Why Did We Create Boreal Blue?
Our Story
Boreal Blue started as an idea while we were working with Mountain Pine beetle control in Northern Alberta. We've always been adventurers, going on trips solely to bushwack or find caves, but while working in the remote wilderness we realized that there are so many amazing things that are wasted or left to collect dust within the wilderness. A lot of these things are beautiful in their own right and inspire creativity within.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0577/1418/0280/files/20210308_130553_1_480x480.jpg?v=1624996628)
Above: The burning of mountain pine beetle infested trees - in early stages of infection the wood is still good to use, but because of location, quantities of infected trees, and public perception it is usually entirely burned.
How Do We Use Product Funds?
At Boreal Blue we explore the wilderness with a primary goal - discovery. We hope to use the funds from our sales to fund further adventure and discovery, as this is something our team enjoys doing with a passion. We are always hoping for even more amazing finds, and eventually maybe we will come across something completely bewildering. Big expeditions are expensive and take a lot of time, but we are hoping to fund our trips with what we find throughout our trips.
And of course, we also hope to share some of what we have found in the wilderness with others in order bring some of the enrichment it has brought our lives to yours, that's a large part of why we are running Boreal Blue.
Sustainability - A Core Aspect Of Boreal Blue
Most consumer goods these days are produced in factories, many of which contribute unsustainbly towards climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction. We believe that a lot of the best things can be found in nature - from food, to furniture, to art. Most of these wild goods can be harvested with minimal impact given appropriate use of sustainable harvesting methods. For instance, with wild food products this can include - avoiding areas of high-use or sensitive habitat, leaving partial patches of plants/mushrooms to encourage future regrowth, not harvesting endangered or species of concern.
We also recognize the sustainability problems associated with overpackaging and waste produced through up-scaling or manufacturing wild products. We are working to eliminate these as much as possible. Overpackaging is a world-wide issue, where companies with fancy-overpackaged goods get a competitive advantage while being unsustainable. This costs money and waste. We want our audience to be more sustainability-minded and as such we use minimal packaging when shipping and delivering our products.
Additionally, we recognize that many companies greenwash their products - sell them as 'green' even though they aren't sustainably sourced. This gets unsustainable companies a competitive edge without real action with respect to sustainable practices. To demonstrate that we are not greenwashing our products we include Certificates of Authenticity with each purchase. The certificate uniquely identifies for each product information about where it came from, who gathered the resource, materials used to make it and more. Below is an example of what you can expect when you make a purchase with us.
Interested in collaborating with us?
We hope to become a hub for other forest artisans on a similar path. We love art and creativity, and if you have ideas with your forest products, we may want to have you on our website! Contact us for more information or any inquiries.
Best,
The Boreal Blue Team