TundraLove! About Us
In 2014,after attending a Therapeutic and Medicinal Herb class sponsored by Bristol Bay Native Association, Lynn Van Vactor and Denise Lisac were both inspired and amazed with the therapeutic properties of Alaska's local plants . Since then, along with much research, they have worked together to create wild harvested, hand crafted personal care products that are beneficial to their families and local communities. Initially starting out small, selling organic handcrafted soaps and salves at a Christmas Bazaar, production has increased and now TundraLove! hosts a full line of products including Lip Balms, Organic Face Creams, Body Butters and Beard Oils.
Each product that TundraLove! makes contains wild harvested local Bristol Bay Alaskan plants. Organic Olive Oil and Organic Sunflower Oils which are solar infused with Alaska's wild rose hips, wormwood, plantain, labrador from the tundra, willow, birch, chaga and many other therapeutic plants. These oils are then incorporated into our soaps, salve and other personal care products. Each product sharing with the user, love from Alaska's tundra. It's TundraLove!
As community members began to send TundraLove! products to family and friends as gifts, TundraLove! began to receive additional requests for soaps, face creams, oils and salves from all over the country. We are humbled by the support and excited that our products are now loved by many! And yes, the picture above is real! the view from Lynn's home, Tundra to the Wood River, in Dillingham, Alaska.
In May of 2019, Mark and Toni Herrmann purchased TundraLove! from our friends, Lynn and Denise. We are neighbors (relatively speaking) sharing the same community of Dillingham, in the Bristol Bay of Alaska. Lynn and Denise continue to support us with their experience and counsel as we continue creating wild-harvested, hand-crafted personal care products with much TundraLove!
Toni grew up in rural Alaska, coming here as a small child with her parents and siblings in the early 70's. She graduated from Northwest University in the Seattle area, with an emphasis in business and education. Mark grew up in rural Nebraska with a dream-a calling, to Alaska. So, as a young man, he loaded his belongings in his old land cruiser and headed north to Alaska (with his parent's blessing!). We soon met and married, and within a year moved to Dillingham. We lived in town one year-that was enough! We were ready to homestead!
Mark and Toni homesteaded close to the Wood Tikchik Mountains of Bristol Bay near Dillingham over 33 years ago. We cleared a patch of alders and spruce, and began building our home, family, and farm with the tundra of the Manokotak Flats and Warehouse Mountain in view. We and our children have explored and harvested from the tundra, hillsides, and forests since day one. Our children have now grown and left home, as they should; but from time to time they visit, bringing our grandchildren with them! Now the cycle begins again, taking the opportunities to teach our grandchildren how to explore and harvest from the tundra, hillsides, and forests we call home.
We continue our entrepreneurial lives through TundraLove!, our small farm, and Toni's watercolor paintings that depict the beauty of Bristol Bay, Alaska. We hope that our TundraLove! products are a help to you and your family!
Thank you!
Mark and Toni