It’s time to say goodbye to 2021 and make plans and set new goals for 2022! But first, we wanted to recap our year. We’ve accomplished quite a bit, and we couldn’t have done it without our loyal customers, vendors and partners!
Below, we’ve highlighted some of our biggest accomplishments that are worth celebrating. We wish you all the best in 2022!
Attended the Reservation Economic Summit, the first conference since the pandemic!
We attended RES 2021 last March at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Two SweetGrass employees attended and networked with hundreds of Tribal members representing businesses and Tribes across the United States and Canada. This was the first conference we attended since the COVID-19 pandemic and it was great to meet in person again.
Traveled to two additional exciting conferences
We also attended two other Native conferences as exhibitors. In October, we attended the 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference sponsored by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA). The conference was held at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
In addition, SweetGrass was represented at the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) 2021 annual conference at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Last year’s conference was held virtually due to the pandemic. The IAC was founded in 1987 to promote the conservation, development and use of agricultural resources for the betterment of Native people.
Welcomed six new vendors
SweetGrass onboarded five new vendors this year to expand our offerings of Native American food, gift and wellness products. These included Magic Star Sage sage bundles, Apple Canyon Gourmet salsa, Bow and Arrow blue cornmeal, Nemi Snacks, Nizhoni Soap Company wax cube melts, and Quinault Pride Seafood canned salmon products.
Donated to great causes
We are passionate about giving back to the local Winnebago community and the Native community as a whole. We had the opportunity to donate to some wonderful causes this year, including gifts for a panel of boarding school survivors and descendants, graduating Winnebago seniors and The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) 40 under 40 Award recipients.
In addition, we awarded a $1,250 Ho-Chunk Trading Group scholarship to Sharon Bassette of Winnebago.
Had a record-breaking Holiday season
Our team worked extra hard this year to fulfill all your Holiday orders. We more than doubled our orders from last Holiday season with the hard work and help from our operations, warehouse, and marketing teams.
What’s next?
Keep an eye out for some exciting new partnerships and product launches this year. We will be attending multiple conferences and workshops and working to provide our customers with the best shopping experience and providing a larger selection of Native-made products.