Handcrafted edible candles are made from food-grade ingredients formulated to melt into warm spreads, dips and sauces. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
At first glance, it looks like an elegant candle glowing on the dinner table. Then it starts to melt.
Instead of wax pooling around the wick, warm chimichurri, truffle or scampi flavor begins to emerge, ready for dipping, drizzling or pouring over food.
That unexpected transformation is the idea behind CeraViva, a South Florida company founded by Claudia Mosley around a simple but unusual proposition: What if the candle on the table could actually become part of the meal?
Mosley, CeraViva’s founder and creative director, has turned that question into a patent-pending business that sits somewhere between food, entertaining and experience.
Her handcrafted edible candles are made from food-grade ingredients formulated to melt into warm spreads, dips and sauces. Guests light the wick, enjoy the candlelight and then, depending on the variety, use the melted creation with bread, meats, vegetables or desserts.
In other words, what appears to be wax is actually part of the meal.
“I describe CeraViva as an edible melting candle that transforms food into an interactive dining experience,” says Mosley. “You light it, allow it to melt and then pour or enjoy the warm, flavorful creation with your meal or dessert.”
Guests light the wick, enjoy the candlelight, then enjoy the flavors. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
CeraViva is a South Florida company is founded by Claudia Mosley. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
For Mosley, however, the larger business idea extends well beyond novelty. The product may be a candle, but what she is really selling is the experience around it.
That became clear early in CeraViva’s development.
“The turning point came when I began sharing the first successful versions with other people. I would light the candle, let it melt and then invite them to taste it,” says the founder. “Their reactions were immediate: first surprise, then curiosity, and finally genuine excitement when they realized it actually tasted delicious.”
It wasn’t just the flavor that captured people’s attention.
“People were not simply tasting a new food product; they were participating in an experience. They gathered around it, asked questions, took pictures and wanted to share it with someone else,” Mosley explains. “That was when I realized CeraViva could become much more than an idea. It had the potential to change the way people connect around the table.”
That distinction has helped CeraViva tap into a larger shift in dining and entertaining: consumers increasingly want something they can experience, photograph, talk about and remember.
Mosley has always loved food and cooking, and the inspiration for CeraViva came after she encountered candles that looked good enough to eat. She began wondering whether an actual edible version existed.
CeraViva is founded by Claudia Mosley. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
After searching and coming up empty-handed, she started experimenting herself. Mosley spent about a year developing her own formulas before creating CeraViva. Making something look like a candle was one thing. Making it actually perform like one while becoming something people wanted to eat was much more complicated.
“The greatest challenge was achieving the right balance between performance and flavor. It needed to function beautifully as a candle, melt to the proper consistency and still taste like something you would be proud to serve your family or your guests,” says Mosley.
“I was not willing to compromise either side of the experience. It could not simply look impressive; it had to taste exceptional. Developing that balance required nearly a year of testing, adjustments and patience. Because the formulas are proprietary and the invention is patent-pending, I’m careful not to disclose the technical details, but creating that harmony between flame, texture, aroma and flavor was unquestionably the most demanding part of the process.”
The result is part centerpiece, part food and part amazing!
CeraViva offers both savory and sweet creations. Flavor profiles have included chimichurri, shrimp scampi, truffle and Parmesan cream on the savory side, while dessert versions have ranged from raspberry cream and apple pie to Key lime pie.
“Our savory candles can complement foods like bread, steak, seafood and vegetables, while our sweet candles can be enjoyed with ice cream, fruit, waffles and other desserts,” Mosley says. “But CeraViva is about more than what you eat. It creates a moment of anticipation and discovery at the table. That is why our message is: Light • Melt • Taste.”
Customers, Mosley says, have taken that concept in directions of their own.
“Customers continue to show me how versatile CeraViva can be. They use the candles for romantic dinners, family gatherings, birthdays, dinner parties, charcuterie boards, desserts and meaningful gifts. Some customers build an entire evening around lighting and tasting the candle together,”she says.
For a product built around food, some of the most memorable reactions have had little to do with what is actually being eaten.
“What has surprised and inspired me most is the emotional response. People naturally put down their phones, gather closer and interact with one another because they want to participate in the experience,” Mosley explains. “I originally set out to create something innovative and delicious, but customers helped me understand that CeraViva’s greatest value may be its ability to create connection.”
That quality also opens several potential avenues for growth.
While CeraViva can be purchased for home entertaining, birthdays, anniversaries and dinner parties, Mosley sees significant possibilities in restaurants, luxury hotels, weddings, catering and other special events.
“I see tremendous potential across all of those markets, but the largest long-term opportunity is within hospitality—particularly restaurants, hotels, catering and special events. CeraViva gives businesses a memorable way to elevate a dish, a tableside presentation or a guest experience. It creates the kind of moment people photograph, talk about and remember.”
Depending on the variety, guests use the melted creation with bread, meats, vegetables or desserts. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
“Weddings and private celebrations are also an exciting market because CeraViva can become part of the experience as a tableside feature, dessert presentation, favor or personalized gift,” Mosley adds. “At the same time, I want customers to be able to bring that same sense of discovery into their own homes.”
That versatility gives the young company something many food startups seek: a product that does not fit neatly into a single category.
Is it food? Yes.
Is it table décor? Yes.
Is it entertainment? Absolutely.
The inspiration for CeraViva came after the founder encountered candles that looked good enough to eat. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
CeraViva offers both savory and sweet creations. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
The unusual concept has already brought growing attention to the South Florida company. Fox News featured CeraViva this summer in a story about edible dinner candles and the restaurant industry’s pursuit of memorable experiences.
The company has also emphasized handcrafted production, premium ingredients and food safety, positioning the product as more than a social-media gimmick. CeraViva says its edible candles are made from food-grade ingredients and that its operation is licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
For Mosley, the driving force behind CeraViva is a very traditional one, for such an unconventional product. She wants people to gather. In a time of devices, screens and apps, she has built a business around giving everyone a put down their phone and look up.
“Ultimately, my vision is for CeraViva to become synonymous with experiential dining: a product that does not simply accompany a gathering, but helps turn it into a memory,” she says
CeraViva may begin with a flame, but Mosley is betting its real value comes from what happens next: conversation and connection — followed, of course, by something really good to eat. For more, visit www.ceraviva.net.
CeraViva is founded by Claudia Mosley. -CERAVIVA / COURTESY PHOTOS
