Our Story

2016

Josh and Tomo met while studying massage in Maui beneath the waving palm trees. Both foodies at heart, the pair turned their attention to experimenting with new flavors and studying food culture. 

On a fateful trip to Japan to visit family, Josh and Tomo tasted a delicious drink made by Tomo’s mother. The blueberry vinegar beverage combined the sweetness of berries and the sourness of vinegar to create the most refreshing, balanced beverage they could imagine. Inspired, they returned to Maui and began making their own shrub. With encouragement from mixologists and distillers, the couple started Maui Shrub Farm in 2016.

2017

In 2017 their Northwest roots drew them back to Bellingham, Washington where they began Cascade Shrub Farm. Today, the two branches have merged to become the one-and-only Shrub Farm. Shrub Farm has created eight unique delicious flavors of shrub by partnering with organic farms in Washington State and Maui, Hawaii.

2019

Motivated by the land and sea they love, Josh and Tomo started a new project in 2019, Apple State Vinegar. Our mission is to provide the tastiest, most pure apple cider vinegar the world has ever known and to give 1% of all the sales to marine wildlife conservation. Apple State Vinegar is a raw apple cider vinegar made from 100% organic Washington State apples. Find more information.

2020

We want our children and their children to have more whales and fish in the ocean than we have now, so we joined 1% for the planet and are committed to donating 1% of our gross sales to wildlife conservation. We want to create thriving wild ecosystems with the knowledge that human prosperity can coexist with conservation goals. Find who we are supporting.

We are now not only donating 1% of the gross sale from Apple State Vinegar; but we now donate 1% of Shrub Farm's gross sales too!! With this addition we are able to donate over 5 times more than in the past.

Read Shrub Farm 5 year anniversary blog

Our team

Josh

Josh hails from the seaport of Bellingham WA. He’s an explorer, hitchhiker, mountain man, builder, gardener, crafter, and dad. He enjoys being outdoors, walking, biking, skateboarding, snowboarding, and camping with family. He loves being creative in the kitchen — making cool cocktails, fresh salads, roasted meats and veggies, and decadent desserts. Josh is excited to keep creating new flavors of Shrub while moving the brand forward with Apple State Vinegar.

Tomo

Tomo was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan. She is nationally certified as a chef in Japan. She has an alcohol allergy, so shrub is the best drink option for her free-spirited lifestyle. Tomo’s favorite is mixing shrub with herbal iced tea. She loves being between mountains and the ocean in nature!

Harley

Harley is a 100% certified classic baby.