In July, the Uchucklesaht nation will be celebrating their first year offering their luxury artesian spring water, as well as celebrating a gold medal award.
“It definitely puts us on the map,” says Scott Coulson, the Chief Operating Officer at the Uchucklesaht Tribe Government office.
On April 23rd, the Thunderbird Spirit Water participated in the 2019 FineWaters International Water Tasting Competition & Design Awards in Stockholm, Sweden, and won a first-place gold medal in the Super Low TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) Category.
“We were shocked,” said Coulson. “(We) competed against the best in the world, and won a gold medal.”
Thunderbird Spirit Water comes from the traditional Uchucklesaht territory, tapped from Hucuktlis (Henderson) Lake. Northwest of the lake, under the mountain T’iitsk’in Paawats (Thunderbird Nest), there is a natural spring that feeds this fish-bearing lake. The Uchucklesaht Tribe Government is constantly monitoring the water flow, making sure that they only take what is needed so as not to disrupt the fish.
A portion of the Thunderbird Spirit Water sales go towards helping provide fresh water to communities across Canada.
Within the next year, Coulson says the UTG plans on opening up a water plant in Port Alberni to create more jobs locally, as well as increasing distribution in countries such as the United States, India, and throughout Asia.
Coulson and the UTG are also working on getting their Thunderbird Spirit Water sold in local shops around Port Alberni, as well as in Vancouver.
For now, Thunderbird Spirit Water can be found online on either their Facebook page, or at www.thunderbirdspiritwater.com, or at the Uchucklesaht Tribe Government office at the bottom of Argyle Street in Port Alberni.
