St Ann woman starts natural tea business for Jamaicans to ‘sip to yu health’

One of the many things that inspired Karen Weir to establish her company, K’Spicy teas, was her pleasant childhood memories of being given an assortment of herbal teas in the morning before heading off to school.

In an interview with The Gleaner on Monday, Weir, who is a geriatric nurse and an early childhood teacher by profession, said there were several benefits to be had when individuals drink a cup of any one of her selected offerings such as lemongrass, pimento leaf, bay leaf or soursop leaf teas.

“I grew up drinking these grassroot Jamaican teas and I said, you know what, why not make a business out of it [and] why not share it with the world ? ... [as] these teas are natural, nothing added and [I could] share them with other persons, especially [those] overseas who don’t have these ingredients to their disposal,” she said.

Lemongrass tea helps to relieve anxiety, boost oral health, and soothes cold and flu symptoms. Soursop leaf is known to help with relieving anti-inflammatory diseases, prevent diabetes, maintain good eye health and strengthen the immune system. Bay leaf is known to be a rich source of vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It also proves useful in the treatment of migraines and helps with anxiety. Pimento leaf is used primarily to treat bacterial and fungal infections. It is said to be an effective deterrent for the urge to smoke, and helps to reduce cravings.

Weir started the process of forming her enterprise in January 2022, but has since started selling the products for five months now. She is highly driven to get her teas onto supermarket shelves and into the hotel business. Weir currently takes orders and delivers them to clients across the island from her home in Minard Heights, Brown’s Town, St Ann.

She stated that, although the process has been challenging, she has already contacted a few distributors to help with putting her items on the market.

“I don’t think that some of them are open to small businesses ... it’s a hard process [trying to] get your stuff out there,” she said.

However, Weir continues to hold her head high, despite feeling defeated at times.

‘Once you can imagine it or dream it, it is possible’ is her guiding principle and, as a result, her unwavering spirit serves as guidance in this industry, she said.

Weir expressed the view that it was not easy to venture into becoming a small business owner, but that, once you have the right mindset, you can succeed.

“I’m a person [who doesn’t] believe in the word “can’t”, because there is always a way out and there’s always a way around things,” she said.

Weir said she frequently encountered closed doors when presenting her product while in search or distributors to help with making her teas more widely available.

KEEP GOING

Nevertheless, she explained that she had come to accept “no” as a kind of “vitamin”, which gives her the drive to keep going forward.

“My strategy is just to keep going out there, walk-foot marketing, social media and telling people about it,” she said, noting that, from offering samples to some Jamaicans, response has been positive.

Her products are manufactured with assistance from the Scientific Research Council (SRC) and have been approved by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica. They are packaged in four-by-six-sized pouches and four-ounce glass bottles.

Weir expressed her optimism that her company will eventually be able to go green and that she will be able to provide biodegradable packaging in an effort to protect the environment. She said that she was using glass bottles in the meantime to encourage recycling and that customers were welcome to return the bottles so that they could be refilled.

To expand her product line, Weir said she will be introducing mango, pear (avocado), hibiscus, guava and banana leaf teas soon.

Hibiscus is known to be high in antioxidants, a good source of iron and vitamin C which helps to boost metabolism and lower blood pressure. For mango leaf, it is rich in antioxidants, contains high anti-inflammatory properties, and has the ability to help with diabetes.

Avocado leaf is believed to be rich in iron and contains potassium, which will help with controlling blood pressure, while banana leaf is said to be rich in antioxidants, contains digestive enhancing properties, promotes sleep and treats the common cold and flu symptoms.

Guava leaf helps with reducing cholesterol levels, weight loss, and helps in improving skin texture.

To create enticing and healthy flavours, she stated that she also looks forward to infusing spices with her herbal teas and tapping into the overseas markets.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com

Persons interested in making contact with Karen Weir may contact her via telephone at 876-562-3098 or 876-426-9274. She can also be found on Instagram and Meta (previously Facebook) @_kspicy_teas. Persons may also send their orders via email to karenweir66@yahoo.com