BUSINESS
Sugarberry Creek Candle Co.
WRITTEN BY FELICIA SCHNEIDERHAN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY GARY GUDERIAN
Scent is one of our most powerful senses for evoking feelings and memories. Maybe it’s your grandmother’s apple cake, your spouse’s soap, or your lake cabin. Whether that scent is from decades ago or last summer, a certain scent can put us right there, reminding us of the place and people we care most about. Karla & Craig Axelson—owners and originators of Sugarberry Creek Candle Co. in Brainerd—know how important scent can be. Their candles and body care products bring to life a sense of place and connection through the mystery of scent. “When we started our candles, we wanted candles that reflected this region. We wanted to reflect our love for the area,” says Karla. Their signature candle line, Lakes Country, includes scents named for the things many of us love: Lakeside, Whitecaps, and Cabin Fever, to name a few. Capturing the feel of the place is more important than the actual scent, they say. Sun Glitter is one of their most popular. “Its citrusy scent, with a little agave, is meant to give the feel of that moment when the sun comes down and reflects on the water, glistens, and jumps and dances on the lake—that’s Sun Glitter,” says Karla. Sometimes, they aim for a specific scent in a specific place—and hit the mark exactly.
“We try not to go specific with [place] names, but we went with Paul Bunyan Trail because in the Lakes Region it stretches from Brainerd all the way up to Walker. We wanted one that reflected the smells on the trail—pine, nature,” says Karla. Craig continues, “We were selling at a farmer’s market in Nisswa. The Paul Bunyan Trail is beside the farmer’s market. We had two preteen girls come up. They said, ‘Hey! Paul Bunyan Trail! We were just on it and that smells just like it!’ That was really cute.”
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Karla and Craig Axelson outside their Sugarberry Creek Candle Co. workshop.
18 | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2025
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