The ordinary pine cone. It can be a simple symbol of winter, in a plain basket dressed with a bow. Or it can be coated with wax and glitter to give it a snowcapped look. Or roll one in peanut butter ...

Sherri Jobelius and Brian Paulsen launched a business a decade ago around selling waxed pine cones as fire starters. This was no out-of-the-back-of-a-truck operation. It grew fast from a kitchen hobby ...