Location, Location, Location
On the Westernmost edges of the America lies an extremely lush exotic Arctic wilderness - where the once glaciated coastal plain produces abundant vegetation. This is ArXotica’s homeland and harvesting grounds. The geography, economy and way of living is shaped by Alaska's two mightiest Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, and in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta (the YK), is a population of only 25,000 people in 56 federally recognized Tribal communities spread out in a region larger than many states.
 
The 42 million acres of mostly flat terrain, an expanse of tundra so massive it bends to the horizon, is peppered with countless ponds, lakes and waterways. Our backyard also houses 19 million acres of federally protected land under the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, where a sustainable practice is required for issues of it's special use permits. We are proud to fit the bill.

The Real People. Their teachings. An Ancient Diet Reveals Super Plant Foods.
Fall, when the planet shifts us far from the Sun, brings the onset of the long winters that most imagine of Alaska— dark and frozen. This extreme environment helped shape and define northern inhabitants such as the Yup’ik / Cup’ik Eskimo, "the Real People," of the massive Delta region. Utilizing the flora and fauna that were offered to us, our ancestors learned not to dispute with nature— because Ellam Yua would ‘close his hands’ to remind us that the universe belongs under his care, and that we are merely borrowers. In this, we are Nunam Kitlutsisti, stewards of the land, environmentalists and humane before such terms became social movements.
 
Being so remote, laying close to the Arctic Circle and lacking much conventional energy, commerce, trade, agriculture and transport infrastructure, the land appears unscathed by industrial ills. The Yup’ik / Cup’ik Eskimo continue to live much as our ancestors did, relying on foods harvested from the land and sea with skills honed by generations of practical experience, innovative techniques, alchemy and humility.
 
The Eskimo have an unquestionable reputation as being excellent hunters, so with the historical and obvious absence of agricultural or dairy products, how did such a high protein wild game diet fill this seeming nutrient gap? It can be fairly said that no people have been forced to push the nutritional envelope further than those living at Earth’s frozen extremes. What the diet of the Far North illustrates is that there are no essential foods—only essential nutrients. And the Eskimo had become experts in obtaining those nutrients from diverse sources, especially gatherings.
 
As a people so dependent on our environment, we are Upterrlainarluta (Always Getting Ready), the seasons and migration patterns tell us what food sources are next on our to-do list. Ciuliaput (the Ones Who Came Before Us), passed on traditional knowledge and the skill sets needed to identify ideal plants for sustenance, medicine and many functional uses. Such subsistence activities also bring families together, define social relationships, and confirm the continuity of the relationship between the Tribes of the region and their natural world. There could be no better inspiration for a socially- responsible company.
 
Then as winter gives way to the Midnight Sun, however brief the summer season is, it's intense energy triggers the production of antioxidants in the form of anthocyanins, essential fatty acids, flavonoids and much more. From the constant hydration of the frozen and sodden permafrost below to 20+ hours of daylight above, hundreds of thousands of acres of tundra burst with millions upon millions of pounds of uncultivated, potent, micronutrient botanicals. Berries, greens, herbs and flowers bloom with incredible, robust sugars and enzymes.

Collage landscapes of wild, endless tundra taken from the air -the most common means of travel in the massive, roadless YK Delta.

Upterrlainarluta- "Always Getting Ready" throughout the years, picking berries & cutting fish.

Platinum, a modest village just 60 people strong, with breathtaking million dollar views.

Our village of Chevak, Alaska; showcasing an extreme contrast of seasons from summer to winter.