Up a winding road deep in the rolling hills of Blue Mounds, with cows grazing nearby and swallows cavorting among the trees, Kyle LaFond and a handful of employees mix up a potion of coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, baking soda, arrowroot powder and essential oils, pour it into plastic tubes, and label them — all by hand.
They are the home-grown production line, making natural deodorants for the personal care products company that LaFond, 40, started three years ago, American Provenance.
Manufacturing, packaging, distribution and sales all occupy a former machine shed on the farm LaFond’s great-grandfather, William Frye, bought.
But not for much longer. Success is prompting a transfer to a more business-oriented location, where American Provenance has room to grow as sales multiply for this rural startup in a trendy, global industry. Read the full story here.
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