our roots

I started crafting my own drinking vinegars many years ago to combat a lifetime of indigestion and heartburn. I discovered BRAGG’S Apple Cider Vinegar, but despite it soothing my digestive issues, I couldn’t stomach the flavor and acidic intensity. I love gardening, cooking, and experimenting in the kitchen, so new and different flavor combinations of fruits, herbs, and spices mixed with ACV (apple cider vinegar) were the perfect inventive way to get my daily dose. For me, it was the answer to clearing up years of digestive issues and assisting in losing 80 lbs within 18 months.

Moving to 10 acres on Sauvie Island, Oregon, I found myself in the heart of the largest farming and agricultural area in Multnomah County. I set to work growing a variety of fruit, vegetables, and herbs in my straw bale garden, tending to a small home orchard, and foraging on the Island. Anything I can’t grow or forage, I source from surrounding neighbors and farms, a community spirit that has led me to found the first-ever Sauvie Island Farmers Market. All just 10 miles west of downtown Portland. Having established a network of local farmers, growers, and makers, I spotted the perfect opportunity for a farmers market and created my ideal Marketplace.

In the Summer of 2019, Sauvie Shrubs was born after having developed a range of fermented whole fruit drinking vinegar concentrates, Bitters, Fire Cider, and health elixirs. In 2020 I added a zero-waste line of sundries to create food products such as Shrub Jam, Shrub Fruit Leather, and Fire Cider Seasoning Salt which all reuse the leftover mash of the Shrubs and Fire Cider. Everything is seasonal, small-batch, and hand-made with love.

Sauvie Island is a magical place and inspired the Shrubs Sandhill Crane logo. Of the 450 species of bird who call the island home, my favorite is the Sandhill Crane. An ancient species, the crane was of special significance to the Chinook tribe, the first inhabitants of Wapato Island (the Native American name later to become Sauvie). A symbol of luck and a good omen, the crane is part of the dances of many Native tribes. The logo draws on this heritage, continuing the link between the first people of Oregon, the land, and this noble bird.