The Chinese Immigrant Who Built a Candle Empire and Opened a Rare Factory in America

If you’ve ever bought a fragrant candle at Target to freshen up your house or look classy on an end table, you know Mei Xu’s work. She’s the founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle Company, which she started by experimenting with wax and soup cans in her basement a few years after emigrating to America from China. Twenty years later, she was advising President Obama on how to create jobs at a White House meeting of CEOs. Mei Xu recently released a book called “Burn: How Grit, Innovation, and a Dash of Luck Ignited a Multi-Million Dollar Success Story.” (Originally aired June 3rd, 2021)