RigaudCandles.Com
A.I.
Root Candles
In the late 1920's while playing tennis with
the local priest, Huber Root was asked to analyze their altar candles which
were required to be made from pure beeswax. Huber's test revealed that there
was no beeswax in the candles. We were encouraged by church repre
sentatives
to manufacture honest beeswax altar candles, starting a new product line.
In the 1960's, we were asked by a company in San Antonio to add fragrance oils
to our church votive candles. We later found out they were sold to college
students who wanted them to cover up the odor of marijuana smoke. Offering
scented and colored candles to retail stores soon launched us into another
product line.
In 1917, Amos Ives Root wrote, "I looked up at the stars and stripes that
were flying in the wind from the flagpole over our company and said - The A.
I. Root Company, God permitting, will last for years after A.I. Root himself
is gone." At this point, the A.I. Root Company has continued for years
since his death in 1923. Speaking for the fourth and fifth generation of A.I.
Root's descendants," If we continue to hire the very best people we can
find, give them challenging objectives and reward them properly, the future
should be bright".
Perhaps the greatest contribution a company can make is to remain loyal to the truths from which it was founded. At no other time have we been more proud to be an American company that has consistently produced a superior product, for over 130 years, unequaled to any in the world.
A.I. Root's founding father, Amos Ives Root, was a shining example of the American spirit. Known as "the father of modern day beekeeping", A. I. was a gentleman of integrity and scientific curiosity who was just at home in the pulpit as he was addressing a Congressional hearing. A true innovator and entrepreneur, he always sought a better way. His inquisitive mind led him to build a better beehive and create new ways to harvest honey. In 1869, he founded the A. I. Root Company where he manufactured a new beehive, that, for the first time, made it possible for beekeepers to harvest their honey without destroying the colony of bees. His books and magazines, including The ABC of Bee Culture and Bee Culture Magazine, continue to be published today and remain as the primary source of information to the beekeeping industry. In the 1920's, the Root brand of honey was advertised and well known to be the finest table grade honey available.
A.I. was a visionary with faith in others who dared to dream. A friend of the Wright Brothers, he published the first account of their flight (found today in the Smithsonian Institute) when few others believed what they had done. He was a humanitarian lauded by 11 year old Helen Keller for his kindness.
The Root Company's early honey and beeswax enterprise turned to candlemaking in 1928 at the request of a local priest looking for higher quality candles. Today, Root remains a leader in Liturgical candles as well as producing beautiful candles with lovely fragrances for your home. Nothing can compare to the quality of a Root Candle. Each is carefully handcrafted using processes mastered through five generations of craftsmanship combined with the latest in manufacturing technologies. The results are pure and simple: lasting fragrances, rich colors, longer and cleaner burning, uniquely appealing textures, and honestly the finest candles you can buy.
Now in its fifth generation, the Root family continues to extol the virtues of honesty, integrity, and plain old hard work, that exemplifies our company.
Amos Ives Root wrote in 1917, "I looked up at the stars and stripes that were floating in the wind from the flag pole over our company and said, The A. I. Root Company, God permitting, will last for years after A. I. Root, himself, is gone".
Root Candles are sold in fine gift and specialty shops across the country. They are also right where they started in 1869 in Medina, Ohio within a beautifully restored original brick building. Copyright A.I. Root Company
