July 29, 2021

The idea struck Ben Forred while he was sweeping sawdust in his garage this spring.

It occurred to him that he could use some of that sawdust along with soy wax to make a fire starter.

“I made a couple out of molds I made with hockey pucks,” Forred said. “Lo and behold, it works great.”

Forred realized he could take the sawdust created by his woodworking hobby and turn it into a business. He started making more of the fire starter molds and giving them to family and friends.

Then, with the help of his wife, Renee, he started The Casual Campfire Supply Co. first as an Etsy shop and now through a business site launched this week.

The business sells the original fire pucks made from sawdust and soy wax, as well as pucks with a natural bug repellent using citronella, lemongrass and peppermint. It also offers a variety of branded Casual Campfire Supply shirts, sweatshirts and mugs.

The Forreds also saw this business as an opportunity to give back to the community. They’re donating 50 percent of their proceeds to the Feeding South Dakota BackPack Program, which provides food for children outside of the school day.

It’s a need the couple began to recognize in some of the classmates of their four children.

“I have a hard time dealing with (knowing) that there are kids in my kids’ class — that just as easily could’ve been my kids — that go home and don’t have enough to eat,” Forred said.

He’s not looking for the new business to be a moneymaker. He wants to use his spare time and hobbies to raise money for Feeding South Dakota.

In the future, Forred said he hopes to expand The Casual Campfire Supply Co.’s product line to include yard games and other products centered on recreation and family time around a campfire.

He’d also like to expand to sell his products in other local businesses and farmers markets.

Ultimately, the hope is to encourage others to enjoy a good campfire.

“You can do that,” Forred said. “Enhance that experience with our product and at the same time make a big impact on making sure that your kids’ classmates are going home with food to eat.”