Paramold’s Rich History

We at Paramold Manufacturing Ltd. and Koster Keunen Waxes Ltd. take great pride in our long history of quality, reliability and customer service.

Johanna Keunen and Bernhard G. Koster founded Koster-Keunen in 1852. Originally the company was set up in Aalst, The Netherlands.  Refining beeswax and supplying this pure product to a thriving candle making market allowed the business to steadily expand through the 1890s.  By the 1900s, Koster-Keunen began manufacturing candles and incense in addition to the refining business. Koster Keunen was a main supplier in both candles and waxes for places such as Belgium, Germany, Spain and Russia.

Koster-Keunen reached a turning point in 1920. The Ponds Extract Corporation of New York approached them to be their supplier of pure, natural beeswax, an important ingredient for this fine cosmetic firm.  The volume of business with Ponds and other U.S. companies expanded quickly, bringing about the establishment of Koster Keunen in Sayville, NY in 1930.  During the 1940s, the company diversified by refining mineral waxes.  Large quantities of these waxes were manufactured during World War II and supplied to the U.S. government to use in the packaging of spare parts and K-rations for the U.S. military forces.


Further diversification came in the post war period. Other types of waxes were now also being processed such as carnauba, candelilla and ouricury. The refining, packaging and blending of waxes still continue today in production quantities unforeseen by the company’s founders.



Koster Keunen’s knowledge and experience, built up in over 165 years of working with beeswax and other waxes, enables us to advise on the appropriate blend and the best processing method for any particular purpose.


In the late 1960’s there were many companies demanding small wax particles for use in industry.  This was especially true for the PVC piping and vinyl siding manufacturers who were using liquid injection methods that were very troublesome during the manufacturing process. It was then that Joseph Koster, an engineer, invented The Koster Keunen Granulator. This machine allowed small dry particles to be used as opposed to the liquid injection method used at that time. The KK Granulator is still produced today and is a staple in many industries.


In 1976, Joseph's son, Richard, invested in a candle pressing machine which utilized the wax produced by the Koster Keunen Granulator. It was then that he established a second family business at the Sayville location, Paramold Manufacturing Ltd.



Paramold was one of the first manufacturers to produce pressed candles in the United States. The method of pressing candles allows candles to be produced at much higher speeds with minimal labor as compared to the traditional method of pouring candles. These candles were ideal for the food service and floral industries. Paramold continues to produce millions of candles each year for the US food service market and is one of the largest suppliers of candles in the U.S. today. Paramold also specializes in private label candles. Paramold sits on a 16 acre site with over 60,000 square feet, and is currently run by all four of Richard's children: Katy, Tess, Rick Jr. and Kim.



Paramold continues today to be very well known throughout the world as a manufacturer of candles and a resource for candle making supplies.



We are so proud of our long family history, as a fifth generation family owned and run business.