Wisconsin Candle Company

Ownership

The business is owned by Deb Riphahn, who started the company due to her severe asthma and sensitivity to scents and chemicals. She started the business in 2012 in her kitchen and later left her full-time job to focus on it. No evidence of Madison-resident ownership was found, but it is clearly independently owned.

Local Sourcing

The wax is manufactured in Wisconsin. The company states that candles are rooted in the Midwest and they prioritize working with local suppliers whenever possible. However, fragrance oils are sourced from national manufacturers with clean processes.

Community Involvement

The website mentions working with local makers, but no specific community sponsorships, nonprofit partnerships, or event involvement were found. The business is located on Waunakee's Main Street and participates in the local business community, but deep community ties are not evident in available sources.

Local Workforce

The company has seven employees who actively relocated with the business from Sun Prairie to Waunakee. Facebook reviews show 100% positive recommendations, and the business emphasizes employee input in location decisions, suggesting positive working conditions.

Revenue Retention

The business is independently owned and operated from Waunakee, hand-producing all products on-site. Products are sold through their own retail location and in other retailers such as Boston Store. Revenue primarily stays with the local owner, though wholesale distribution limits the proportion retained locally.

Local Presence

The tagline 'Hand-Poured, Small Batch Candles' and business name reference Wisconsin, which are local signals. However, the website appears to be a broken or template-based e-commerce site with massive repetition of the business name, placeholder text (filler@godaddy.com), and no personality-driven copy, owner names, or local references—all strong corporate/template signals.