Roasty Toasty Boasts Teenage Entrepreneur
By Travis O. Pryor
OK, be honest. How many of you were thinking about starting your own business when you were 13 years old?
Or, even if you were, how many of those businesses revolved around selling the kinds of bracelets and bling you might find yourself making at summer camp?
For one 14-year-old RV Women’s Alliance Member, those plans went way beyond just sitting around thinking and actually evolved into a business.
Olivia Irvine founded and owns the Roasty Toasty Campfire Company of Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. She was inspired after reading a financial book with her dad, and decided to start the company to help earn money to send herself to college to study to become an interior designer.
“I first started selling firewood and have now expanded the Roasty Toasty brand,” she said. “In addition to selling firewood, I now sell apparel, metal signs, fire rings, smokeless fire pits and heated chairs.”
Her first venture into the professional world was through a booth at the Peterborough RV Show.
Her goods are available at select grocers and outfitters near her hometown as well as through her website www.roastytoastycampfire.com.
Apparel is a growing part of the products offered on Roasty Toasty’s website, but there’s no escaping that the heart of the company is camping and a good campfire.
There are no fewer than two fire rings available, each with customizable designs. A pair of smokeless fire pits under the Coulee brand also are available.
Firewood is available prepackaged at select locations near Olivia’s Halliburton home. The packages are housed in large wooden crates and customers can either place money in the box or make an e-transfer to buy the wood.
“There are a lot of opportunities for new products,” Olivia said. “Camping is always growing and new products are always coming out.”
Although her business is very land-based, she has some bucket-list trips that might require something other than an RV. Olivia’s dream vacation would be on a cruise and she said she hopes someday to try skydiving.
But for now, she’s happy studying for a future in interior design and taking part of her guilty pleasure by eating plenty of chocolate.
Roasty Toasty Campfire Company will be exhibiting at the Toronto Spring Camping and RV Show, February 29 – March 3, 2024, at the International Centre, Mississauga, Ontario. For RV Show information, please visit https://torontospringcampingrvshow.com/
Olivia credits Stacey Robinson of Great Canadian RV for helping inspire her career and making an impact on her to start her business.
“She’s kind and helpful and a great business woman”, says Olivia.
The Roasty Toasty products are available online at https://www.roastytoastycampfire.com/
The products are also available at a growing number of RV dealerships, including Great Canadian RV in Peterborough, Ontario, and 1000 Islands RV Centre, Gananoque, Ontario.
