Cassandra Klosterbuer has found herself in a new business — making her own teas. She just started Purely Herbal Teas out of her home in Lennox.
Originally from Luverne, MN, Cassandra moved here in the fall of 2010 with her now-husband Justin, who is a Tea/Lennox native.
She was inspired to start her herbal tea business last February when her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.
“While he spent a month in the hospital,” Cassandra said, “I dove head first into studying and researching herbalism.”
She was looking for ways to help alleviate symptoms of Justin’s upcoming chemotherapy, and for ways to help boost his immunity and blood numbers.
“After seeing how much it helped him,” Cassandra said, “I started making tea blends for our general health. Then I started experimenting with my own flavor blends and starting sharing them with family and friends. It just took off from there.”
Cassandra has sold at local vendor fairs and customers can reach her via email at PurelyHerbalTeas@gmail.com. She is currently in the process of creating a web page where customers can view all of the blends and place orders online.
Even though the business is just in the beginning phase, Cassandra has found it very rewarding.
“Knowing that I am taking part in helping people feel good and am supplying them a product that is also good for them,” Cassandra said, is important. “Herbal teas can help with so many different ailments — from sleeplessness to arthritis and digestive problems and so on.”
What she finds the most challenging is that every one has different taste preferences.
“I may be happy with a blend and find it enjoyable, but someone else may not,” she said, “I do encourage customers to let me know if this happens. I am more than happy to adjust their order to better suit their taste.”
What sets her teas apart from the competitors is that all of the ingredients that she uses are 100% certified organic.
“I dehydrate my own fruits that I use in my blends,” she said. “The biggest difference though, is that I make every order fresh and by hand. Nothing is ever pre-made or stored on shelves or in a warehouse for any period of time. I hand measure every ingredient in every bag individually to ensure that every cup you brew is going to taste exactly the same.”
Her goal is to grow her herbal tea business to a point where she can open her own store and have it be her full-time job.
“I enjoy it so much,” Cassandra said, “I want to reach other people and awaken them to the possibilities of herbal tea and how delicious they can be. How often can we find something that is good for your health that also tastes good and is enjoyable to drink?”
In her down time she enjoys her two saltwater reef aquariums. Cassandra actually went to college for Marine Biology.
“That is a hobby that my husband and I enjoy together,” she said. “When I’m not working at ACE or filling a tea order (or experimenting with a new blend), I enjoy spending time with my husband Justin and my step-son Brayden.”