Small Business Spotlight: Seven Chaga
NEW FEATURE!
〰️
NEW FEATURE! 〰️
Introducing our brand new feature, SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT interviews!
In this series, we’ll shine the spotlight on some of Scotland’s most talented small businesses—our makers, creators, nurturers, and explorers!
Through interviews, we’ll introduce you to the passionate individuals behind these local businesses, each dedicated to nature, slow, seasonal living, and traditional practices.
Join us as we celebrate their creativity, vision, and dedication to their work. I hope their stories will inspire and motivate you to reconnect with nature and forge your own path.
First, in this series, we have Seven Chaga, who has supported Slow Living Scotland constantly since we began in 2020. Co-founder Autumn recently designed all the artwork for our last event and has been a huge support for all things business and marketing-related! I felt it was only right that this wonderful family business kicked off this new feature!
Autumn & Jackson of Seven Chaga with their children.
Q. Who are you, and where are you from?
A. We are Autumn & Jackson from Seven Chaga! We currently live in Aberdeen, raising our three babies and their big brother, but originally, Autumn is from Shetland, and Jackson is a Rosemount loon!!
Q. Describe your business in 1 or 2 sentences.
A. We consciously forage the medicinal mushroom chaga here in Aberdeenshire, which we make into a wide range of products to support your health and well-being. We have traditional medicinal tinctures, various tea blends and an ever-growing range of products designed to support your skin.
Q. For those new to chaga, can you explain what chaga is and some of its health benefits?
A. Chaga is known as The King of Medicinal Mushrooms. It’s a known adaptogen and has so many potential healing benefits - it is highly antioxidant, helps ease inflammation in the body, regulates the immune system, is great for balancing hormones, boosts white blood cells, is incredible for gut health, decalcifies the pineal gland, is anti ageing and is so good for the skin too… it only grows in the colder northern climates on the silver birch. We are so lucky that it grows here in Scotland.
Q. What inspired you to start creating?
A. The seeds of our offering were planted during the first lockdowns in 2020, when we looked for natural ways to support our health and immune systems. Seven Chaga was birthed in 2021 when we attended our first market (a Slow Living event, actually!!) and has since grown organically alongside our family.
Some of the products Seven Chaga sell at local markets
Chaga skin mists
Q. What is involved in harvesting chaga?
A. We adhere to traditional Siberian foraging practices and only forage when it is cold enough that the birch is entirely dormant to ensure that the Chaga is at its optimum potency and full of the goodness of the birch too - the relationship between the Chaga and the birch is, in fact, a parasitic one, so conscious foraging done well can ensure the longevity of the birch forest and the continuation of Chaga in Scotland.
Q. Harvesting chaga is an age-long tradition here in Scotland and Scandinavia. Can you tell us a bit about the history of Chaga?
A. In all honesty, we haven’t come across too much in the way of Scottish historical documentation of the virtues of chaga, which is probably due to the fact that there were so many executions of wise women who worked magic with plants such as Chaga… there are reports of Chaga being used as a tea and also in smoke ritual amongst the First Nations of America, Canada, Russia and Siberia though.
Q. Is it possible for us to forage for Chaga ourselves, and if so, what do we need to know?
A. It absolutely is, but we would urge you to research how to sustainably forage chaga and understand its nature - for example, chaga is an air purifier, so you would not want to forage near roads - also, you only want to take chaga from living trees, not deadwood….. we have learned so much over the last few years and are still learning and discovering more about these fascinating fungi - our inbox is always open!!
Q. You'll be celebrating four years of Seven Chaga this year! What can we expect to see from you in 2025? Do you have any exciting plans you'd like to tell us about?
A. Four years, wow!!! Yes, absolutely. We are very keen to do more around the education of conscious foraging - workshops, talks and mini-tours into the forest….. we are also keen to explore in more depth the potential of using Chaga in ceremonies - after all, Chaga is probably one of our most powerful, native plant medicines here in Scotland! Watch this space….!!
Chaga chunks
A chaga conk growing on a silver birch tree
Now for a bit of fun!
Tell us your favourite…
Food?
Autumn: A good hearty oxtail stew or a fine fresh piece of fish and tatties
Jackson: Chilli with all the trimmings!
Season?
Autumn: Autumn (obvs!!)
Jackson: Spring
Thing about Scotland?
That you are never far away from a forest or the sea to connect back in with nature and ground.
Product you sell?
The current Chaga Fam obsession is the skin mists - for face, hair, lumps, bumps, spots, itches and anything else really….. head to toe!!!
Way to slow down?
A Kundalini chant or meditation
Tag 3 businesses you want to shout about:
Clem @wisewomanvillage for knowledge and understanding of holistic health, motherhood and heart-led business
Vanessa @the_juicing_co for passion, kindness and commitment to real, achievable good health
Nerissa @womban_kind, for keeping it real reminders and energy of the times readings!
Chaga face masks
Bottles of Seven Chaga’s Sacred Solfeggio Frequency Release Tincture
