When Dulce and Michael East started Kahiltna Birchworks—their birch syrup business—30 years ago, they had no syrup making experience, just a desire to live on their homestead in the Alaskan wilderness and make a living off the land. Surrounded by birch trees in Alaska's boreal forest, it made sense to tap into this abundant resource. It was a steep learning curve, but the Easts have successfully pioneered the birch syrup industry in Alaska and beyond and are currently the world's largest birch syrup producer.
