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 fairly traded products directly to our customers.
To shake the hands of each of our farmers in developing countries and inspect the farms and products produced ourselves.
To package them using recyclable packaging and eco friendly inks produced locally.
To give back 13% of our profit back to children in need in the countries of origin.
To honour and protect our planet.
With your help we are
"brewing change with every cup!"
To bring the highest quality, organic, ethically crafted, and fairly traded products directly to our customers.
To shake the hands of each of our farmers in developing countries and inspect the farms and products produced ourselves.
To package them using recyclable packaging and eco friendly inks produced locally.
To give back 13% of our profit back to children in need in the countries of origin.
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 13% of their profits to children in need in each country they import from. They volunteered with Help Lesotho on their last trip to Africa and continue to donate 13% of their tea profits to this organization (www.helplesotho.ca). In addition, they donate further funds to a grassroots Safe House for abused children in the township of Nomzano in South Africa, they helped to create.
Recently Lovena went to India to meet their spice farmers and visited Vanashree Residential School for orphans and marginalized children. Now 13% of their profits from spice sales goes to this incredible school!
Please see Giving Back for more details on these projects.
Some examples of our values in action:
- The Gathering Place salt products are from a family business who ensures fair wages are paid to their employees and also provide child care and educational opportunities.
- The Gathering Place Rooibos tea is from a farm who are careful stewards of their land. They hand harvest their tea to prevent erosion ensuring the semi arid landscape is preserved and the natural biodiversity remains.
- The Gathering Place Spices are carefully sourced from an Organic Farmers' Co-op in India, run by a non profit organization that helps educate and improve the lives of these farmers.
- 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.
- The Gathering Place uses recycled boxes and packing materials to ship their products.
