Collaborating with Australian makers and sourcing high quality, unique products is one of the great privileges of working at Bindle. To celebrate the amazing stories behind the products that make up a Bindle gift, we launched ‘Meet the Makers’ – a series of interviews with some of the brilliant people behind the brands we love.

We met with Founder Emma to chat about how the Love Tea story began, what she’s passionate about, and why looking after the Earth is so important to Emma and her husband Damien.

Can you give us a brief bio on yourself, and how you came to own/start your own business?

While studying Naturopathy, I fell in love with blending herbs and wanted to share their amazing therapeutic benefits with more people. My vision was to make herbs more accessible, so people could bring them into their daily routine in an enjoyable form.

Love Tea was founded in my second year of Naturopathy when I began formulating herbal blends to support specific health conditions. I met my now husband Damien Amos at this same time, and we juggled our hobby business and our studies together.

Damien’s passion for the health of the earth ensured that every business decision was made with a great deal of care for the planet. His vision to create a business that cared for both people and planet more so than just profit, saw Love Tea become certified organic, certified fair trade and we formed a partnership with 1% For The Planet, through which we donate 1% of annual revenue to a range of environmental organisations.

What is it about your product that is uniquely Australian?

We hand craft our entire range here in Australia. We choose to use certified organic ingredients which we source from around the world, and then blend and pack the products ourselves, here in Victoria.

Describe your product in three words.

Authentic, wholesome, natural.

If you could look into a crystal ball, what does the future hold for your business?

Over 13 years we have developed an extensive range of chai teas, wellness blends and herbal teas, which are sold through a range of retailers in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and the UK. Our goal is to share Love Tea with more people, to help people to feel empowered and allow them to optimise their health and improve their wellbeing, while also improving the health of the planet. We aim to continue to develop products from a genuine place of care and an authentic desire to help people enjoy wonderful tea and the magic of herbs.

Who has been your most influential mentor and why?

We’ve had great influence from a range of different people and companies who conduct themselves and their organisations in an inspirational way. From simple business advice to more specialised discussions with people who are very experienced in a range of areas within business but also life in general. Some of the businesses we continue to be inspired by include Patagonia, Loving Earth, Dr Bronners, Bellroy, and Lululemon. 

Do you have a personal philosophy or motto that you live/work by?

Great question.  A philosophy I have always resonated with is ‘whatever you choose to do, just be all in’. Don’t tip toe around the edges, jump in and give it everything you’ve got. I think this way of thinking can help us commit to the decisions we make and stay focussed on reaching the outcome. If it doesn’t work out, you will have no regrets if you gave it everything you could.

We also have so many great quotes around our office space and warehouse that offer subtle inspiration each day. One of my favourites is “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming after all is a form of planning.” – Gloria Steinem.

Moving away from business and celebrating our great land, what is your favourite memory growing up as a kid in Australia?

One of my greatest memories is camping on the Great Ocean Road each summer with my family of 5. We would pack up our tiny yellow corona, attach a trailer packed with our camping gear and head off for 3-4 weeks. We spent long days at the beach and amongst nature and nights by the fire. At the time I always found it fun but looking back I realise just how amazing this experience was and how grounding and special that time was for all of us.

Favourite places to holiday without a passport? Give us a ‘save’ and a ‘splurge’ option.

Byron Bay or Noosa and that surrounding magical East coast. I love the simple lifestyle and our family loves the beach, so it is pretty perfect for us. Our days would be spent surfing in the sun and enjoying time together.

My splurge holiday without a passport would be Gaia retreat, a magical health focussed peaceful space, nestled just inland from Byron Bay. It provides the space and time to focus on your health and wellbeing, to rest and restore and reflect on life.

If you could invite three great Australians (past or present) to dinner who would they be?

Bob Brown, Dave Rastovich, Teresa Palmer

Which book have you currently got your nose buried in? 

Damien is loving “Everybody Matters”, “Let my people go surfing” and “Leaders Eat Last.”

I often have a few on the go at once, at the moment I’m reading “Braiding Sweet grass” by Robin Kimmerer, and “Becoming supernatural” by Dr. Joe Dispenzar.

Most importantly, where do you go for a reliable caffeine hit?

We live in a small town on the Bellarine coast, near the Great Ocean Road, so our local favourites include Ebb and Flow, Ginger and Blondie, Starfish bakery, Swingbridge cafe and Kilgour street grocer, to name a few.

And lastly, as we’re in the gift giving business, is there a notable gift that you can recall receiving, or perhaps a particular occasion in which a gift was received that stands out?

We are truly grateful to receive so many special gifts, but one that we received recently , was a gorgeous surprise gift in the mail from a lovely lady in Noosa who has a natural soap company. She was inspired by our business and wanted to thank us for the constant inspiration she has found in Love Tea. She handmade a batch of soap, infused with our Calming tea and sent it to us. The soap came with a very thoughtful, two page hand written letter, thanking us for the “constant inspiration.” It was really moving to read her kind, heartfelt words.

I think this gift was so beautiful on many levels, that it was a surprise, that so much thought and effort had gone into it, but most of all that Love Tea has inspired someone on their own business journey.