Retrieve what is missing
In the workshop of the Sternkerze company in the Binz area of Zurich, people who cannot find a job in the primary labor market pour liquid beeswax into silicone molds. Each mold can be used three times a day, and the seven points of the stars are design-protected. On another table are metal molds filled with olive wax from the remains of oil production. It gives candles a crystalline shine. Rapeseed, palm oil and brightly colored paraffin also form the social basis on which the 20 employees stand. Packaging and shipping are handled by apprentices from the Brunau Foundation, who are being introduced to the primary labor market here. The company is run by Ali Imren and Tim Bosshardt, two economists who could easily be imagined working in a bank. But they prefer to put their hands to an object that they know will touch people's senses, wrapping taper candles in tissue paper and wrapping the containers in straw paper. The giant star candle that they gave me after the factory tour is now on its way to Ukraine – Ali, Tim, that’s okay with you, right?
