I traveled to Wasilla, Alaska to meet Josh and Samantha Weisen, the founders of Alaska Food Company. They’re tackling a serious problem that many people don’t know about. Alaska brings in $3 billion worth of food from outside the state each year, and most of it comes from Seattle and California. The state only has about three days worth of food supply at any time. If shipping gets delayed by bad weather, worker strikes, or natural disasters, stores run out fast.
Josh and Samantha started their company after a 2018 earthquake showed how quickly the food system can break down. Their solution is to freeze dry local Alaska food products so they last longer and weigh less. They’ve created meals that taste so good people were shocked to learn they were freeze dried. Their products help local farmers, keep food dollars in Alaska, and give families quick meal options that are just as nutritious as fresh food.
Key Takeaways
- Alaska imports $3 billion in food annually and only has a three-day supply on hand at any time
- Freeze drying removes 80% of food weight while keeping 98% of nutrition, making it easier to store and transport
- Local freeze dried meals provide year-round access to seasonal foods and support Alaska farmers
About Alaska Food Company
Josh and Samantha Weisen: The People Behind It All
Josh and Samantha Weisen own and run Alaska Food Company. They came up with the idea after noticing a big problem in their state.
They have five kids and both work full-time jobs. Between soccer, violin, and board meetings, finding time to feed their family became a real challenge.
The Purpose and Beliefs of the Business
Alaska brings in $3 billion worth of food from the lower 48 states. Josh and Samantha wanted to keep some of that money in Alaska by supporting local farmers and ensuring food security.
In 2018, an earthquake hit Alaska and things shut down for a while. Most of Alaska’s food comes from Seattle and California. If the supply chain breaks down, the state only has about 3 days worth of food.
The main risks include:
- Longshoremen strikes
- Barge shutdowns
- Natural disasters
Rural areas get hit the hardest. During the 2018 earthquake, even the school district had trouble feeding kids and getting food where it needed to go.
They saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the food production cycle. Alaska has a lot of farmland that isn’t being used fully. A lot of food goes to waste.
Their plan involves freeze drying local food to solve this problem. Freeze drying keeps 98% of nutrition and removes 80% of the weight. This makes food easier to store and transport, especially to villages.
They want to build small containers with freeze dryers for schools. Each school would have freeze-dried food ready to use when needed. This gives schools access to scratch cooking ingredients all year, not just during harvest season.
They worked with a professional chef to create 30 meals. At their first taste testing event, they didn’t tell people the food was freeze-dried at first. People scored the meals and gave feedback. When they found out it was freeze-dried, they said it was some of the best food they’d had in Alaska.
The food works for everyday life, not just emergencies. A parent can make a meal in 10 minutes between activities. Restaurant owners can keep ingredients on hand without worrying about them going bad.
Fresh produce only grows during certain times of the year. Prices go way up when food is out of season. By freeze drying food during harvest time, people can eat local produce year-round at better prices.
Food Supply Problems in Alaska
Dependence on Outside Food Sources
Alaska brings in $3 billion worth of food from the lower 48 states. Most of this food comes from Seattle and California.
The state only keeps about 3 days worth of food on hand. If a shipment gets missed or a barge stops running, we run out of food fast.
Our logistics depend on long shoremen who might go on strike. When that happens, we lose access to food. This creates a serious problem for everyone living here.
Key Facts:
- $3 billion in imported food annually
- 3-day food supply on hand
- Main sources: Seattle and California
Effects of Natural Disasters
In 2018, we had an earthquake that shut things down for a while. It showed us how unstable our food system really is.
The school district had major problems feeding kids and getting food distributed during that time. It was a nightmare trying to get food to people who needed it.
When natural disasters hit, we can’t rely on our normal supply chains. The whole system breaks down quickly because everything comes from so far away.
Limited Food Access in Remote Areas
Rural communities face the biggest challenges. These areas need food flown in to them.
When supply chains break down, rural areas run completely out of food. They don’t have backup options like larger cities might have.
