Hello!
We're Darren and Kendall Riskedal, the proud owners of Country Lights. We're the second-generation of family members to own and operate the business, bringing the third-generation along with us.
We love what we do and how our soy-based products carry the spirit of giving from one generation to the next. The Country Light flame continues with every product gifted to a friend or family member, and every candle bought to support a local organization's fundraising mission.
Our Genesis
It’s 1999, in an old country mudroom in rural Illinois. Joyce and Brad Riskedal were a young, farm family working hard to continue on the family business. With two small kids at home and looking at opportunities to bring in another stream of income, Joyce started experimenting with candle making. As her and Brad experimented, she started with wax using an industry standard petroleum/soy mix. Being grain farmers, it was important to reach 100% soy wax, which they did eventually accomplish.
Several years, a move from a kitchen to a farm shop later, the business was run on the Riskedal family’s Centennial Farm in north Central Illinois. Joyce and Brad ran the business until August of 2023 when their son and his wife, Darren and Kendall, took over the business.
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In early 2024, the operation moved to Southern Wisconsin, where Darren and Kendall live. Keep up with the latest happenings of Country Lights via our Facebook page.