Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilda Rodriguez.
Hilda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Dahil Bar started in 2021 from my love for candles, fragrance, design, and creating beautiful things for the home. At the time, candle making itself was completely new to me, so I began teaching myself the craft; learning about waxes, fragrances, molds, temperatures, formulations, and all the little details that go into creating a beautiful, high-quality candle.
What was not new to me was the creative and marketing side of building a brand. I have a bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Studies with a concentration in Film, Video and New Media, along with a minor in Digital Photography, and I later earned my master’s degree in Internet Marketing. My professional career has also been in digital marketing, so when I created Dahil Bar, I was able to bring that background into the business from the very beginning.
Photography, video, visual storytelling, branding, e-commerce, content creation, and digital marketing were already part of my world. Dahil Bar allowed me to combine all that experience with a completely new creative skill: candle-making. That combination has played a big role in shaping the brand into what it is today.
Over the years, I have continued to learn and refine the candle-making side of the business while also using my professional experience to build Dahil Bar online, develop its visual identity, photograph and market its products, create content, and tell the story behind the brand. I am still very hands-on with almost every part of the business, from testing formulations and developing new products to photography, marketing, packaging, and fulfilling orders.
One of the biggest changes since my first VoyageMIA interview is that I became a mom to my daughter, Valentina. Motherhood has completely changed my perspective. Today, I balance being a mom, working full-time in digital marketing, and continuing to grow Dahil Bar. It can definitely be a lot to balance, but becoming a mother has also given me an even stronger sense of purpose and motivation.
I love the idea that one day my daughter will look back and see that her mom continued to create, learn, work, and build something of her own while raising a family. Dahil Bar has also become more of a family story over the years, with my husband, Miguel, and our family supporting me throughout the journey.
Today, I am incredibly proud of how far Dahil Bar has come, yet I still feel there is so much more ahead. I continue to focus on creating distinctive sculptural candles, beautiful fragrances, and pieces that feel special enough to become part of someone’s home or a meaningful gift.
For me, Dahil Bar has really become the place where everything comes together: my creative background, my career in digital marketing, my love for visual storytelling, the craft of candle making, and now this new chapter of my life as a mom. It truly represents our tagline: Where Art Meets Fragrance.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road, and that is true for most small business owners.
One of my biggest challenges at the beginning was learning to make candles. My background is in multimedia, photography, and digital marketing, so while I understood branding, content, photography, e-commerce, and how to market a product, I had to teach myself the technical side of making candles from the ground up.
There has been a lot of trial and error. Wax can be very unpredictable, especially when you are creating sculptural candles with detailed molds. I have spent countless hours testing different wax blends, fragrance percentages, temperatures, colors, and techniques. Sometimes a candle can look perfect and then break during demolding, develop imperfections, or not turn out the way I expected. Those moments can be frustrating, especially after investing time and materials, but they have also taught me patience and made me much more knowledgeable about my craft.
Another challenge has been learning to manage the business side while still protecting the creative side. As a small business owner, you are constantly thinking about product costs, packaging, shipping, inventory, pricing, customer experience, marketing, and how to continue growing without losing what makes the brand special.
Today, one of my biggest challenges is time. I work full-time in digital marketing, I am a mom, and I also run Dahil Bar. Balancing all three can be difficult, and there are definitely many early mornings, evenings, and weekends dedicated to the business. I have had to become much more intentional about how I use my time and also accept that I cannot always do everything at once.
There have also been challenges completely outside my control, from rising material and shipping costs to supplier delays and changes in the digital landscape. Running an online business means constantly adapting, learning, and finding new ways to reach customers.
But that is also one of the things I love most about the journey. Every challenge has pushed me to learn something new, improve a product, rethink a process, or become more resourceful. Dahil Bar is much stronger today because of all those moments that did not go as planned.
The road has not been smooth, but it has been incredibly rewarding. Every time I see someone choose one of my candles for their home, give one as a gift, place a custom order, or tell me how much they love what I created, it reminds me why I continue doing it.
We’ve been impressed with Dahil Bar, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Dahil Bar is a Miami-based candle and home fragrance brand I founded in 2021 with a simple idea: handmade luxury should feel special, beautiful, and still accessible. That philosophy continues to guide the brand today, and it is why I love the phrase “Handmade Luxury, Made Accessible.”
We specialize in sculptural candles that are designed to be both fragrant and decorative. I have always loved the idea that a candle can be more than something you simply light. It can also be a beautiful object in your home, adding personality, texture, fragrance, and atmosphere to a space.
Many of our pieces are inspired by florals, feminine forms, architecture, movement, and art. I am very intentional about the brand’s visual side, but fragrance is equally important. I want each scent to feel refined, inviting, and memorable. One of the things I especially love about sculptural candles is that many of them can fragrance a room even before they are lit, so the experience begins the moment they enter the space.
What sets Dahil Bar apart is the combination of craftsmanship, design, fragrance, and storytelling. I am very hands-on with the brand, from testing wax formulations and selecting fragrances to photography, packaging, content, e-commerce, and marketing. Because of my background in multimedia, digital photography, and internet marketing, I approach the brand from both a maker’s perspective and a creative and marketing perspective. I think about the entire customer experience, not just the candle itself.
I also create candles for gifting, weddings, special events, and custom orders. That has become one of my favorite parts of the business because I love knowing that something I created is becoming part of a meaningful celebration or memory for someone else.
Brand-wise, I am most proud that Dahil Bar has continued to grow while still feeling personal and handmade. I never wanted it to feel mass-produced or disconnected from the person behind it. There is a lot of care, testing, creativity, and attention to detail behind every piece, and I want customers to feel that.
Today, Dahil Bar is really a reflection of so many parts of my life and creative background. It brings together my love for design, photography, visual storytelling, fragrance, marketing, and the craft of candle making. As a business owner and a mom, I am especially proud to continue building something that feels meaningful, creative, and truly my own.
At the heart of Dahil Bar is the idea of creating small moments of beauty and luxury in everyday life. Whether it is a sculptural candle on a coffee table, a fragrance that changes the feeling of a room, or a candle chosen for a special occasion, I want every piece to feel thoughtful, beautiful, and worth remembering.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like most about Miami is the energy. It is such a vibrant, diverse city, and there is always something happening. I love the mix of cultures, the creativity, the food, the art, the beautiful weather, and, of course, being close to the ocean. There is also a very entrepreneurial spirit here, which I appreciate as a small business owner. You are constantly surrounded by people creating, building, launching ideas, and finding new ways to do things.
I am originally from Venezuela, but Miami is my home. It is where I have built my career, my family, and Dahil Bar, so I feel very connected to the city. Miami has also influenced Dahil Bar in many ways. The city is colorful, expressive, stylish, and always evolving, and some of that naturally comes through in the way I approach the brand and the products I create.
What I like least is the traffic and how expensive the city has become. Sometimes getting from one part of Miami to another can feel like an entire event in itself. Balancing work, family, and a business already requires a lot of time management, so sitting in traffic is definitely not my favorite way to spend that time.
Even with those challenges, I am proud to be building my life, raising my family, and growing Dahil Bar in a city that has become such an important part of my story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dahilbar.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahilbar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DahilBar/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dahilmoon/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/DahilBar/_saved/
