Margaret Kirk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Sault Star
What started as a side project in a family woodworking shop has secured a partnership with Canada’s largest beekeeping company and prominent players in the logging industry.
Sylvie and Steve McNaughton of Echo Bay started Huron Log Furniture two summers ago, crafting live edge wooden furniture from the byproducts of local logging companies. The couple, with the help of their four kids, wanted to build a sustainable business, and with the goal of “zero-waste” in mind, Steve began experimenting with wood shavings. What emerged was The Wilson Fire Starter — a product that blends functionality and sustainability.
With 1,000 laid out on Steve’s work station, he realized the mini paper cup filled with wood shavings, held together by wax, resembled Wilson from the Tom Hanks classic Cast Away.
Wilson represents “a sign of hope and survival,” Steve told The Sault Star.
“People resonate with it, and they laugh,” he said. “We’ve developed a product that works.”
The McNaughtons initially experimented with paraffin and soy wax, “which is all byproduct of the oil industry, or brought in from China,” said Steve. Unsatisfied with these materials, they turned to beeswax—an eco-friendly alternative that also supports pollination and local beekeeping communities.
“There are no other fire starters that use beeswax,” said Steve. “It burns hotter and slower.”
The Wilson Fire Starter is guaranteed to burn for 15 minutes, and is wind and water resistant.
On the Huron Log Furniture website, six starters cots $8, or a $25 pack costs 30. The goods are not available to ship, but available for pick up at 23 Birch Point Drive in Echo Bay.
The journey into beeswax education began with Red Roof Honey in Thessalon, where the family learned about the benefits of beeswax and sustainable sourcing practices. As demand for Wilson grew, they transitioned to partnering with Dancing Bee, Canada’s largest beekeeping and beekeeping equipment supplier.
“They absolutely love Wilson,” Steve said. “They are such an awesome business to work with.”
Steve said his family has learned so much about beeswax in the last six months. He worked out that each Wilson Fire Starter contributes to the pollination of 500,000 flowers, aligning with the McNaughtons’ zero-waste and environmentally conscious mission.
“It’s really interesting the doors that have been opening for us from Wilson,” said Steve.
Wilson was recently featured in a Toronto Sun holiday guide, which boosted their website traffic. However, due to the Canada Postal Worker strike, Huron Log Furniture was unable to ship any products.
The publication led to McNaughtons getting commissioned to furnish a log cabin at Pancake Bay Provincial Park, a significant milestone for the small family business.
Steve hopes this partnership will expand to supply fire starters across multiple Ontario Parks campsites next summer.
They also recently made a custom table for the Ministry of Natural Resources office on Queen Street.
“It’s really cool to develop these friendships — which is more important than business right now,” Steve shared.
Their furniture designs have also garnered attention from Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara, where they showcased a dining room set.
“I never thought we would even have this opportunity this quick,” he said.
Steve has also created relationships with Log Furniture and More, the biggest log furniture supplier in the country.
While the brand is branching out nationally, Steve has also taken advantage of local resources, such as the business start-up course at Millworks. Upon completing a financial and business plan, Huron Log Furniture secured a $5,000 grant last week for future expansions.
“The education was so valuable,” said Steve, who also works full-time at Algoma Steel.
While the McNaughton family has been “having fun,” with their innovative fire starter, “Our heart is with our furniture line,” said Steve.
“We’ve designed templates and tools that allows us to use the live edge of logs,” said Steve, adding that it produces a “unique” look.
Steve also makes custom pieces, and works with clients to bring their live edge vision to life.
With all they have accomplished in the last year-and-a-half, Steve said he and his family are excited to see what the future will bring.
“We are really grateful for everyone’s support,” said Steve. “It’s been a lot of fun and we’re looking to grow.”
The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible through funding by the federal government.