Empower Mint: A Celebration of Women by Women.

Girls Inc. is a national organization on a mission to empower girls through educational and leadership programs, and a partner we’re proud to stand with. To honor the generational wisdom that women have cultivated and passed down throughout history, we’re giving a portion of the proceeds from this tea to Girls Inc., where it will go toward empowering a new generation. 

What was your experience developing Empower Mint? Where did the three of you find inspiration for the blend? 

“When we first met to discuss creating a blend, it was Kim who had the idea for a women’s tonic,” Claire answered. “Something that could gently support women throughout the phases of their lives. We all loved the idea.” 

“I had been wanting to develop a tea especially for women for a long time,” Kim explained. “A tea that could be sipped throughout the day and throughout the moon cycles. I was inspired by the raspberry leaf that I drank throughout my pregnancy which was very beneficial in relieving morning sickness and cramping. So we started there. Nettle, Damiana and Red Clover have been used for centuries by herbalists, wise women healers and indigenous medicine women from Europe and North America. Any natural medicine book will have some variation of these herbs. On their own, the flavors can be strong—even bitter, but when we added in the raw cacao nibs, a hint of ginger and Oregon Peppermint, our blend became creamy and delicious. It’s a beautiful balance to get the medicinal benefits while quenching a craving for chocolate.”

The blend underwent many iterations, according to Claire, and took inspiration from many places, including herbalists like Susun Weed, and even notes written by Steve years ago. “The intention was the keep the blend balanced, lively and delightful,” she highlighted. 

Sara dove into what makes this blend so special. “Many women’s teas are focused on one aspect of our system, but this blend gently combines multiple herbs that should suit most bodies and any stage of life.” 

"For this blend, we got to take a step back from looking at what would make the most delicious cup of tea and add the challenge of making it especially nourishing for our bodies. Taking both elements into account, we started the process by tasting through every Organic herb known to benefit women’s bodies. Some were tart, bitter, floral, sweet, tingly or downright undrinkable,” Sara adds. “We landed on the intersection of Raspberry Leaf for reproductive health, Red Clover for its high mineral quantities, Damiana for its aphrodisiac qualities and post-menopausal regulation alike and Nettle for its incredibly high nutrient density (including immune and memory function). To that baseline, we added some particularly sexy ingredients – cacao nibs, rose petals, ginger and stevia leaf. The cherry on top, and the defining namesake for the tea, was local Pacific Northwest Peppermint. It adds a cool factor to the tea that we just adore. Best of all, you can steep it as long as you want and it only gets better. You can't oversteep this empowering concoction—a novelty of timing that every woman knows well.”

What is your experience as a female teamaker? 

“The tea industry is historically a very male dominated business, in all aspects of teamaking except for plucking,” answered Sara. “Women are relied upon for harvesting labor, due mostly to their nimble fingers and hard work ethic. But women’s involvement in processing, sales, and blend creation have been much more limited across the globe.”

Claire touched on similar themes, but believes that this paradigm is shifting. In describing her own experience, she said, “There were times men in positions of power were uninterested in what I had to say simply because I was a woman, that was obvious. With the team of tasters and makers I worked with in the lab (which consisted of two women and two men), I felt included and my opinion was valued. I enjoyed working on a team made up of folks who experienced things a bit differently.”