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Herbal connection

Entrepreneur sees Yellowknife opportunities

Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 22/00) - Bev Gray says Yellowknife is a natural new market for her Whitehorse-based business.

Gray, who owns the Aroma Borealis herb shop in the Yukon, used to live in Yellowknife. After building her home-based business into a storefront operation, she is pursuing new markets.

"I feel I have a real connection with Yellowknife. When I left home (Ottawa), I came here," Gray said during her recent visit.

Gray, who makes and packages all the products she sells, came North in 1989 to work as a journalist in Yellowknife. Her beats were women's issues, the environment, and business.

She not only sees Yellowknife as a potential market, she also sees potential synergies with Yellowknife companies.

"I'd like to find a retailer (in Yellowknife) to carry my products," she said.

"I'm starting to carry Arctic Wild Harvest products, and they carry my tea," she said. Arctic Wild Harvest, owned by Karen Hollett, sells teas and chocolate which contain Northern edibles.

"When I moved to Whitehorse, I started making remedies."

She first gave the salves away but soon realized there was a demand for fresh, Northern-made products. So she took an herbalist course, converted her photography darkroom to a lab, and started making herbal products.

Hand cream, lip balm, bug repellant, and sled dog pad and paw treatment are among the company's products. The pad and paw salve heals injuries and prevents snow build-up between a dog's toes.

She said making the products is a basic chemistry.

"The only preservatives we use are grapefruit-seed extract and vitamin E."

She moved to the Yukon in the mid-1990s, and started the business five years ago as a home-based operation. She opened a store in Whitehorse in 1997. Since going into business, she has seen annual sales grow 30 times. Aroma Borealis employs five people.