A Conversation with Linnea's Lights

A bit of background from Lynn and Laura, the mother and daughter team behind Linnea’s Lights.

terrain: Where did the inspiration for the name come from?

Linnea’s: The name, Linnea’s Lights, is a nod to our ancestry.  The name Linnea has been in our family for over five generations in one form or another. It’s a tribute to the strong foundation of women before us who showed us how to create with one’s own hands using local ingredients or items straight from the garden of the highest quality. 

terrain: Can you tell us a bit about what’s it’s like to work on a mother and daughter team?

We are fortunate that we are able to have such a working relationship together.  We each have a certain skill set that complements one another.  Lynn is the nose and development specialist, and Laura is skilled in the sales, marketing, and operations end of the business.  Together we are able to work well together to make our company successful. We also love that we are creating a company for future generations of our family.  It seems fitting that we are “Swedish heritage inspired, Midwestern made” and are able to pass it along to Laura’s children in the future.  It shows Laura’s children the value of hard work, dedication and doing what you love every day!

terrain: Obviously, one of our favorite Linnea scents is the heirloom tomato. Can you tell us about how you perfected that fragrance?

Creating Heirloom Tomato really started by walking out to our garden and experiencing the tomato plants.  Touching the leaves, stems and picking the fruit.  How did the fruit smell when it was freshly picked?  What scent lingered in our hands?  How did the tomato smell once cut open?  We took that experience and started to source fragrances that would blend well to create the perfect essence.

terrain: At Linnea’s Lights, you’ve always been known for a socially conscious approach. Can you tell us a bit about what the means for you all?

For us it means being as thoughtful and conscious as possible about the materials we use and source for our products.  We use soybeans from the US, recycled and recyclable paper materials for our packaging and glassware that is made in the USA.  We use soy as our medium because it burns cooler and cleaner and is a sustainable resource for our US farmers and we use all natural cotton wicks so there are no harmful effects in the environment. We encourage our glassware to be reused after the candle is no longer and our natural kraft boxes are perfect for seed starting or holding found items.