Five years.
It honestly feels a little crazy to say that Country Surfer has officially been in business for five years. What started with me pouring candles for Christmas gifts has grown into something so much bigger than I ever imagined.
And after five years of growing, learning, changing, becoming a mom, and figuring out what I truly want this brand to represent, it feels like the perfect time to reintroduce myself—and introduce you to the new Country Surfer.
First, Hi Again!
If you’re new here, I’m Summer O’Neill-White, the founder and maker behind Country Surfer. I’ve spent much of my life moving from one beach town to another—from California to Australia to Hawaii. The ocean, sunshine, and laid-back coastal lifestyle have always been a huge part of who I am. Then I met my Missouri husband, who introduced this beach girl to country living. Safe to say, I fell in love with that too.
Country Surfer was born from those two sides of my life: a love for the coast and a love for the country. And five years later, that name means even more to me.
Today, life looks a little different than it did when I started. My husband and I now have our almost two-year-old daughter, Sage, our huskies, and a family who has become part of Country Surfer right alongside me. They help inspire ideas, come up with product names, give opinions (sometimes whether I ask for them or not 😂), and have supported this dream from the very beginning.
How It All Started
Before Country Surfer was a business, I was simply someone trying to be more intentional about the products I brought into my home. I’ve always tried to find cleaner options where I can. Am I perfect at it? Absolutely not. But candles became one area where I knew I wanted to make a change. I loved candles, but burning them would often leave me with headaches. Most of the time, I would end up leaving the lid off just to enjoy the scent without actually lighting the candle. Eventually, I started researching the ingredients in some of the candles I had been buying, and I realized I wanted to know a lot more about what I was burning inside my home.
So, I decided to make my own.
One Christmas, one of my girlfriends and I decided we would pour candles as gifts for everyone. I absolutely loved it. She… definitely did not. 😂 But for me, something clicked.
I started pouring candles into just about anything I could safely pour wax into. Friends and family loved receiving them as gifts, and before long, they were asking if they could buy candles to give to their own friends.
Eventually, my husband told me, “You need to start selling these.”
So I did.
And somehow, that little Christmas project turned into five years of Country Surfer.
Five Years Later, Country Surfer Has Become More Than Candles
Candles will always be at the heart of how this business began, and creating non-toxic candles for your home will always be incredibly important to me. But somewhere during these last five years, I realized something:
Country Surfer isn't just a candle company anymore. It’s a lifestyle.
It’s slow mornings and open windows. It’s salty hair and dusty boots. It’s raising babies, loving animals, spending time outside, gathering around the table, and creating a home that feels like you. It’s choosing products more intentionally without expecting yourself to live a perfectly “clean” life. It’s supporting small businesses and American-made products whenever possible. It’s the freedom of the coast mixed with the comfort of the country.
And that realization is a huge part of why Country Surfer is getting a new look.
Introducing the Country Surfer Rebrand
After five years, I wanted the outside of this brand to finally reflect everything Country Surfer has grown to become on the inside. This rebrand isn't about leaving the old Country Surfer behind. It’s about growing into it.
The heart of the business hasn't changed. I'm still committed to creating products I feel comfortable using in my own home around my family. I'm still passionate about thoughtful ingredients, supporting fellow family-owned small businesses, and sourcing products made in the USA whenever I can. But the vision has gotten bigger.
Country Surfer is becoming a brand centered around intentional living, home, family, and the beautiful mix of coastal and country life.
And this new branding finally feels like us.
The Same Heart, A New Chapter
There have been so many versions of me during these five years. The girl pouring Christmas candles for fun. The new business owner figuring everything out as she went. The wife whose husband kept encouraging her to go for it. And now, the mom watching her daughter grow up alongside the business she built.
Sage has especially changed the way I think about Country Surfer. What we bring into our home, what we surround our family with, how we spend our time, and the kind of life we're creating together all matter a little differently now. And when I think about the future of Country Surfer, that's what I want this brand to represent.
A life that doesn't have to be perfect to be intentional.
A home that feels lived in and loved.
A little country.
A little coastal.
And a whole lot of heart.
Here's to the Next Five
To every person who has purchased a candle, shared a post, told a friend about Country Surfer, stopped by to say hello, placed another order, or simply followed along over these last five years—thank you.
You took something that started at my kitchen table and helped turn it into a real business. And now, you’re helping me take it into its next chapter. I cannot wait to show you more of the new Country Surfer and everything that's coming with it.
Five years down, and we're just getting started.
Welcome to the new Country Surfer—where the dirt road meets the shoreline and intentional living feels like home.
~Summer
