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Raves for delectables

Arctic Wild Harvest opens in mall

Norm Poole
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 02/03) - Karen Hollett has taken her wildly successful home-based business to the next step. Hollett recently opened the Arctic Wild Harvest store in the Centre Square mall.

From experience, she won't lack for customers.

Hollett started the business five years ago out of her home and has drawn international raves for her unique product line ever since.

The prime minister's office invited her on a trade mission to Russia last year.

She didn't have time to go so they took some product samples instead.

"They like my teas," she said.

Arctic Wild Harvest sells a broad selection of natural products: herbal teas, syrups, jams, jellies, juices and other 'drinkables,' candies and berries.

She imports products like muskox jerky, canned caribou, char and other products from Nunavut; wild smoked salmon from BC; birch syrup from Alaska; and berry sauces from Labrador.

From her own fertile imagination come delectables like NWT candied wildberry apple slices, wild herb chocolate bars, wildflower truffles, and roasted dandelion root.

Of the several hundred items in her extensive catalogue, 85 per cent are her own creation.

She designs all of her own packaging -- including the artwork -- and gathers all of the raw materials herself.

From "somewhere up the Ingraham Trail," is all she will allow.

Company revenue is comfortably into six figures, including $58,000 in business on the internet alone last year.

She recently won an Industry Canada award as one of the most adept -- and successful -- e-commerce marketers in the territory.

Her website (sales@giftboxesnt.com) has won numerous marketing awards.

Her gift boxes have become popular with corporate public relations people in the know across the country.

She has shipped Arctic Wild products all over the world, including a recent gift box to Iraq.

"It was opened, but it got there," she said.

Internet marketing being what it is, Hollett is used to getting requests for unusual Northern items.

She recently sold a rock to a customer in the Southern US.

And a lady in California asked for some Arctic ice.

"I sent the rock, but I had to tell the other lady the ice probably wouldn't survive shipping," she smiled.

Hollett won't even guess how many hours a week she has put into building the business.

She hired her first full-time employee only weeks ago.

"It takes a lot of hard work to do it, more than many people realize," she said.

"But I am also making a living doing something I love. Not many people can say that."