Remote villages depend entirely on outside food delivery. A single missed shipment can leave entire communities without food. Each person needs to be food secure on their own because the system can’t support them during emergencies.
Food security issues hit hardest in:
- Small villages
- Remote communities
- Areas without road access
Creative Approaches to Freeze Drying
Building Food Independence in Alaska
Alaska brings in $3 billion of food from the lower 48 states every year. I wanted to capture some of those funds locally so we could support local farmers and keep money in the state while ensuring food security.
The 2018 earthquake made us notice this problem. Things shut down for a while. Our logistics come from Seattle and California, mainly Seattle. If we rely on longshoremen who might go on strike, then we’re out of food.
The state has roughly 3 days worth of food. If we miss a shipment or a barge shuts down or there’s a natural disaster, we’re about 3 days out. Then it’s reliant on everybody independently to be food secure.
When those 3 days are out, they’re out, especially in the rural areas. All the rural areas need food flown to them. Even the school district had trouble during the 2018 earthquake feeding their kids and distributing it.
We saw a need. There was a hole in the food production cycle here in the state. A lot of farmland is not being used to its capacity. There’s a lot of food being wasted.
We saw an economic opportunity to join in the cycle that’s already there and add value to solve a real problem that affects everyone. Before the food gets distributed, we would just process it, freeze dry it, add that shelf life to it, and now it’s easier to distribute, especially to the villages.
Compact Container Units for Educational Facilities
We came up with a plan of building small conex units for schools. We would freeze dry food and place them on each school site so they can offload it as needed. The food would be ready and staged in an appropriate place so it’s rapidly deployable.
This gives schools that scratch cooking option year round. The rural areas especially benefit from this system because they can access quality food without waiting for shipments.
Working with Regional Agriculture Producers
We want to support the farmers here and give them an outlet for their products. The seasonality of food prices varies based on when the harvest is. Right now in the lower 48, blueberries are prime time. But you check those prices out from October through February and they’re sky high.
We’re capitalizing on the food access that’s available at certain times in the year. If you’ve ever been overseas, you eat strawberries when they’re in season and then you move on to other produce. Here you could eat it year round.
We worked with a professional chef and developed 30 meals. We had them taste tested and evaluated. We held taste testing events to get feedback.
At the first taste testing event, we didn’t tell everybody it was freeze-dried food. We just had them sit down, talked about what we were doing, and had them score it. Then we let them know this was all reconstituted and cooked prior and we just heated it up.
Their response:
- Not only was this the best freeze-dried food
- This is some of the best food we’ve had in Alaska
- This is gourmet quality
- You’ll eat this on a Tuesday at home
- You don’t need to be in the wild or have an emergency
Freeze drying keeps 98% of nutrition value. You lose 80% of the weight. If I’m a parent on the go with five kids, going from two full-time jobs to soccer to violin to a board meeting, I can make a meal in 10 minutes.
Creating Our Menu and Testing Flavors
Working with Expert Culinary Professionals
We brought in a professional chef to help us design our menu. Together, we worked through about 30 different meal options. This wasn’t just about making freeze-dried food. We wanted to create dishes that people would actually want to eat on any regular day.
The chef helped us make sure every meal met high standards. We focused on flavors that would hold up well through the freeze-drying process. Each recipe was carefully developed to taste great after being reconstituted.
Gathering Input from Our Local Community
We held multiple tasting events to get real feedback from people. At our first event, we did something interesting. We didn’t tell anyone the food was freeze-dried at first.
Here’s what we did:
- Served the meals to attendees
- Had them score and evaluate each dish
- Only then revealed the food was freeze-dried
The response surprised us. People didn’t just say it was good for freeze-dried food. They said it was some of the best food they’d eaten in Alaska. The feedback showed us we were creating something special.
Meeting Premium Food Requirements
Our goal was to make gourmet-quality meals, not just emergency food. We wanted products people would choose to eat on a regular Tuesday night at home. You shouldn’t need to be camping or in an emergency to enjoy these meals.
