When we started talking about opening a fish business in 2018, we had no way of knowing what a journey it would be. We had a faint idea that farmers market customers might appreciate having access to top-quality Alaskan seafood, but we really had no idea what to expect. After a lot of consideration and prayer we ordered 350LB of salmon from our friends in Pelican. We figured that if we couldn't sell the fish it wouldn't be a total loss, at least we'd have a couple years worth of food in the freezers to eat at home. Pictured below is our very first fish shipment loaded up in the back of our minivan.

In our wildest dreams of 2018 we couldn't have imagined that in less than five years we'd grow from one Saturday farmers market to as many as nine markets weekly, serving hundreds of customers from the Austin area to San Antonio, Houston, Rockwall, and more. We had no idea there were so many seafood connoisseurs in this area who appreciate premium wild-caught Alaskan seafood!

We went from working full time jobs with a seafood side hustle the summer of 2018 to cutting the cord and being full time fish mongers by the fall of 2021. Had we known five years ago that working for ourselves would mean working much harder and many more hours than we ever worked before, we may not have taken the leap. Looking back, we wouldn't have it any other way.

As our five year business anniversary approached, we thought a lot about how we wanted to mark the occasion. For our first year we had a local baker make salmon shaped cookies which we handed out to customers. To celebrate our 2nd year in business, we had custom handcrafted ceramic coffee mugs made by local ceramics artist, Michelle East.

For our fifth year we wanted to do something more substantial. But what? We had plenty of ideas but couldn't seem to settle on anything. Then a couple weeks ago it hit us.

After a particularly busy week we took time out to go to dinner and a movie: a rare treat these days. We went to see The Sound of Freedom which tells the story of Tim Ballard, a former federal agent who rescues children from human traffickers in Columbia. At the end of the film we sat in stunned silence as the credits rolled by, both wondering what part we could play in the effort to combat human trafficking.

Human trafficking in general, and child sex trafficking specifically, are not new problems coming to light for the first time due to The Sound of Freedom. These are heinous crimes against humanity that have been happening for all of recorded human history. The film merely tells one part of the larger story in a way that humanizes the victims as individuals suffering great tragedy and in need of rescue and restoration. The film brings to the forefront something that lurks darkly in the background, far from the daily thoughts of most people.

We all know it's there. We read news clippings and see brief segments on the nightly news touching on various aspects of this issue. Yet for most the full truth is too much to contemplate. It's too raw to keep in the forefront. It's too embarrassing that in our modern age we still haven't stamped out human slavery and the forced sexual exploitation of minors. The thought is too heavy a burden to dwell on so we push it to the background. After all, we tell ourselves, this is an issue for law enforcement. This is a job for the professionals, so let them handle it. Right?

The thing about knowledge is, once you know, you know. You can't unknow. Especially when the knowing is of a great evil. This is what The Sound of Freedom does. It puts the issue front and center. It brings the hidden horror to our doorstep and demands an answer. What will we do now that we know?

As we left the theater that night, we spent a lot of time processing what we'd seen. It wasn't exactly a documentary but it wasn't entertainment either. It was something else entirely. After a while we realized that at its core the film was a call to action. That's when we realized that for our five year anniversary we wanted to do something to help address the issue of sexual exploitation of children. To that end, we are dedicating 10% of our August sales to a charitable organization that is working directly to help prevent child sexual exploitation and to provide services to help foster hope, healing, and restoration for victims.

There are many organizations doing incredible work along all fronts: prevention, rescue, and recovery. We chose to contribute to Unbound Now which is based in Waco, Texas. We chose this organization in part because they are based in Texas and work to address the issue right here at home as well as abroad. More importantly Unbound Now is a well respected organization with more than a decade of experience in this area.

Since the organization’s founding eleven years ago, survivor advocates “have had the honor of serving over 2,100 survivors of human trafficking. Behind this number we celebrate, is over 2,100 stories of freedom from bondage, beauty from ashes, and hope for tomorrow.”

We are thrilled to join Unbound Now in our own small way by contributing 10% of our August sales revenue to support their life changing programs. We can't think of a better way to celebrate five years of salmon slinging, and to thank you for keeping us going!

By the way, you don’t have to purchase our products to support Unbound Now. You can donate to them directly online here. Whether you choose to contribute to this organization or not, we encourage everyone to find a way to contribute to ending human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children.

Thank you for loving our products as much as we do and showing up each week to make this 5-year anniversary a reality. We look forward to continuing for many more years! See you at the market.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you,

Nathanael & Sarah

It's Our Anniversary: Celebrating 5 Years of Savory Alaska!