LOCALadk Magazine

Summer 2017 LOCALadk Magazine 17 LOCALadk In October 2016, my time was spread very thin. As the only person harvesting, grinding, packaging, and selling my product, I was very busy. This was a huge concern, because I would also soon be returning to college. I realized that if I wanted to continue operating at the same caliber, I was going to need to increase efficiency and build a team. This was a discouraging prospect, as it required money that I did not have. The following month, I applied to several grants and competitions in order to raise the money I needed to take my business to the next level. I ended up being invited to compete at Wake Forest's annual Retail and Health Innovation Challenge, where I took second place and won a $10,000 grant from CVS Health. Between the grant and working with a local group of angel investors, I have been able to successfully manage the transition back to classes, launch a website (birchboyschaga.com), build a team of reliable harvesters, purchase more efficient equipment, upgrade my packaging, and introduce a new product. I am happy to announce that as of April 2017, Birch Boys is selling boxes of 16 chaga tea bags. Our products are stocked in over 60 stores across six states, and we have received online sales from New York, Vermont, Connecticut, West Virginia, New Jersey, Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and California. My goal is to have Birch Boys chaga products stocked in 200 retail locations by the end of 2017. Birch Boys is still in its infancy stages, but with continued dedication and support I know that we will make our community proud. Throughout the four years I have been dealing with chaga, something incredible has happened. I am no longer that weird kid trying to teach everybody about his favorite mushroom. The demand for chaga has become a strong force in the health food community, and I'd like to believe that I have contributed to that. At the end of the day, I'm just a North Country kid who wants to stay true to his Adirondack roots and leave a footprint on the health food industry. My advice to young people is that we have more resources than any generation in history – so be bold in your passion and relentlessly fight your constraints until you have conquered them. You can find success from doing what you love, even if it is unconventional. If you do decide to look for chaga, please make sure you thoroughly research sustainable harvesting practices. We urge harvesters to leave 15 percent of every mushroom behind, to allow for regrowth. We want to ensure that chaga will be enjoyed by every generation to come. Anne Brewer Kaitlin Lawless

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