Lisa Hillbert from Tea Tonic is with NTPagesTV talking tea, with a huge range on offer all providing a health benefit for the drinker - from cleansing to clarifying and rejuvenating.
The following is a written transcription of the interview:
Natural Therapy Pages: I'm Mel from NTPages TV, and I'm here with Lisa from Tea Tonics. How are you, Lisa?
Lisa Hillbert: I'm good, Mel.
NTP: First of all, I have to say, I love your eyelashes!
LH: Yeah, there's a crazy tea party going on here.
NTP: They're gorgeous! So, tell me about Tea Tonic
LH: Tea Tonic is a creation of my own. I'm a herbalist and naturopath, and it's a foodie's medicine approach. Hopefully, not only do you enjoy a cup of tea but this way you can get a health benefit at the same time.
NTP: Okay, so you've got this huge range…
LH: Well, there's lots of things to be done around there really. From foam cleansing to helping to alkaline the body system to energising to strengthening the immunity. There's a variety of aspects where it really helps.
NTP: Absolutely! So, you've been doing this for quite some time. Tell me how it all started.
LH: I started 14 years ago with my complexion tea, which is still my bestseller. I made it really for myself and my skin cause I do suffer. Skin is my weakness. So, it started with that word of mouth. And I thought, what if there is a market out there who are interested in teas that give you a benefit at the same time? All my friends who knew me were, 'oh, let's make your little bags of tea for everyone else.' So thinking, okay I'll put it onto the marketplace, and people have loved it as well.
NTP: How do you produce and where do you produce your tea?
LH: I produce them in Melbourne. That's where I make them. I source my herbs from all around Australia. It would be impossible for anyone to grow the variety of herbs I have here, and tea. I have to import the black teas from Sri Lanka. It's very good quality there because we're just not producing enough here in Australia. Any rare or unusual ingredients I have to import, but otherwise I'm using Australian products. Being a manufacturer in Australia, there's only five of us. It's a very rare sort of commodity. And I have a tea bag making machine where I actually milled this fresh product and put it into my unbleached filter tea bag. So, you're getting a truly beautiful organic experience and having the same quality throughout.
NTP: How do we get our hands on your tea apart from coming to the shows?
LH: Yes, absolutely! We needed that in a bigger sense. We sell it to health food stores and organic food stores. From gourmet delis. We've got cafes and restaurants serving it. And on the website, we actually have a list of where you can buy it locally.
NTP: And, obviously on your website, you've got information on the whole range and all the benefits? Can we go to your site and check it out?
LH: Yes, absolutely! www.teatonic.com.au says it all there and it tells you where you can buy it locally, or you can order it online if it's inconvenient.
NTP: Perfect! Thank you so much for your time today and I hope the rest of the show goes really well.
LH: Thank you!
Originally published on Jun 14, 2011
