About

Rooted in Alaska Since 1990

Kahiltna Birchworks began in 1990 when Michael East and Dulce Ben-East tapped 200 birch trees at their remote homestead in Alaska’s Susitna Valley.

Their first batch was made in a small wood-fired pan on the front porch. It was dark, strong and, as they later admitted, probably a little burnt. But they knew they had discovered something special.

Over the next three decades, Michael and Dulce helped pioneer the craft of birch syrup production in Alaska. They refined the process, developed new collection methods, and grew Kahiltna Birchworks from a homestead experiment into one of the world’s preeminent birch syrup producers.

Along the way, they built a family, a business, and a life rooted in the Alaska boreal forest.

Sign for Kahlitna Birchworks Birch Syrup, Taste Tour Shop, and Ice Cream on a wooden post with trees and road in the background.

Carrying the Tradition Forward

In 2023, Hammers Family Birch took the helm of Kahiltna Birchworks.

For us, taking ownership of Kahiltna Birchworks meant more than acquiring a business. We inherited more than 30 years of knowledge, experimentation, relationships, and hard-earned experience.

Our goal is to honor what Michael and Dulce built while carrying it forward for the next generation.

Today, we are expanding our birch harvest, investing in more efficient production, developing new products from Alaska birch, and introducing this remarkable ingredient to more chefs, retailers, and customers across Alaska and beyond.

But the foundation remains the same: the trees, the forest, and a few short weeks each spring when the sap begins to run.

Three men standing outdoors in front of bare trees, with a sign reading 'Hammers Family Birch' behind them. The men are wearing winter jackets and caps, and one man has his arm around the others.

A Harvest That Happens Once a Year

Every bottle begins in the boreal forests around Talkeetna. As winter gives way to spring, our crew heads in for a harvest that lasts only a few weeks.

Fresh sap runs almost clear and carries roughly 1% sugar, so it takes at least 110 gallons to make a single gallon, part of what makes birch one of the rarest tree syrups in the world.

Its flavor shifts as the season moves: lighter and floral early on, then darker and richer, developing toffee, molasses, and umami. Rather than blend the harvest together, we bottle each stage separately as Reserve, Early, Mid, and Late Run, so every bottle captures a different moment in the Alaska spring.
A collection of artisanal beverages and packaged snacks from Kahiltna Birchworks and Hammers Family Birch arranged on the forest floor between two birch trees. The assortment includes bottles and bags of drinks and sweets with colorful labels, set in a mossy, outdoor woodland environment.

From Birch Syrup to Something Bigger

Pure birch syrup will always be at the heart of Kahiltna Birchworks, but it is only one expression of what comes from the birch tree.

Today, we use our syrup in Alaska birch cream caramels, brittle, and other specialty foods. Through HFBirch, we are also exploring entirely new ways to use Alaska birch sap, including Birch Brew, our fermented birch sap beverage.

We believe Alaska birch has the potential to become one of the defining flavors of the North. Our job is to preserve the knowledge that brought us here while continuing to ask what else this remarkable tree can become.

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Visit the Source

If your travels bring you to Talkeetna, come see where it all happens.

Visit Kahiltna Birchworks to taste the different stages of the harvest, learn how birch sap becomes syrup, explore our Alaska-made products, and experience the story of birch firsthand.

Visit Kahiltna Birchworks