In the mid-1990s, carpenter Bill Whyte faced a tough problem: the cold New England winters left his hardworking hands split and cracked. One evening, in search of relief, he blended beeswax and olive oil into a simple herbal balm. The results were so effective that he began sharing them with friends and family. Initially, Bill thought of calling his creation “Bear Paw,” but when the name was already taken, inspiration struck. After leaving a tin under his pillow, he awoke with a new name in mind: “Badger.” With the support of his family, he started hand-filling tins in their kitchen, packing them into homemade wooden boxes, and selling them from his work van to local hardware stores. What began as a remedy for one carpenter’s hands soon grew into the beginnings of the Badger story.