Meet our Founding Father…

Founder

I’m the most elder of all the folks at Gobble Mountain Elderberry. While overseeing a sustainable eco-development project in the Berkshire Mountains in 2020 I spent the bulk of my days staring at Gobble Mountain in Chester, Massachusetts. Watching the seasons change on the face of this tiny mountain, I began to think of an organic family based business that would be congruent with the beauty and pristine quality of the view in front of me. And viola, Gobble Mountain Elderberry was born.

When not elbow deep in vats of boiling berries I can be found sailing around Long Island Sound on our family’s modest 35 year old sailboat Cattywampus. One of the best parts of sailing is knowing I can go almost anywhere I want using just the wind for power. I feel like I’m cheating the system with each mile we sail.

A professional photographer and entrepreneur for over thirty years before getting into the syrup business I’ve spent extensive time on the Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation in South Dakota.  I  made many friends and connections after being the first photographer to document the Native American resistance movement at Standing Rock Reservation in 2016-17. It was at this point in my life that I decided my work life had to have meaning instead of just bringing in a paycheck. I’m passionate about bringing natural healing to people’s lives whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual pain that needs attention. To this end, on most Tuesday nights (pre-Covid) I can be found sitting in circle with my incarcerated brothers at Norfolk Correctional Institute as part of Jericho Circle, a twenty year old organization founded to help inside men become the best version of themselves even if they’ll be spending the bulk of their lives behind bars.

Tim Yakaitis