A huge part of agriculture is the production side, but an equally important part is the value added process as well. This success story dives into a promising business and their journey with Akiptan to grow immensely.
Sakari Farms is owned and operated by Spring Alaska, a Native American woman who has found her true passion in agriculture. Spring focuses on planting and revitalizing pre-contact native foods and plants. She has a variety of vegetables and plants that she is able to grow. With the fruits of her labor, she is also able to make products such as Sweet Grass Tea, Elderberry Tea, Jams, Sauces, Oils, Salts & Scrubs, and a plethora of other products that are sold under the name of Sakari Botanicals.
By doing value added activities along with her production, she is able to capitalize on the market and reserve as much of the profit herself. Spring has also went through the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s American Indian Foods Program.
In the fall/winter of 2018, Spring came to Akiptan looking to get some money for a greenhouse and a deer fence. Being in a high desert plains environment, a greenhouse would allow for a longer growing season, which in turn would allow for Sakari Farms and Sakari Botanicals to turn a larger profit.
After working with Spring to put together projections and getting her ready to purchase a greenhouse, a large snowstorm hit her area in Oregon and it slowed her down from putting it up when she wanted to. However, where there is a will, there is a way and Spring was able to get her greenhouse up and full of crops.
Throughout this summer Spring has been sending Akiptan pictures of her harvest and how well her garden and greenhouse are going. Akiptan was excited to do this loan because it contributed to a value added operation; this is something you don’t often see in Indian Country. We are looking forward to future years and work with Spring and Sakari Farms & Botanicals.
More information on Sakari Botanicals can be found at https://www.sakarifarms.com/