The story of Fragranzi
About our perfumer
Our perfumer, Conan Fee, is a professor at the University of Canterbury, where he is the founding head of the UC School of Product Design and is named in Stanford University’s list of the top 2% of research scientists, worldwide. He has always had interests that span science and the arts, having earned piano performance diplomas while studying chemical engineering. His research interests now range from purification of therapeutic proteins to 3D printing, but while teaching primarily in the area of chemical formulation design, which includes fragrance design, he always tells his students they should start their own businesses. He finally took his own advice and started Fragranzi with his partner, Glenda, during the first year of Covid-19 lockdowns. Together, they realised there was an opportunity to open a full, working perfumery in the South Island’s biggest city, not only selling Conan’s fine fragrance creations but bringing the art of perfume-making to the region. The combination of science and fine art held special appeal to Conan and, at the same time, he had invented an entirely new way for untrained people to design their own fragrances quickly and conveniently. With a patent pending, this unique method is now at the heart of Fragranzi’s activities, appealing to walk-in customers through to large groups such as Hen’s Parties and corporate/conference social events.
About Fragranzi
Fragranzi is the place where artistry and science combine. We are fascinated by the way that fragrance is able to affect us emotionally, and we wanted to share our love of fine fragrances and develop a way to share the process of blending fragrances with anyone who was interested in trying. Traditionally, the art of perfumery requires a lot of knowledge, know-how, patience and practical experience. But with our co-founder Conan’s science background as a foundation, our in-house bespoke design system allows anyone to methodically test a number of fragrance combinations before committing to mixing the actual ingredients.
We have attracted attention from local and international visitors who are enthralled with our Christchurch studio. We’re proud to offer our knowledge, expertise and love of all things fragrance to anyone who wishes to experience it.
In the end, Fragranzi is about people. We just love the feeling of joy and sharing that we see all day, every day, when people come together to experience making their own fragrances. Sometimes it is about sharing memories and impressions with good friends or family, celebrating a significant event. Other times, someone can sit and create, with valuable “me” time, as they contemplate fragrances that evoke memories and emotions. We are proud to extend our focus on people to donating a portion of our monthly sales to Doctors Without Borders.