5 minute read
TEA TIME
TEATime Learn more at www.theiriecup.com or on Facebook! The Irie Cup celebrates family time and the nutritional value of tea
By Kevin Druley Photos provided by the Lewises
Joe and LaShanda Lewis know their family’s preferred beverage — to a tea. Resolved to turn the uncertainty of the early stages of the pandemic into productivity, the Pingree Grove couple developed The Irie Cup, an herbal tea company. With bustling online sales, a presence at suburban farmers markets and offerings on restaurant menus, the Irie Cup lately has left its co-owners eager to exclaim the establishment’s titular expression. “Irie” is a common Jamaican saying that conveys “Everything is good” or that something is “good and pleasant,” the Lewises say on their website.
To be sure, the duo hopes customers reach inner “Irie” status upon consuming one of the company’s seven types of teas, which use locally sourced ingredients to provide herbal nourishment.
“Lots of people look to drinks to provide a boost of
energy,” LaShanda Lewis says. “What they might not realize is the nutritional and enriching value that many teas have, the wellness and nutrition they can bring.” One need not educate the Lewises on these matters. Growing up in separate parts of Chicago, the couple both cherished their Jamaican heritage and its prevalence in their respective homes.
That included the notion of tea as a channel for healing and recharging. LaShanda's family had a pulse on which teas best offered salve for certain ailments. For a headache, it was fever grass. For a bad cold, garlic tea proved most effective. An upset stomach typically meant a cup of ginger tea wasn’t far behind.
At Joe's childhood home, he helped channel a family garden in Mandeville, Jamaica, growing many fruits and vegetables as well as mint leaves, which were used in steeping, or pouring hot water over tea ingredients and allowing them to rest. The couple is grateful for those experiences, crediting them for helping form the foundation of the business.
“There’s a lot of prep time that goes into it,” she says. “I’ve spent the last year, year and a half, studying herbalism, seeing what works and what doesn’t work.”
As with many across the globe, the Lewises were forced to pivot in early 2020. Joe was furloughed from his full-time job while LaShanda elected to homeschool the couple’s three children — Erika, Samuel and Kaydence — when schools shut down. Blending past experiences with a shared passion for whole foods and balanced nutrition, the Lewises tried their hand at developing tea. It turns out their children had a thirst for knowledge beyond the home classroom. Each has proven eager to assist not just at farmers markets, but throughout the week as the family determines orders and destinations. “That was the big reason behind our deciding to pursue this full-time,” Joe Lewis says. “Family time, together time, is a very important thing to us. We wanted to still be able to spend that time with our children while fulfilling our duties and obligations to the business.” The Lewises regularly update their offerings and farmers market schedule online. In addition, Irie Cup teas can be found at The Graceful Ordinary in St. Charles and OpenDoor Coffee in Genoa, among others. “We’ve been very fortunate to build such great relationships,” he says. “These places became aware of our product, reached out, learned about our story and wanted others to be able to enjoy our teas.” “Irie,” indeed.
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