Tea business is growing at local organic farm (video)

East Coventry >> A small, organic farm hopes to reap what it sows by providing organic products not commonly found in local stores.

David and Wendy Ryle started Jubilee Hill Farm three years ago and decided to sell the produce they grew at local markets. The couple said a farmers’ market model helps them stay competitive and be a prosperous homestead.

David said Pennsylvania is “farms galore” so he wanted to make sure Jubilee Hill would be sustainable and bring in a good source of income.

To help lead them to success, the Ryles grow specialty items so people keep coming back for more.

“So we find stuff that no one is growing,” David said adding that he researches what’s being sold in other countries.

To help Jubilee Hill Farm stand out, David and Wendy sell holy basil tea and grow the basil themselves using organic and sustainable practices.

David said a lot of the tea consumed in the U.S. is shipped from China and India but he’s growing tea locally.

“It’s as fresh as it gets,” he said.

David also said that holy basil tea, or Tulsi as it’s known in India, has a long list of health benefits.

“It actually strengthens the immune system,” he said.

Holy basil also helps those who take it adapt to stress, David said.

“Whatever the stress factor may be, it (the basil plant) actually goes to those parts of your system and start strengthening your capacity to respond to given stress,” he said.

David said after researching the plant, he found out that it’s been used in India for more than 1,000 years and that Tulsi is one of the Hindu deities.

“Most Hindu families have at least one (holy basil) plant in their house,” he said.

David and his wife Wendy have been drinking holy basil tea for about five years.

“It really changed the way I thought about teas and herbal teas. Every time I introduce it to someone, it’s very exciting because there’s a very positive response to the tea,” he said.

Wendy said even without adding anything to it, the teas is very delicious.

“I’m not a big tea drinker but I love it,” she said. “It just makes me feel better when I drink it.”

Wendy said tea has become very special to her since she met David. She said the first flower he ever gave her was from a Chinese tea ball.

“When I brewed it, it opened up and there was a flower inside of it,” she said.

David started to learn more about medicinal herbs while working on an organic farm in Massachusetts with Wendy. He started a medicinal garden during his second year at the farm and said he was “blown away” by the holy basil he grew.

“I was so in love with it, I was like ‘I have to share this with other people,’” he said.

So he started selling tea made from healthy basil and said business took off. The Ryles said their profits from the farm have increased since it was first established and a big part of that is from tea sales. The Ryles sell their holy basil tea at local farmers’ markets along with their produce. The tea is also available at a few area stores and online at www.jubileehillfarm.org/store.

The Mercury is engaged in a year-long effort, Fit for Life, designed to promote healthy living and inspired by recent health studies which indicate an alarming increase in obesity and overweight people. In addition to articles in the newspaper and on our website, Fit for Life features a blog with recipes, health tips, resources, tips on getting fit without breaking the bank, maps and other tools all available free online. Visit the website at pottsmercfit4life.wordpress.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MercFit4Life and follow our efforts on Twitter @MercFit4Life.