What Makes Our Teas Taste Better (and Feel Different)
When you sip a tea from Whole-Hearted Apothecary, we hope you feel something shift—gently, meaningfully. These teas are made to help carry you, to meet you where you are, and quietly support you in tending to what life is asking of you. They’re made with plants we’ve cultivated with care, gathered with respect, and blended with intention. We want you to feel that care as you drink—like something in the world has your back.
Rooted in Purpose, Grown with Heart, Formulated with Care
Lula begins each tea with a question: what is it meant to support?
“I think first about the person I’m making it for- their situation, what they’re carrying, and what shift they might need in body or spirit. I choose herbs to match that intention, considering their energetics, interactions, and the deeper story they carry. Some herbs provide the base and primary support, others amplify that support, and still others help focus their effects in the body. Finally, I balance it for taste, scent, and sensation. I test, I tweak, and I ask my family and trusted testers what they feel when they drink it. I adjust each blend until it matches its purpose and achieves its goal while maintaining a pleasant flavor.
Take Welcoming Tea, for example. It was first blended for a neighbor navigating immense grief and change. She didn’t need a pep talk. She needed a quiet strength, a steady hand to help her welcome the possibility of joy and new beginnings.”
That’s the kind of story behind most of these blends.
What Makes These Teas Different
What sets these teas apart isn’t just better ingredients and specialized blends. It’s the holistic approach Lula takes to the entire process.
From poor soil, few pollinators, and struggling plants to a thriving landscape full of life, Lula has transformed the ecosystem at Millers’ Haven to reflect the same values she pours into every herbal blend. Untreated for at least 70 years and likely never sprayed, this land was once dismissed as too rocky and claylike for farming. It grew wild with clover, creeping Charlie, and plantain, but little else, until Lula began listening, tending, and building it up by hand.
From that feral field to your teacup, Lula handles nearly every step—with the help of her children and, now and then, her husband. Even her dog, chickens, and bunnies contribute to keeping the land fertile, balanced, and alive. She tends it by hand, building the soil and encouraging biodiversity.
Every seed is chosen with care: bioregional herbs, landrace and naturalized European and Mediterranean varieties adapted to southern Wisconsin, rescued plants once cherished by local wildlife and now threatened by development, and edible species well-suited to this place. She grows using permaculture principles, planting in microclimates to give each herb the best chance to thrive.
Harvest comes at just the right moment, when each plant is at its peak. Then, at season’s end, Lula gives back- layering the gardens with cardboard, clippings, compost, leaves, wood chips, rabbit and chicken manure, whatever the soil calls for. Sometimes, she even shovels on extra snow to blanket the roots in rest. This land is alive, and its care is what makes our teas so vibrant, potent, and full of spirit.
“Making tea this way is slow. It’s attentive. It’s personal. Most people don’t realize how much intention goes into a single bag of tea when it's done this way. It’s not just about the herbs—it’s about how they’re grown, harvested, and blended. The soil, the season, the spirit of the plants and the people all show up in the final cup. I believe you can taste that.”
That level of care doesn’t just change how the tea tastes; it changes how you feel when you drink it.
What I’m Most Proud Of
When asked what part of this work brings Lula the most pride, her answer is heartfelt and layered.
“What matters most to me is hearing from someone who felt supported by one of my blends. Maybe it helped them sleep. Maybe it helped them cope. Maybe it simply made them feel less alone. That kind of feedback is everything.
Beyond that, I love seeing the difference our gardens make in our local environment. I take pride in creating new things that solve problems, lift burdens, and support healing. I love researching, creating, and connecting; and this work lets me do all three.”
Whether it’s one person finding relief or an ecosystem thriving, the impact matters. And, that’s something to be proud of!
Why the Price Reflects the Process
Our teas aren’t cheap. They’re not meant to be. These aren’t mass-market machinery-produced, labor-exploitive teas. The herbs are mostly grown right here, on land we tend with regenerative, beyond-organic care. We don’t use chemicals. We rely on rainwater. We harvest by hand at the ideal moment and dry with little or no electricity. We blend small batches, and we compost the stems.
Many of our ingredients are uncommon, delicate, or difficult to produce in large quantities and, therefore, aren’t available at all in conventional teas. These blends are full-strength, with more herbs per serving than what you'd find in a grocery store tea bag. They’re meant to be both pleasant and purposeful. You’ll look forward to your next cup and find yourself craving the functional support they provide.
Why This Work Matters to Me
Lula’s relationship with herbalism is deeply personal, rooted in a lifetime of navigating complex health challenges.
“Since childhood, I’ve lived with a chronic health issue that doctors still haven’t fully explained. It used to leave me covered in hives for months at a time. No diagnosis stuck. No treatment helped. I found my way through by studying herbs, starting with lavender. Over time, I learned to manage symptoms through the plants, the patterns, and what my body was trying to tell me. That personal journey, of listening deeply, experimenting, and slowly finding relief, taught me the value of plant medicine. It taught me that change is possible, even when answers are hard to come by.”
That lived experience continues to shape her work, and it explains why these teas are made with such compassion and care.
More Than Just Tea
While teas are the heart of the apothecary, Lula’s offerings extend far beyond the kettle.
“In addition to teas, I also offer a small selection of other herbal goods- tinctures, lip balms, salves, massage oils, many of which were originally made for myself and my family. I offer them when I’ve made more than we can use. I also carry a few carefully chosen accessories: infusers, mugs, teapots, and spoons, including branded items that help support our conservation efforts.
I often share vintage teaware and kitchen items, too, rescued from thrift stores and estate sales. I believe in reusing, repurposing, and honoring the things that still have life in them. My family and I also make useful goods, like aprons and hot mitts, crocheted hats and scarves, and artwork, when we have time and surplus. These are slow-made, love-filled offerings we release in small batches, just like our teas.”
Each item is made or chosen with the same intention as her teas: to nourish, comfort, and connect.
“If you’re here, welcome. We’re glad to share what we’ve grown.”
Get in Touch
Whole-Hearted Apothecary LLC — Empowering individuals to live well through sustainable, seasonal herbalism and wellness education.
Certified Something Special from Wisconsin™
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