Bella Coola brothers sell kindling by the road, earn enough to buy bikes, snowmobile

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, brothers Max and Chase Matuga of Bella Coola, B.C., looked for creative ways to earn extra money. 

The brothers decided to start a roadside kindling business using wood left over from their parents' framing company, Black Sheep Timbers located in the Bella Coola Vally on B.C.'s Central Coast. 

The boys set up their own business, named Black Sheep Brothers, which consists of a roadside stand by the family home.

Max, 11, says the setup was pretty straightforward.

"It wasn't that hard," he said. "There wasn't a lot of work. We just had to put up a stand and my mom posted something on Facebook and that was pretty much it."

Max said they assemble bundles of kindling and leave them at the stand, relying on the honour system for payment. They leave a little notebook on the stand for people to write notes or ask for special orders.  

The brothers have received anonymous gifts of poems, letters, tips, chocolate, two old mini-chainsaws and many words of encouragement.

The two have sold enough bundles, at $2 apiece, for Chase to buy a dirt bike and Max a mountain bike with the proceeds. They also contributed to the family's purchase of a used snowmobile.

The boys have also donated money to the SPCA and kindling to local seniors.  

Their father, Kevin, said they had no idea the business would do as well as it has, but soon realized it was filling a need in the community. It has also taught the brothers the value of hard work and the basics of money management.   

As for the future, Chase, nine, says they plan to keep the stand going "for a pretty long time probably, until we don't get much sales."