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Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)

Supplier Scouting Leads to Success for Hammer Family Birch

With the help of: Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center

About

Alaska-based producer of birch syrup, fruit syrups, jams, confections, chaga products, and a new birch-based beverage, Hammers Family Birch focuses on sustainably sourced, value-added natural goods for regional and expanding markets. The company has 6 full-time employees total, with 5 year-round and 5 seasonal full-time staff.

 

The Challenge

As the company prepared to launch its new birch-based beverage, it faced a significant challenge: locating a reliable and affordable source of glass bottles. With limited access to suppliers in Alaska and rising costs, securing bottles that met the required size and branding needs threatened to delay production and increase launch expenses

Our experience working with Alaska MEP has been nothing short of amazing. We needed assistance finding a reliable glass bottle supplier for our birch sap based beverages and Megan and her team guided us every step of the way. Her knowledge, experience, and dedication to small business manufacturing shined through as we eventually found the supplier we were searching for! 

— Ted Hammer, Owner

MEP's Role

Alaska MEP’s supplier scouting support connected Hammer Family Birch with a large manufacturer in the beverage industry. This connection led to an introduction to a bottle supplier that was well-suited to their current production scale, enabling them to secure the necessary materials without overextending their resources
Created May 15, 2025