On January 16th, three reindeer herders from Savoonga embarked on an international journey to Finland. Representing the Savoonga Reindeer Commercial Company (SRCC), a for-profit tribally-owned organization established by the Native Village of Savoonga, their mission was to explore innovative reindeer husbandry practices firsthand, with site visits to state-of-the-art reindeer processing plants. The visit was hallmarked by a tour at Kometos of their new meat processing facility currently under construction in Finland.
“They (the Sami reindeer herders) are more active in commercial reindeer husbandry than we are. Interacting with them gave us a better understanding of the specifics and function of the slaughter and processing units,” stated herders Richmond Toolie, Freeman Kingeekuk and Michael Kralik.
In 2022 Savoonga Reindeer Commercial Company (SRCC) was awarded an EDA grant to construct a meat-processing facility. This was a long-sought after endeavor and many partners assisted the Native Village of Savoonga to put all the pieces together in the years leading up to this award, starting with the Native Village of Gambell who gave their support for the pursuit of this opportunity for the future of the jointly-owned herd.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus played an important role leading up to the development of the business plan by offering High Latitude Range Management (HLRM) courses within the Bering Strait region. When asked about their involvement, faculty Dr. Jackie Hrabok and staff Bonnie Suaŋa Scheele stated “Reindeer husbandry is one of the binding elements of our communities which shares knowledge worldwide among all Indigenous reindeer owners. We have a passion for supporting home grown Alaska Native food production.” UAF Reindeer Research Program faculty Dr. Greg Finstad and staff Erin Carr and Joshua Greenberg also played a critical role by initially developing a feasibility study, gathering data with the herders to not only apply for grants, but to determine if commercial sales were economically viable.
With a collaborative approach and a goal to establish food security on St. Lawrence Island, the Village of Savoonga created a business plan with assistance from Kawerak, UAF, and the Alaska Small Business Development Center (AKSBDC) that outlined the necessary steps SRCC could execute. With a strong business plan, Kawerak & SRCC with assistance from Bob Metcalf, applied for and were awarded an Economic Development Administration grant to construct a USDA approved food processing facility.
During the project’s development, the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC) identified an opportunity to share construction costs with SRCC by building a new halibut processing plant. By situating the plant next to the proposed reindeer processing facility, both organizations were able to reduce expenses and maximize funding, ensuring continued progress for both projects.
The community’s dedication to the project and ability to collaborate across local, regional, state and federal support, their vision is becoming a reality. Now the community and SRCC are determined to learn as much as they can to ensure the project’s long-term impact. That drive led them to their visit to Finland, a location where commercial reindeer meat production serves as a model for innovation and growth.
“The opportunity to interact and visit with the commercial reindeer industry in Finland opened the opportunity for herders to gain ideas on how they process reindeer meat, what by products they could potentially utilize and sell, and gain useful tips on running their operation.” stated Kawerak’s Business Planning Specialist Alice Bioff.
The pursuit of a commercial industry for Savoonga is a part of the community’s proactive approach to address food security. “Reindeer have, for a long time, been a big part of Savoonga’s livelihood,” said Savoonga’s Tribal Council President Bengamin Pungowiyi. “This (business venture) is for the youth of St Lawrence Island. They will be the ones running it in the coming years. With the rising challenges due to climate change, we all need to adapt and prepare for the future. This is one step we can take now.”
The St. Lawrence Island herd has been a vital food security source for the residents since 1900. With the coming meat processing plant in the next year, Savoonga will be able to utilize reindeer as a viable economic resource through the sale of USDA Certified meat. With grant funding, Kawerak has retained Coffman Engineers to provide project management, design and engineering, with TBI Construction to complete the assembly of the plant upon its arrival to Savoonga.
