SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Excitement about morels is also helping grow new businesses.

Arctic Morels' Andrew Matthews at Kakisa Lake checking out the burn areas on May 10. The family-run morel company hopes to utilize its Northern expertise to get an edge on the upcoming morel season. Also involved is brother Brendan and their parents, Steve and Louise. - photo provided by Arctic Morels/Brendan Matthews

Long-time Northerners and city residents have started two different home-based companies to capitalize on the anticipation around this year's morel season.

Brendan Matthews of Arctic Morels told Yellowknifer the plan is for his family business to do it all - picking, packing and distribution. The idea for the company started with his brother Andrew and parents Steve and Louise, five years ago.

"We were able to purchase some equipment to dry them and set up a decent camp," he explained.

However, Matthews said conditions during the last few years have been so dry that there either wasn't anything growing or it was so sparse it wasn't be worth setting up a camp to harvest them.

"It was kind of a fun recreational afternoon where you could pick up a couple of pounds," he said, "It wouldn't even cover the cost of gas to get to where you were going."

This year, the high level of hype, highway access along with the close proximity of the fires to Yellowknife means Arctic Morels will look for remote locations they can get to.

"We're also going to set ourselves up with the army that's heading down the highway to get there," he said.

Another new local business, the NWT Mushroom Company, is specifically focused on buying, packaging and shipping, including to overseas markets.

"We're to see if we can keep some of the money here in the North and hopefully be able to promote the development of the morel business from a Northern perspective," said partner Robin Bourke.

Bourke described the NWT Mushroom Company as a "bit of an experiment" and still in its early stages, but with a strong aim to give Northern people a local avenue to sell to. Financing is still being worked out, and Bourke said the company's aim of paying pickers the same day will be the biggest cost of the business.

However, when it comes to starting an enterprise, Bourke already comes from a family of entrepreneurs and big project planners.

His wife is Erin Freeland Ballantyne, executive director at Dechinta Bush University and his stepfather-in-law, Mike Freeland, owns the Blachford Lake Lodge.

When it comes to possible contamination, Matthews said that his company would be working with the GNWT to test for quality and any heavy metals, such as arsenic.

Both Matthews and Bourke strongly emphasized their status and experience as long-term Northern residents as key to establishing strong relationships with pickers in the community and distinguishing their products from those sold by southern companies.

Both also expressed a strong desire to ensure that their companies had a minimal-to-low impact due to ongoing concerns about pickers leaving camp areas in poor conditions. "We really want to see this harvest as ethically and sustainably as possible," Bourke said.

Still, a dry spring, more fires or simply lack of growth are all potential challenges to the success of these businesses. "Until we see what's growing, it's really hard to anticipate," Matthews said. "All these people in town are excited for this, but it's still a wild crop you can't cultivate. You never know."

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