These two tea blends consist of plants harvested in northern Saskatchewan. (Boreal Heartland Herbal Products/Facebook)

By Derek Cornet

new distribution

Boreal Heartland inks deal with Federated Co-op to sell northern tea blends

Oct 7, 2020 | 11:52 AM

A co-branding agreement between Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL) and Air Ronge’s Boreal Heartland Herbal Products will allow northern Saskatchewan-sourced teas to be sold throughout Western Canada.

The deal was announced Tuesday by Keewatin Community Development Association CEO Randy Johns, who is the head of the non-profit consisting of an all-Indigenous board of directors. The two teas, Restoration Blend and Relaxation Blend, will be marketed under the Co-op Gold Pure label and could be available in more than 200 stores between British Columbia and Manitoba.

“It’s a really good thing for us and we anticipate we’ll see some distribution though Co-op stores in Western Canada because of this,” Johns said. “It depends a little bit on the volume, how the Co-op stores uptake and how well it sells in the Co-op stores. We are in a number of small retailers already and it sells pretty good in most stores.”

Restoration Blend is made from fermented fireweed and wild mint, and is meant to have a darker taste similar to regular tea. Johns noted the fireweed adds a sweetness, adding wild mint is a common ingredient in teas in the North.

Relaxation Blend, however, is meant to be drank in the evening or before bed. It’s a mix of nettle, goldenrod and Labrador tea, and is mild in taste similar to green tea.

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“They are all northern plants that grow in the forest and every summer we buy plants from northern harvesters,” Johns said. “We dry them and process them here at our plant in Air Ronge, as well as package and store them.”

Fireweed in one of the ingredients used in the tea. (Boreal Heartland Herbal Products/Facebook)

The first shipment of tea left the warehouse Tuesday and Johns believes it will take between two weeks to one month to reach stores. He recommends Co-op shoppers who are interested in trying the products to ask their local store manager to order the tea from FCL.

Johns also explained it was the FCL who approached Boreal Heartland seeking a partnership agreement. It took about one year to finalize and Johns is hopeful it will grow, but he added the non-profit is committed to sustainable harvesting.

“If we can increase our distribution through Co-op and so on and increase the products we sell, then we will be able to increase the plants we harvest,” he said. “We’ve got products in development. It’s a matter of finding products to develop, making sure the harvest is sustainable and then getting them out to a distribution network.”

In the future, Johns added Boreal Heartland could also launch northern spice mixes and ready-to-drink teas.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno