Drinking in the wonders of nature
Text by Shelby Duffy • Photography Courtesy of Kodiak Tea Company
Settled just off the southern coast of Alaska, Kodiak Island is filled with sweeping mountainscapes, lush vegetation, and flourishing wildlife. Although the island spans more than 3,500 miles and is one of the largest islands in the United States, it is home to only approximately 13,000 people. In this setting, nature abounds, with the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge housing the largest brown bear subspecies in the world and boasting countless miles of breathtaking landscape and coastline, perfect for a variety of outdoor activities.
Temperate summer weather and Alaska’s renowned “midnight sun” create an ideal growing condition for a variety of local produce and often lead to a boom in vegetative growth following harsh winters. Many Alaska residents have begun to take advantage of this growing season by producing their own crops as a way to meet the burgeoning need for fresh and locally sourced food. In the small town of Kodiak, there is no shortage of harvestable flora, including an extensive variety of local berries, roots, herbs, and flowers. This leads the small, close-knit community to host summer farmers’ markets, where members of the community come together to exchange seasonal harvests and other handmade goods.
Kodiak Tea Company is one of the local businesses that developed from these community markets. Founder Heather Hurley attributes the unexpected creation of this blossoming business to her children, detailing how the idea began as a request from them to make and sell something of their own at the local farmers’ market. Heather and her husband challenged the children to spend the fall and winter seasons brainstorming ideas of what they could prepare for the upcoming summer bazaars. The family already had a tradition of blending herbs, flowers, and roots into their own tea at home, and the children suggested that the family develop additional blends to sell.
In addition to coming up with the initial idea of creating the company, the children now participate in all facets of the business, from harvesting crops, tasting and developing new tea blends, and even assisting with the more technical aspects, like creating a website and designing product packaging and labels. Heather explains, “We are a homeschooling family, so the origins of Kodiak Tea Company are both humble and practical. Since the beginning, Caleb has headed up packaging and web design; his learning morphed into high school credits in computer programming and marketing. Each week, Caleb, Jordan, and Grace would take turns lending their hands in selling teas at the farmers’ market [and Grace still does], and everyone is involved in harvesting local ingredients. Our youngest two sons, Joshua and Isaiah, help the family with harvesting berries and rhubarb in the summers, loving every minute of being swallowed up by towering salmonberry plants we hike through. It’s always an adventure!”
Known for its wondrously thriving wildlife, Alaska is home to an extensive variety of native herbage. Sprawling shrubs with branches weighed down from a dazzling accumulation of ripe, ruby red and orange salmonberries and lofty fireweeds with dark green foliage and magenta blooms that cascade down mountainsides and across the vast lands of Kodiak Island make up only a small selection of Alaska’s bountiful provisions. This rich land offers limitless possibilities in the world of agriculture. The Hurley family capitalizes on Alaska’s natural abundance by cultivating their own crops, which they use to produce high-quality tea blends and tisanes. Using organic growing practices, they harvest and prepare native berries, fireweed, rhubarb, calendula, cornflowers, clover, mint, dandelion, echinacea, and rosehips. Their sustainable practices are extended to sourcing as well, as they seek to find the highest quality, certified organic ingredients to include, too.
The Hurleys place a large focus on both health benefits and pleasant flavors when selecting ingredients for their tea blends. Kodiak Krud Buster, a popular selection for year-round enjoyment, features a warming blend of anti-inflammatory herbs and spices that include vitamins and antioxidants to aid immune system functioning and combat seasonal illnesses like the cold, or what is known locally as the “Kodiak Krud.”
Originally selling exclusively herbal blends, the tea company responded to rising customer demand for caffeinated drinks by expanding their offerings to include unique black and green tea blends as well. Many bestsellers are available year-round, including popular selections like the Monashka Sunrise blend, brimming with red raspberry leaf, hibiscus, lemon verbena, and green tea for a light brew that conjures visions of waking up and enjoying the gentle sunrays and crisp morning air in Monashka Bay. The company also offers seasonal blends perfect for enjoying during the cold winter season, like Currier and Ives Christmas, which is filled with warming spices, organic peppermint, ginger, and apple pieces. Heather explains that simply selling tea is not her family’s end goal; they place a large emphasis on developing relationships and spreading the spirit of togetherness by embracing community through shared experiences, and tea is the perfect place to start. “[Kodiak] remains relatively small and is filled with warm, caring people. We want our teas to reflect this warmth and welcome you into our lives.”
Kodiak Tea is sold online and in select Alaskan stores. Visit kodiaktea.com for more information or to purchase.
