Wildfish Cannery
Down a narrow side street in Klawock, Mathew Scaletta runs Wildfish Cannery, a culinary legacy that he inherited from his grandmother. For more than 30 years, Wildfish Cannery has been Southeast Alaska’s premier community-focused seafood processor; smoking, canning, and butchering fish for the local commercial, sport, and subsistence fishing communities since 1987. With his background as a chef, Scaletta takes great pride in working closely with fishermen to preserve their best catch. As their website announces simply: “We can Salmon. And we are good at it,” but that’s not all they do. In addition to selling their own products, Wildfish also offers custom processing for local and visiting fishermen and is looking into expanding their product lines.
Trickster Company
What started as a hand-painted clan crest on the back of Rico Worl’s skateboard later transformed into Trickster Company, a business that blends traditional designs and values with modern applications. Rico began his business when he realized he wasn’t the only one who valued his indigenous identity and hoped to see it represented in everyday items. He needed some help, however, to transform his passion into a viable business, which is why he turned to Spruce Root. Spruce Root became the partner Rico needed to expand his idea into Trickster Company. They provided funding for Rico’s business, which aims to represent Northwest Native art in a modern, authentic way. In a few short years, Trickster has expanded from a handful of skateboards in Juneau to a myriad of products designed by local native artists that appear in shops around Alaska and Washington. Rico credits Spruce Root with helping his business grow quickly. Their consultants provided crucial feedback during Rico’s business planning process and support when he needed it most. “With Spruce Root, it was like having a team there that was able to give second opinions and technical support that helped me,” he said. Now, with Trickster Company growing, Rico focuses more energy on exploring how his indigenous culture engages with modern trends in a vibrant and active way. Thanks to the initial support of Spruce Root, Rico is ready to embrace new creative opportunities as they arise.
The Cedar Box
A Native Gift Shop Highlighting Tlingit History and Culture
Skya’ana Coffee Co.
In a wooden building nestled in the middle of Klawock sits Skya’ana Coffee Co., a local coffee roasting company that supplies the coffee shops catering to locals down the road in Craig. Tina Isaacs Steffen has owned and run coffee shops for more than 12 years, and in 2016, with support from Spruce Root’s Path to Prosperity competition, she expanded the business to include coffee roasting. Steffen celebrates tradition and heritage, with deep roots and investment in the community. Even the name, Skya’ana, is a tribute to her native culture and comes from the Haida word meaning “to be awake.” Steffen says, “I could go anywhere, but I want to be here in my community. Building and supporting the people here is what’s important to me.” So far, Tina and her son have attended coffee school and made visits to the farms where they buy their beans, all in the name of bringing better and more sustainable coffee and growth to their community.
Port Chilkoot Distillery
At the far end of North America’s longest and deepest fjord, in a wooden, handcrafted building, Port Chilkoot Distillery is capturing the taste of Alaska with small-batch artisanal spirits that capture the flavor and feel of the Last Frontier. They start with water from a nearby lake; then they add organic grains that they mill themselves and local hand gathered herbs like spruce tip, whole juniper berries, cinnamon, and coriander, to make distinctive and delicious gin, bourbon, rye, vodka, and absinthe. Their craftsmanship and attention to detail are so exceptional that their 50 Fathoms Gin was awarded a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a gold at the American Craft Spirits Awards. As the first distillery in Southeast Alaska, Port Chilkoot Distillery is proof that the passion, ingenuity, and resilience of our region can create incredible local products. Beneath the glacier-sloped peaks of the Chilkat Mountain Range, they have created something local, delicious, and true. “Alaska, Bottled. Tastes Like Here.”
Fairweather Ski Works
In a wooden shop at the base of the Chilkat mountains in Haines Alaska, Graham builds skis. Built around the values of self-reliance and sustainability, Fairweather Ski Works handcrafts skis and snowboards out of locally harvested Sitka Spruce and birch wood. They take advantage of the plethora of quality wood available to a motivated person with a chainsaw, and source all of the wood for their skis by salvage logging. Once they have the raw material, all of the production all takes place in their shop which mitigates the fuel consumption of shipping and keeps jobs in the Haines community. This sort of small-scale timber harvest and local value-adding production benefits both economies and ecosystems and produces high-quality skis to tackle glaciers, powder days, and everything in-between. Fairweather Ski Works “evolved organically into what it is today because of our love of the wilderness and connection to our environment” and they are continuing to nurture their community and environment by sustainably producing Wild Alaska Skis!
Fisheye Coffee
Fisheye Coffee is the preferred drive-thru coffee shop in Sitka, but owner Caitlin Way, a 20-something Alaska Native woman, has bigger dreams for her small business. Inspired by her passions for teaching yoga and personal training, Caitlin aims to incorporate social and cultural change in her business. She envisions her coffee shop providing wholesome alternatives to traditional drive-thru food and beverages that have made eating on the go unhealthy. Unfortunately, Fisheye Coffee’s opportunity for growth was initially stifled by the limitations of a restrictive family loan and the inability to obtain traditional financing. With a small business loan through Spruce Root, however, Caitlin now has the opportunity to explore her culinary skills and invest in her business. Caitlin has also benefited from the business coaching and mentoring offered by the Spruce Root team. In fact, Caitlin strongly believes that even if she ultimately did not receive a loan, the knowledge she gained while going through the process was invaluable. “Spruce Root has been so patient and helpful to me!” Caitlin said. She has immense gratitude for the Spruce Root team and all of their support and guidance.
Barnacle Foods
In the bays, mountains, and inlets around Alaska’s capital city, Barnacle forages for local ingredients to produce tasty and nutritious foods. Barnacle is bringing the wild flavors of Southeast Alaska to kitchens all over the region and beyond with their salsas, pickles, and seasonings made from locally harvested bull kelp. Their commitment to stewardship of the environment means that they are careful and intentional about harvesting at sustainable levels in locations that leave the resources as healthy as they found them. Barnacle is firmly rooted here in Southeast Alaska and is committed to benefiting their community through job creation and economic growth. More than just creating delicious foods, Barnacle is working towards strengthening Alaska’s food system by producing products from abundant local resources.