Upstater

Enjoy this second installment of goods from our Upstate maker friends and partners. Another great way to “shop local” if not in person, then in spirit.

Black Creek Mercantile

Joshua Vogel created Blackcreek Mercantile Trading Co. as a way to explore small scale product design and manufacturing, and to reconnect himself with the practice and idea of handmade goods. All of BCM’s products are made by people in the Kingston, NY studio. The goal of BCM’s work is to create enduring, beautiful, and functional objects that you will love to use.

Thornwillow Press

Founded 30 years ago by Luke Ives Pontifell when he was still at Harvard, Thornwillow Press is committed to the related arts and crafts of the written word. As printers and publishers of handmade, limited edition books, custom book binders and makers of fine, engraved stationery, Thornwillow has consolidated its workshops in a complex of 19th Century brick factory buildings in Newburgh, NY. Their impeccable taste and quality has earned them the role of bespoke stationer to New York’s St. Regis Hotel.

Hudson Made

A product’s story is what rescues it from the assembly line and breathes life into it. It gives the product room to be itself, to be original, and not be stifled by standardization. Hudson Made reinvigorates the marketplace with unique items made in the Hudson Valley. Their philosophy is a proposition of a return to the roots of America, a time when craftsmanship and quality were valued above machinery and quantity. Quality means knowing a product’s story, which means knowing the artisan or farmer who crafted it, knowing from where the product came and how far it traveled, and knowing what makes this product unique and how it can enhance your life.

Tree Juice Maple Syrup

Lazy Crazy Acres Farm is nestled in the Drybrook Valley of the Catskills. The Fairbairn family have owned and operated this 100+ acre farm since the 1930’s. Jake Fairbairn and Ryan Annetts resurrected the family’s sugar shack and began making Maple Syrup.

Over 1600 sugar maple trees are tapped. Miles of sap-lines gravity feed the sap to storage tanks. A wood fired evaporator then turns the sap into Tree Juice Maple Syrup.

Tree Juice takes it’s syrup and fills used oak bourbon barrels from Tuthillton Distillery in Gardiner, NY. After 8 months of aging, the result is a rich tasting maple syrup with a hint of smoky oak bourbon.

Materia Designs

Materia Designs strives to blur the lines between art, design, utility, work and life. Drawing from their combined backgrounds in choreography, fashion, landscape design and woodworking, owners Megan Sommerville and Matt Ensner have developed an intuitive and responsive visual language which informs their collections of furniture, lighting, accessories and a growing portfolio of residential and commercial interiors projects. Materia derives inspiration from the strong community of Hudson Valley artisans whom they collaborate with, as well as the expansive rural landscape.

Hetta Glögg

Glögg, the Nordic term for mulled wine, may not have much association with the Hudson Valley, but Hetta Glögg is a recently launched bottled version produced in small batches in Rhinecliff, NY. Traditionally offered during the holidays and cold-weather months in the Nordic countries, the usually heated, aromatic glögg is served as a festive, warming beverage for arriving guests. So we think it also pairs quite nicely with the Upstate climate.

Hetta’s base wine is a tawny port, custom produced by Swedish Hill Winery in the Finger Lakes. In the small Rhinecliff workspace, they macerate orange peels, cinnamon sticks, ground cardamom and raisins in a 275 gallon batch of the port for 10 days at room temperature.

The mulled liquid is then combined with some fresh port and a dose of three-year-old brandy from Clear Creek (Oregon). The mixture is heated to 180 degrees and bottled—hot—four bottles at a time. Heat it before serving to experience the aromas and the Nordic cheer.

Hawkins NY

A curated lifestyle brand, fusing innovation, quality, and aesthetics, Hawkins NY designs an exclusive line of products with careful consideration of their producers around the world. They carefully pair products to manufacturers and encourage handmade production by artisanal collectives. Additionally, they collaborate with local designers to help facilitate getting those designs to market and adding a bespoke layer to the overall collection.

Fruition Chocolate

Fruition is a small batch bean-to-bar chocolate workshop located at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. With meticulous attention to detail, they slowly roast and stone grind carefully selected cocoa beans (fair trade and organic of course) to accentuate their inherent flavor.

Founder Bryan Graham graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and completed an externship at Jacques Torres Chocolates in NYC. An interest in the history of confectionery was sparked, and ever since, he has educated himself on the science, technique, and craft of handmade chocolate.

Hudson Valley Seed Library

The majority of these heirloom seeds are produced on their own three acre farm in Accord; the rest are sourced from other local farmers. Online, you can access over 400 varieties of vegetable, flower or herb seeds. The farm also includes several trial gardens for traditional method breeding experiments. A mission driven business, they use only organic growing methods, and are especially committed to preserving local varieties known as “natives”. The HVSL has signed the Safe Seed Pledge and adheres to Vandana Shiva’s Declaration of Seed Freedom. Their “Art Packs” designs are selected at an annual artists competition.

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