GFC

You know how we love collaborations along the supply chain.   

Well here is one of the latest.    It is timely, too.

In October, the Alaska Federation of Natives met in Anchorage for their annual conference.   One of the keynote speakers, Elizabeth Hensley (daughter of Willie Hensley) passionately urged everyone in the audience to tell their stories of culture, language and traditions.   It was insightful to watch a father/daughter team present a shared keynote from the perspective of two distinct generations, living through somewhat different histories of Alaska.    They were fully engaged in sharing their stories, as was much of the theme of this year's conference.

Within a few days, we received an announcement from the people at Kwik'Pak Fisheries (Yukon) that they were partnering with a company that helps share the stories of traditions as they relate to food.  (Maybe they heard Elizabeth's pleas and acted without hesitation.)

What are your thoughts?  Let them be heard. There is no better time then now to get your voice heard as the U.S. Congress considers the pending US Food Safety Law. (Reuters, November 18th - US Food Safety Likely To Get Overhaul In 2010)

We've run a lot of stories on new software systems and traceability programs over the past 5 years.  We thought it timely to to read an opinion piece that challenges the need for more regulation and technology. 

Dave Carter is the Executive Director of the National Bison Association and he maintains a small herd of buffalo in Colorado.  He is also principal of Crystal Springs Consulting.

The International Congress on Seafood  Technology will held in Anchorage, Alaska, May 10 - 13, 2010.  The main objective of this Congress is to review the best available knowledge in the main technological fields relating to seafood processing, shelf life extension and distribution.  

Building on the success of the 1^st Congress in 2008, the 2010 Congress will address state-of-the-art information regarding the handling, processing, preservation, storage and transportation of seafood. Fisheries and aquaculture, as a food production industry, have been advancing rapidly over the last decades. Fish has a positive health image as food, and is now the most internationally traded protein food product. Significant developments in processing technology have allowed new possibilities for more value-added products, longer shelf life, and more secure distribution of seafood.

Do these sound familiar?  Bruin Blend, Cherry Karma, Deadman's Reach, Ebony Pearls, Resurrection Blend, Skookum Blend, Three Peckered Billy Goat, Wicked Wolf?   If not, maybe you're the House Blend kind of person and are only yet familiar with Raven's Brew House Blend?

Did you know that Raven's Brew Coffee, now being served throughout the United States, started in Ketchikan, Alaska?  They still roast and serve wholesale clients from their Ketchikan base and attribute their growth into the national marketplace to their first of three strategic locations.

The French Oven Bakery is a French/American/Mexican bakery that produces specialty breads and cakes for retail and wholesale customers in and around Anchorage.    Locally owned and operated by Lina Mariscal, the bakery is currently celebrating its 10th year of operation.

Restaurants and food service companies seeking ways to differentiate themselves with their customers, actively seek out the French Oven Bakery as their supplier of choice.   Lina has a history of working with owner/operators to custom design products that fit with their fare and budget.  She has been doing so successfully over the past 10 years and would like to expand and do more of this with those seeking unique, high quality and fresh bakery products.

The National GAPs Program at Cornell University with funding from the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative, CSREES, USDA, has joined with eCornell to offer a three-week online course on Implementing Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).

Arxotica's high-end botanical product line debuted this week with "Quyunglii," which means "the potent one" in their mother's Cup'ik language. Quyunglii is a serum made from crowberries, fireweed, and arctic sage, all hand gathered from the tundra wilderness. 

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Sparck sisters launched their skin care line during the 2009 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in October.  You may remember Amy, Michelle and Cika Sparck as two-time Alaska Marketplace Winners.      You may also remember that they kicked off Global Food Alaska 2007 with a spine tingling talk, "The Opportunities of Alaska".

These business women have been inspired by the natural resources of their region, including their people and culture.   While they are identifying a limited number of exclusive customers for Quyungilii (anti-aging serum), they hope to also capture future market partners that can see a commercial benefit in sharing the unique story of their region, culture and product line.      

Tom Gemmell, Marine Conservation Alliance

Table of Contents - October 26, 2009
FEDERAL
1.      Feds seek to reshape hunting and fishing rules (10/23)
2.      AFN delegates want revised subsistence policies (10/24)
3.      Coast Guard searches for Sitka man near Fish Bay (Sitka) (10/23)
4.      Coast Guard calls off search for fisherman (10/25)
5.      Video Lecture.  The Marine Initiative of the Natural Capital Project: Connecting the Dots for Marine Spatial Planning  (10/15)
STATE
6.      Calm seas bring smooth start to Bering Sea crab season (10/23)
7.      A heritage offishing (10/23)
8.      Professor to resign after university rejects his grievance (10/24)
9.      Kenai dipnet debate: State absence on personal-use fishery irks Kenai officials (10/25)
10.  ADFG Reports

Continued By Linking On Article Title (Above)

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ale and Sierra Nevada collaborated to debut, this month,  a new brew called Life and Limb.   The collaboration went beyond the competitive breweries, it also included the collaboration of two syrups into their Life and Limg. Check out this video of Kahtiltna's Birch Syrup being used as an ingredient for yet another new product.   Kudo's to Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head and Kahiltna.

Alaska has always rated at the top for consumption (per capita) of ice cream of any other state in the United States.    That is mostly attributed to our seeking out high fat for the long/cold winters.    It might not.  It might be pure pleasure, but the bottom line is that we like our ice cream.   

Getting ice cream is another story.   In ALaska, if you're on the road system, you may have access to reliable, accurate temperature controlled systems.    If you're in communities outside of the railbelt (road system), you crave real ice cream even more, because it is rare and if it does arrive, it has generally been through several temperature changes and only barely resembles the taste and texture of its original form.        

It's a different story over the past year where Tednologies has been working with the Matanuska Creamery and the Yukon Kuskokwim School District to distribute ice cream that has had no temperature variation from manufacturer to market.

Deadline is November 30, 2009 for you to apply for a Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG).  link

VAPG funds can be used for two purposes: planning and working capital.  Planning includes market feasibility studies and business planning; it does not include design work on a processing plant nor any research and development.

America’s Heartland is the only nationally-broadcast weekly program on agriculture.  If you're interested in reading up on competitors, collaborators or generally learning more about the food supply chain across America,  check it out and see the energy behind this seasons production. 

Let's not forget the stories America's Heartland produced right here in Alaska during Season 2.    Or the story produced during Season 3.