council Good Growth Fund toward their £552,561 programme of improvements.
“For St Eval as a manufacturing business, the Oxford Innovation Advice programmes provided a great mix of strategic funding advice and practical manufacturing support. This allowed us to drive forward connected initiatives that improved productivity and sustainability at their Engollen site.”
Tim Bagshaw
Technical and Digital Manufacturing Support
In parallel, the D4M team carried out a detailed site visit and manufacturing diagnostic to understand where digital and process improvements could make the biggest difference.
Recognising the sensitivity of candle production to temperature, humidity and air quality, the D4M technical specialist designed and specified:
- A networked sensor system to monitor wax temperature and ambient conditions in real time
- Microcontroller‑based monitoring nodes, dashboarding and data‑processing capabilities
- Optional CO₂ and VOC monitoring for enhanced health and safety insights
The result was a shift from manual spot‑checking to continuous, data‑driven production control.
A Combined and Bespoke Service
St Eval highlighted that the real impact came from how the Oxford Innovation Advice business support programmes were intentionally connected. The integrated support pathway, rooted in deep SME understanding and tailored to Cornwall’s regional strengths, created a uniquely comprehensive level of service. This combination of strategic analysis, technical innovation and data-led manufacturing guidance enabled St Eval to move faster, with greater confidence, and with long-term community and environmental benefits.
St Eval emphasised that the value lay in how the programmes connected. The coordinated support enabled them to:
- Understand what they needed to invest in
- Build the case to secure funding to pay for those improvements
- Access technical expertise to implement the improvements effectively
This full end‑to‑end support is not available through any other business support initiative in Cornwall. It provided St Eval with a coherent pathway from idea to execution, strengthening the outcome of every part of the project.
“The D4M team helped us enhance our manufacturing capability, while Tim from A2F+ guided us through the grant process, helping us present our project clearly and effectively. Together, this support helped us secure a £250,000 grant. No standalone service could have delivered this level of integrated support.”
Ian Greaves – St Eval
The Benefits
Enhanced Production and Quality
Real‑time environmental monitoring now allows St Eval to optimise production line speeds, improving productivity without compromising product quality.
Workforce Upskilling
By involving the production engineer and apprentices in the build and deployment of sensor systems, the team gained practical skills including:
- PCB design
- Soldering
- Microcontroller programming (Micropython)
- Linux fundamentals, containerisation (Docker) and data handling via InfluxDB
Secured and Created Jobs
Combined investment in automation, building improvements and renewable energy generation will:
- Create at least five new jobs
- Safeguard an additional five
- Support long‑term resilience against energy costs and grid instability
Strengthened Sustainability
Modern insulation materials, improved ambient control and increased renewable energy generation all contribute to reducing carbon impact and supporting St Eval’s ongoing net‑zero ambitions.
“The upgrades at St Eval have not only improved their production processes but also strengthened their energy resilience. The combination of modern insulation, enhanced renewable energy and smart battery solutions ensures cleaner, more stable operations and protects product quality.”
Paul Gilbert
The Future
As these projects progress, the partnership continues, reflecting the commitment to delivering SME support that leverages regional strengths to achieve regional aspirations. The next phase of monitoring and energy enhancement deepens St Eval’s responsible business practices, aligning with the shared mission to create positive environmental and community impact.
The wider energy and production facility upgrade is ongoing, with impact expected from early 2026. Meanwhile, the digital monitoring framework continues to evolve, with a new project underway to implement continuous formaldehyde monitoring for two production areas.
Together, these improvements position St Eval to innovate further, open new markets and continue delivering positive environmental and community impact.
The Access to Finance Plus and Digitisation for Manufacturers project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council is responsible for managing projects funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme.
