Our Story
Lovena and Ryan Harvey's first "Gathering Place" was a former hippie commune near Whistler, British Columbia. An idyllic location full of old growth trees, the couple farmed organically for five years, selling their fresh produce to local markets, grocery stores, and restaurants in the area. This was the start of their obsession with organic and was the genesis of the Gathering Place Trading Company.
Lovena and Ryan have always shared common values and dreams and one of them was a love of Africa. One of their goals was to establish a business that would support the organic growers of South Africa — Ryan's birthplace. In January of 2003, fate led them to the doorstep of Frans and Gerda Van der Westhuizen's Organic Rooibos farm. During an afternoon spent sipping the best Rooibos they'd ever tasted, Lovena and Ryan learned of the Van der Westhuizen's commitment to organics and their stewardship of the land.
They learned that Franz and Gerda were the first farmers to grow organic Rooibos and the first to export it out of South Africa. They also discovered that the farmers hand harvest the tea themselves, the best way to ensure the highest quality Rooibos. Ryan and Lovena realized this was the product and the people they wanted to promote.
Only a few weeks of thought and research were needed for the couple to realize that this was their golden opportunity. The Harveys suggested an unorthodox trade, a 1975 VW Jurgens camper van named Skillpakie ("Tortoise" in Africaans) in exchange for their first ton of tea.
Cortes Island, British Columbia is the home of the Gathering Place and Lovena and Ryan's growing family. They live in a small community of seven children and seven adults on 22 acres of gardens, orchard and forest. They are building an off-grid passive solar home and fuel their business vehicle with biodiesel that they make from used vegetable oil. Their three beautiful children — Kai, Tosh, and Asha — and time spent in nature and with their community help keep them balanced. Honouring their farming roots, gardens abound, as well as chickens and ducks!
