Boreal Heartland Herbal Products is an Indigenous-owned business creating natural herbal products with responsibly wild-harvested ingredients from the boreal forest. Founded in 2017 by Randy Johns, Boreal Heartland is based in Air Ronge, Saskatchewan. They operate on Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 territories, on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Woodlands Cree, Métis, Plains Cree, Dene and Saulteaux peoples. At its heart, the business reflects a deep relationship with the land, a commitment to sustainability, and believes that northern knowledge and northern plants deserve to be better known and valued.
Rooted in the Boreal Forest
For Boreal Heartland, the boreal forest is more than scenery. It is a living system that has supported people, plants, wildlife, and cultural knowledge for generations. The company works with this environment carefully, harvesting plant ingredients in ways that respect seasonal rhythms, ecological balance, and the long-term health of the forest. That care is part of what makes Boreal Heartland’s Indigenous herbal tea and herbal products feel so grounded in place.
By wild harvesting responsibly and producing in northern Saskatchewan, Boreal Heartland keeps a strong connection to the land while sharing the flavours and value of the boreal forest with a wider audience. Their work helps show that this region is far more than a place people pass through or reduce to resource extraction. It is abundant, knowledgeable, and deeply alive.
Why Boreal Heartland Was Started
Boreal Heartland started with three ambitious goals: creating sustainable income opportunities in Northern Saskatchewan, showcasing the abundance and intrinsic value of boreal forest flora on a broader scale, and making sure every part of the business supports environmental and social sustainability. The business is an initiative of Keewatin Community Development Association, a longstanding northern non-profit focused on career, education, business, and economic development in the region.
Those goals still come through in the business today. Boreal Heartland’s work supports a “northern lifestyle” that values flexibility, land stewardship, and outdoor knowledge, while also helping more people discover the richness of boreal plants through products such as Indigenous herbal tea, seasonings, mushrooms, and bulk herbs.
Indigenous Knowledge at the Core
Indigenous culture has a foundational influence on Boreal Heartland Herbal Products. Traditional knowledge and a worldview that sees the forest not as something to exploit, but as something to respect and care for, guide their harvesting practices. That perspective shapes how much they harvest, when they harvest, and how the business approaches sustainability over time.
It also shapes Boreal Heartland’s relationship with community. The business works with harvesters across the north and provides training each spring in GACP standards for foraged products. Harvesters work in their own time and are paid by weight, creating flexible opportunities that can fit many different lives — from families harvesting together to youth earning their first paycheque. According to Boreal Heartland, about 90% of harvesters are Indigenous, and many harvest on family traplines or traditional territories they know well.
Navigating Environmental Challenges
Like many businesses that rely on healthy ecosystems, Boreal Heartland has also had to adapt to environmental challenges. One of the most significant came during the 2025 wildfire season, when fires surrounded the Air Ronge community and made it difficult and unsafe to access harvesting areas. Because the business depends on responsibly wild-harvested plants, the fires directly affected ingredient availability and reduced harvest yields for the year.
Even in that challenge, Boreal Heartland stayed focused on long-term sustainability. Production had to be adjusted, inventory had to be managed carefully, and the business chose to protect the future health of the forest rather than push for short-term output. That response says a great deal about the values behind the company and the care that goes into every Indigenous herbal tea blend and product they offer.
Building an Indigenous-Owned Herbal Business
Since launching in 2017, Boreal Heartland Herbal Products has grown into a business with a team of approximately 10 to 15 employees. Operating both online and in store, the company makes its products accessible to people looking for natural herbal products rooted in the boreal landscape. Their website features herbal tea variety packs, dried mushrooms, spruce tips, wild mint, wild rice powder, rosehip powder, seasonings, and more.
Its four flagship teas blend herbs that Indigenous people traditionally consumed for their flavour and healthfulness, while other products bring boreal ingredients into kitchens, health food stores, breweries, distilleries, and seasonal food experiences. It is a thoughtful way of sharing northern plants with modern customers without losing the deeper relationship to place that makes them meaningful.
How to Support Boreal Heartland Herbal Products
Supporting Indigenous-owned businesses like Boreal Heartland is one meaningful way to support stronger communities, sustainable local economies, and the continuation of land-based knowledge. Boreal Heartland’s work brings together Indigenous knowledge, ethical harvesting, and practical northern economic development in a way that feels both rooted and forward-looking.
If you would like to learn more, you can visit Boreal Heartland online, explore their Indigenous herbal tea and other boreal products, or follow their work online at:
At Shop First Nations, we are proud to support Indigenous entrepreneurs like Randy Johns and the team behind Boreal Heartland Herbal Products. Their work reflects deep respect for the land, a commitment to sustainability, and a meaningful way of sharing the value of boreal plants with a wider audience.
