About Us
Customer service is very important to us at The Great Alaskan Bowl Company. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. Additionally, if you would like more information about custom work, bulk orders, or using our products in your employee incentive or customer gift programs, please do not hesitate to call!
Creating the Perfect Bowl
Back in the 1800s, the demand for large, wooden bowls for making bread and mixing and serving food kept many bowl mills in operation. However, since then the wide-scale demand for these types of bowls has diminished, only a few mills in the America are left. The Great Alaskan Bowl Company is proudly one of those remaining mills, And since 1991 has continued manufactures solid, one piece Alaskan birch bowls, using equipment designed from the machinery that was developed over 100 years ago.
Hand Made Quality
After the bowls have been cut, they are sorted and stacked on carts for drying. The kiln-drying process takes four to six days to complete and is the most critical step in the production process. Our progressive kiln monitors both the heat and moisture content and the bowls are removed when the moisture content reaches 6% - 10%. Because of our unique drying process, we have less than 3% loss.
Each bowl is then individually sanded and branded. The bowls are then dipped and coated with a food-safe block oil blend of seed oil, carotene, vitamin E, and lemon oil that penetrates, conditions, and seals the wood. This produces an all-natural finish ready for popcorn, salad, fruit, and many other foods. If you are coming to Fairbanks, visit our showroom and see our bowl-making process in person! (Call ahead if you want to make sure we are actively cutting that day!)
Sustainability
The Great Alaskan Bowl Company prides itself on being a low to zero waste manufacturing facility, using up or giving away all parts of our byproducts from sawdust to firewood. The bowls themselves are made for generations of use and are biodegradable. Additional focus is put-on long-term use when choosing sustainable products for our store, limiting overseas purchases, and focusing on products that will last. In December of 2021, we entered a small business partnership with the National Forest Foundation, pledging to plant one tree for every bowl sold. In our first year of this partnership, we plan to donate enough to plant more than 10,000 trees in areas desperate for reforestation.