SUSTAINABLE & QUALI-TEA

LOCAL BLACK KETTLE TEA SHOPPE’S LOOSE-LEAF TEA MADE WITH HOMEGROWN CARE

WORDS BY MCKENNA SCHERER

FIRST OPENING IN 2021, BLACK KETTLE TEA

SHOPPE OWNER BRIANNA VODVARKA created the organic loose-leaf tea biz out of a then-new passion: growing her own tea.

A one-woman show, Vodvarka runs Black Kettle herself, growing much of the product in her own backyard in E.C., including peppermint, lavender, lemon balm, basil, and more. What she doesn’t harvest from her own garden she sources from farmers she personally knows, and even from local farmers markets.

“Wild crafting is also a huge part of what I do,” Vodvarka explained. “A lot of plants we have right in our backyards that so many people use weed killer on or treat as a pest.”

Although she hopes to expand Black Kettle in the future, bringing product further into Wisconsin and into Minnesota and hiring folks to help with gardening work, harvesting and making the tea is fairly simple, she said. After harvesting the plant, she leaves enough to ensure it will still grow, then takes what she picks into her kitchen to let it dry, oven-drying most of it. Then, she mixes specific herbs together to create Black Kettle’s unique blends and hand-packages it (among the blends is the comically named “Resting Witch Face”).

“There are obviously a few things I can’t grow in this climate but I source those from farmers I have personally spoken to and have the same vision for sustainability as I do,” she said. “I also get quite a bit from farmers markets in the Eau Claire area and up to the Twin Cities, (and) source seeds from local garden centers like May’s Floral.”

Vodvarka began the tea journey organically, as it was purely a hobby in the beginning. After taking some classes, she began delving into her own research. “Honestly, it’s been a ton of research. Books upon books. I really think it’s important to always be learning even when you’re older.”

Currently, Black Kettle tea and merchandise –all of which are created locally, tops screen-printed at The Sticker Spot in Banbury Place, and beanies created by Pretty Cool Beanies up in Minneapolis – can be found throughout the Valley at Broom & Crow (1726 N. Clairemont Ave.), The Local Store (205 N Dewey St.), Lunchbox EC (800 Wisconsin St., Suite 210), Curvue Tree Farm (6760 Curvue Road), Menomonie Market Co-op (1117 S. Farwell St.), Wisconsin Makers Market Store (106 E. Grand Ave.), and Silver Creek Herbals in Turtle Lake (162 13 1/2 14th Ave., Turtle Lake) Check out blackkettleteashoppe.com or their Facebook, @blackkettletea, for more info.

VIA UNSPLASH

IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO A ZERO-WASTE STORE BEFORE, YOU’LL GET YOUR CHANCE SOON! The Juggery is going to be poppin’ up – literally – by August in the Eau Claire area.

Greta Gunnarson, a La Crosse native who moved to Eau Claire in 2020 after graduating from UW-Platteville, is tackling small-biz life thanks to her growing passion for sustainably, which planted its roots after moving to the Valley, she said.

“(Sustainability) is something I’ve always sort of thought about in a health and going green way in general, but I didn’t do it very well for a long time because it’s just not something I was taught,” Gunnarson explained. “Really, when I moved here is when I learned more about it. I didn’t know all the ways you could do things that are better for the