As the end of the year nears, we feel so grateful to be doing what we're doing. Salmon Sisters has given us meaning every day in a year full of unknowns. 2017 challenged us in ways we did not expect, but also pushed us to explore new ideas for incorporating our passions into our business, for standing up for wild places, and celebrating Alaskans who are stewards of their land and their natural resources. We're always so honored to be part of a future-thinking fishing community that respects the ocean and Alaska's sustainable fisheries.
2017 held some gleaming moments, and it's always more fun to celebrate them with the people who made it all possible: so thanks to you, our amazing fans and customers!
We were honored with some amazing press this year, and proud to share the story of Alaska's hardworking fishermen in stories published by Vogue, Outside Magazine, Monocle, and Buzzfeed. We assembled a mobile Fleet for our summer fairs and events, complete with van and travel trailer pop-up shop. The Fleet traveled all the way to Southeast Alaska, to Kodiak and Seldovia on the ferry, to Salmonfest on the Kenai Peninsula and bopped around the state in between. We designed and built our first small shipping container summer shop in Homer, the Flagship, with our incredibly talented peers. It was so fun to envision and build something from scratch with an architect, a welder, and a carpenter who we grew up with. The Flagship enjoyed a great first summer, run by superstar employees, and looks forward to its second season starting in June.
We’re proud of our Give Fish Project, that allows our customers to help us donate wild salmon to the Food Bank of Alaska. This year we gave over 45,000 cans, thanks to our customers whose orders contributed to our donations, Alaskan fishermen who caught the salmon in our cans, Silver Bay Seafoods, who produced the cans, Alaska Airlines, who transported them, and the Food Bank of Alaska, who helped distribute the cans to people in need across the state.
We spent our summer fishing again, and are so glad our family continues to work together and our on-land support allows us to leave for several months at a time while our business continues to grow. So much of inspiration comes from our summer months fishing. We seined, tendered, and longlined from June to September, and got back to land in time for Emma to get back to her last year at graduate school.
We enjoyed organizing events like a Know Your Fisherman dinner in Astoria, Oregon during Fisher Poets with our friends Nelly and Michael at Drifters Fish. We had a fish cooking class in Homer with chef Morgan Stewart, where we learned new recipes to try on the boat. We put on a holiday pop-up with over 20 Alaskan artists makers, and got to meet so many of the people who inspire us around the state.
As we welcome in the new year, we have so much to look forward to. We've loved collaborating with XTRATUF to refresh classic Alaskan footwear, and can't wait to show you next season's styles. We're also excited to be collaborating with Grundens on new apparel for fishing women. In the coming year, we will be working on a Salmon Sisters book, full of recipes and stories that will be hitting shelves in 2020; we look forward to making something that allows us to dig a little deeper into our childhood, our life fishing, and the community that raised us to share with all of you. Emma is looking forward to finishing up her graduate program in design at the University of Washington in June, and she and Claire are planning to spend as much time on the boat this summer as possible.
In the coming months, we will be laying low to put our heads together for new season planning. Big things are to come, and we are so grateful for your continued support! Please sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on our business's news – you'll be the first to know about events, sales, new products, and community news. Thanks again for supporting our small business, it truly means the most. Happy 2018! To the best year for all of us.
Congratulations! I was so happy to discover your company last year through Outside magazine and just placed my second large order. The first was terrific: I gave several of your cute products as Christmas gifts. I’d be ordering more canned salmon now but apparently you’re out of that. I’ll also be back later this year for a shipment of the frozen salmon. Everything about your business and approach to food is consistent with my values so I wish you the best of success. Good luck!