Our Story

A Message from our Founder

Hi, I'm Zahira, a wife, mom, herbal gardener, and the founder of hrbvor (her-bi-vore).

My passion for herbs goes all the way back to my earliest childhood memories growing up in the emerald hills of St Martin, my beautiful island home in the Caribbean. Herbs and tea were a way of life in my family. Our days start, pause, and wind down with tea made using freshly picked herbs from the garden. I learned as a child from my parents to identify, plant, and brew a myriad of herbs that nourish unique aspects of our health. Every common ailment has a herbal tea remedy. But most days, we drink herbal teas for the pure joy of their amazing flavors, and the knowledge that they keep us looking and feeling young and healthy.

In 2016, I moved with my husband and young children from St Martin to New Jersey, where my herbal tea culture needed to evolve. I could not grow many of my favorite herbs in this new climate, so I turned to sourcing them from organic farms around the world.  This process opened me up to new herbs I had never known growing up that have become many of my new favorites.

For my children, I saw a need to send my teas to school as a delicious and healthy alternative to sugary juices and sodas. At night, I would cold infuse the herbs, and in the morning I would fill up-cycled water bottles. I made their teas using herbs that have amazing flavors and are packed with phytonutrients.  This way they enjoyed every last drop as a treat, and I had the comfort of knowing their growing bodies were being nurtured and protected with the best of what mother nature had to offer. Soon my home made teas caught on with friends.  I took notice when my those who were accustomed to juice and soda came over and asked me for my teas.  Parents started asking me to make tea for their whole family, and soon I could not keep up with demand.  

At that moment, I saw the convergence of a need and my skills to bring the my teas to world. I launched hrbvor at the height of the pandemic and am proud to now offer teas in ready to drink glass bottles, sparkling cans, and loose leaf packs that ship nationwide!

I brew tea today in volumes I never imagined, but i have never change my commitment to maintaining the highest quality of serving customers the same herbs I brew for my family. I continue to source whole leaf and flower herbs from the finest organic farms around the world, and cold infuse them the old fashioned way into delicious teas that capture their powerful phytonutrients and exotic flavors.  It might surprise you that most “natural beverages” are made from processes powders and syrups because they are cheap and easy to mix.  I learned this when our copackers asked us to switch to these products because of the intense work involved in brewing and squeezing out our “giant teabags.”  Instead i found partners with equipment that could handle real brewed herbs at scale and have never looked back.  

I make teas for everyone who understands the amazing health benefits of herbs, but doesn't have the time or knowledge to source, infuse, and bottle their own. I make tea for every parent like me who refuses to compromise between their family’s health and happiness. I am as committed to you and your loved ones as I am to my own, and I am honored to bring my teas to your fridges, cupboards, desks, backpacks, and anywhere life takes you! From my hands to yours, cheers to our health and happiness!

Love,

Zahira