The Gathering Place Values
The Gathering Place Trading Company was created by Lovena and Ryan Harvey in 2003. Based out of Cortes Island in the beautiful Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Lovena and Ryan are daily inspired by the vibrant community and pristine beauty of their home. Their business is rooted in shared values: organic food, family, and community. They have relationships with all their growers and believe in sustainable farming practices. They strive to give back where they can and leave as light an ecological footprint as possible.
The Gathering Place Mission
To bring the highest quality organic, ethically crafted, and fair trade products direct from farmers
or producers in developing countries.
To package them using recyclable packaging
and eco friendly inks.
To meet the challenges of a socially and environmentally
responsible business.
To honour and protect our planet.
With your help we are "brewing change with every cup!"
All the Gathering Place products are harvested by hand and certified organic by the highest quality European certifying body (Lacon). The company uses minimal packaging, 100% recycled paper, and soy inks. They have even created a compostable box for their tea bags which can be used as mulch!
Lovena and Ryan give back to the country that produces their Rooibos Tea, volunteering with Help Lesotho in Africa and also donating 13% of their tea bag profits to this organization (www.helplesotho.ca).
Please see Giving Back for more details.
Some examples of our values in action:
- All the Gathering Place salt products are Fair Trade Certified in Europe; employees work in a small processing plant where they are paid fair wages to hand harvest and package the salt. They also have access to child care and educational opportunities.
- The spices for the Gathering Place Organic Rooibos Chai are carefully sourced from an Organic Farmers' Co-op in India.
- The Yerba Mate used in the Gathering Place Organic Yebo! is direct from a sustainable community in Brazil.
- The Gathering Place employs local printers, designers, and tea packers in order to support the Cortes Island and broader Vancouver Island economies.
- The Gathering Place products are shipped to Canada by freighter, not plane, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change.
