While in London visiting our friend Katy Appleton of Apple Yoga, I tasted a delicious herbal ginger tea crafted by a company called Pukka. Happily, some of Pukka’s organic herbal remedies and teas, based on Ayurvedic principles, are now available in BC, Canada. We discovered them this week at Island Natural, an independent whole foods market in Nanaimo, our stock up stop on our westward drive to Ucluelet.

Pukka is a Hindi word meaning ‘authentic’, ‘genuine’ or more colloquially ‘top quality,’ definitely a word I resonated with from growing up in India.

The company was founded in 2001 by Sebastian Pole an Ayurvedic practioner; and Tim Westwell, a former IT businessman looking for more enriching work. Given that Pukka sources its organic herbs directly from farming cooperatives they have helped set up in Sri Lanka and India – they work with over 500 families – ensuring that farmers are paid fair wages; and plants over 1 million trees per year, this is definitely a company that embodies its ideals in practice.

So far, I’m hooked on Pukka’s “Harmonise” a sweet blend of rose, vanilla and tonifying shatavari; and love the “Revitalize” a chai like mix of warming cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. I also love the pretty packaging!