(Photo above: Spring Alaska Olson | Photos Courtesy of Sakari Botanicals)
Locally Grown Healthy Products
Sakari Botanicals is unique in that all plant materials are grown locally in Bend and Tumalo.
“We do not outsource plant materials to create our healthy products, this sets our company aside from any other in Central Oregon,” says Spring Alaska Olson, owner/principal ecologist.
“Sakari Botanicals practices research-based, non-herbicide uses and permaculture-based/organic growing practices to provide a healthy plant for skin care, healing and nutritional value.”
Sakari means sweet in Inuit Eskimo. Sakari Botanicals is a Native American/woman-owned business and owned by the parent company the Central Oregon Seed Exchange.
Olson has over twenty years of tribal and medicinal plant collection, education and growing experience. Most of her knowledge has been passed down by peers and elders ranging from the Valdez Native Tribe in Alaska to the Ute/Navajo tribal elders in southern Colorado. She annually plans her time seed/plant collecting/gathering trips, creating/implementing tribal nutrition and community garden grants, maintaining and growing all native plants and seed production for Sakari Botanicals and creating/marketing for the sales of the unique Sakari Botanical products.
Olson has over a decade of experience in the natural resource management field serving as a manager of multiple resources-based conservation businesses. Her background includes grant writing, managing financial records, public relations, sales, mediation, acting board member, resource consulting, tribal liaison and business owner of Central Oregon Seed Exchange.
The product line consists of a variety of locally grown native plants made into healing oils, teas, healing salves, lip butters and ceremonial smudge and sweetgrass braids. “Our main products are rosehip, sweetgrass and cedar oils, fireweed and rosehip teas, rosehip and sweetgrass lip butters,” explains Olson.
“We strive to keep local by using both businesses to provide education on food security, community actions and sustaining and supporting local business growth here in Deschutes County.”
Sakari Botanical products are made from native plants that are grown onsite or gathered in wooded areas when they are at the peak of maturity and the concentration of active ingredients at its highest.
Through Central Oregon Seed Exchange, the company provides free flower and vegetable seed and education to children and low income families in Deschutes County. All seed is grown onsite at its Newport Avenue location or on larger farms including Juniper Jungle Farms, Dome Grown Farms and Rainshadow Organics.
Sakari Botanicals
Spring Alaska Olson, owner/principal ecologist
541-647-9604
www.sakaribotanicals.weebly.com
No. Employees: 1
Year Established: 2016
Product/Service: Variety of locally grown native plants made into healing oils, teas, healing salves, lip butters and ceremonial smudge and sweetgrass braids.
Hot News: Expanded growing operations due to high demand of flower production to four large local farms in Deschutes County. Now selling in regional stores such as Oregon Bath and Body, Newport Market, Farmer John’s Produce, Central Oregon Locavore and Junique.
Outlook for Growth: Some goals include, but are not limited to, providing healthy food for Deschutes County residents, increasing profits to showcase small business owners in Deschutes County, hiring multiple employees to increase employment rates in Deschutes County, providing a viable, healthy local product for residents to enjoy without traveling long distances and losing nutritional value in the process.
