The Happy Birdwatcher Company provides customized boxes for the bird enthusiast
The Happy Birdwatcher Company is providing "thoughtfully blended, high-quality seed combinations tailored to the specific needs of birds" in each customer’s own backyard. Each HappySeed Box reflects an analysis of current and historical bird-sighting data to identify exactly which birds live in the area. This analysis, along with each customer’s needs and goals, helps The Happy Birdwatcher’s experts create a customized blend of birdseed that attracts the birds their customers want to see.
The company sources its ingredients exclusively from an Amish farm in the Mid-west, chosen after a thorough round of quality testing. Each batch of seed is then hand-mixed locally in the Sequatchie Valley. Customized birdseed blends are offered both as single purchases and by monthly subscription and are delivered in plastic-free packaging. More than just a bag of birdseed, each delivery also contains a personalized letter containing interesting facts about the birds that customers can expect to see in their backyard this month plus customized birdwatching-related tips.
Two summers ago, Happy Birdwatcher Founder Susan Vandergriff found herself paying more attention to the wildlife in her backyard after accidentally discovering that listening to birdsong was a great stress reliever. However, her new relaxing hobby soon turned frustrating when she was overwhelmed by the wall of birdseed choices at her local superstore and the drive to a specialty store was inconvenient. When corn stalks appeared beneath one of her feeders because of uneaten economy birdseed, she decided that there must be a better solution.
“One day the idea struck me,” she remembers, “if only premium birdseed could be delivered to my door already seasonally tailored and blended for the birds in my backyard. I wanted everyone to experience the simple joy I felt watching my birds, and I didn’t want them to give up in frustration because it was too much work.”
After some trial and error, Ms. Vandergriff with the help of her husband Sam Tibbs, a data scientist, developed a data-driven method of supporting the preferred diets of dozens of local bird species. Over the next few weeks, the species she’d hoped to attract began visiting her yard.
When she discovered just how many people of all ages had taken up birdwatching during the pandemic, Ms. Vandergriff decided to share her idea with the world. She did so with gusto, stepping down from her role as executive director of A Step Ahead Chattanooga after expanding the nonprofit’s range of services and strengthening its financial base through the worst of the pandemic.
Ms. Vandergriff didn’t surrender her ideals when she became an entrepreneur. As a registered benefit corporation, The Happy Birdwatcher Company honors the greater good through sustainable sourcing and packaging, and by donating $1 to mental health charities for each 10 pounds of birdseed sold.
To learn more about The Happy Birdwatcher Company visit their website: happybirdwatcher.com. The company can also be found on Facebook and Instagram: @happybirdwatcherco