The freeze-drying process helps us maintain quality. It keeps 98% of the nutrition while removing 80% of the weight. Our five kids keep us busy with soccer, violin, and other activities. We needed meals that work for busy families going from work to sports to meetings.
Key Benefits:
- Ready to eat in 10 minutes
- Full nutrition preserved
- Easy to transport
- Works for everyday meals
We also thought about restaurant owners who might run out of ingredients like potatoes for seafood chowder. Our products solve real problems for different types of customers.
Why Freeze-Dried Food Works
Keeps Nutrients Intact
Freeze drying keeps 98% of nutrition value in food. This means you get almost all the vitamins and minerals that fresh food has.
I found that many people don’t realize how much nutrition stays in the food after freeze drying. The process locks in nutrients instead of destroying them like other preservation methods do.
Lighter and Lasts Longer
Freeze-dried food loses 80% of its weight. This makes it much easier to carry and ship.
The shelf life also gets much longer. Food that would normally spoil in days or weeks can now last for years. This helps solve problems with seasonality too.
Key Benefits:
- 80% weight reduction
- Extended shelf life
- Year-round access to seasonal foods
- Lower shipping costs
For example, blueberries cost a lot from October through February when they’re out of season. With freeze drying, you can process them during harvest time and have them available all year at a better price.
Works for Busy Parents and Food Businesses
I have five kids. Going from two full-time jobs to soccer to violin to board meetings means there’s barely time to eat. Freeze-dried meals solve this problem.
You can make a full meal in 10 minutes. These aren’t just emergency foods either. The meals I developed with a professional chef got amazing feedback. People said it was some of the best food they’d had, not just the best freeze-dried food.
For Restaurants:
- No waste from spoilage
- Always have ingredients in stock
- Reduce storage space needs
- Control food costs better
A restaurant owner who runs out of potatoes doesn’t have to wait for a shipment. They can keep freeze-dried potatoes on hand that weigh 80% less and take up less space.
Getting Food All Year Long
Making the Most of Harvest Times
Alaska has a short growing season. Farmers can only harvest fresh produce during specific months of the year.
We found that freeze drying lets us capture food when it’s ready to pick. During harvest season, we can process large amounts of fruits and vegetables. This means we don’t waste the food that farmers grow.
The process works like this:
- We get fresh food during peak harvest
- We freeze dry it right away
- We store it for use throughout the year
- We can distribute it anytime, not just during growing season
Freeze dried food keeps 98% of its nutrients. It also weighs 80% less than fresh food. This makes it easy to ship to remote villages and communities.
Right now in the lower 48, certain foods are at their peak. But in a few months, those same items will cost way more. We take advantage of when food is abundant and affordable.
Keeping Prices Steady and Food Available
Food prices in Alaska change a lot based on the season. Blueberries might be affordable in summer, but from October through February, the cost goes way up.
I noticed this problem affects everyone here. When fresh produce isn’t in season, people either pay high prices or go without.
Freeze drying solves this issue. We can offer the same products year round at stable prices. A family doesn’t have to wait for strawberry season to enjoy strawberries.
Benefits of year-round access:
- Families eat nutritious food no matter the month
- Restaurants can keep menu items available all year
- Schools can serve fresh meals even in winter
- Prices stay more predictable
In other countries, people eat strawberries only when they’re in season. Then they move on to whatever comes next. Here in Alaska, we can make it possible to eat any food throughout the year.
This approach helps local farmers too. They know we’ll buy their harvest and preserve it. The money stays in Alaska instead of going to the lower 48.
What You Can Do and Where to Learn More
I want you to join the freeze-dried network if you’re interested in this industry at all. It’s a group of people who want to grow the field through learning, resources, and helping each other out.
This network is perfect whether you’re just learning about freeze drying, thinking about starting a business, or exploring it as a hobby. You can connect with others who share your interests and get support along the way.
Check out the video description to find links to:
- Other videos in this series
- The freeze-dried network
- More information about what we’re doing
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The freeze-dried network gives you access to people who understand the challenges and opportunities in this space. It’s about building a community that supports growth and shares knowledge freely.