Behind the scenes at Pukka Herbs

Having started in a spare bedroom in Bristol, Pukka Herbs has grown in to a worldwide brand. A purveyor of herbal teas and supplements, their products are designed by trained medical herbalists, so they’ll do good as well as tasting good.

The entire business revolves around sustainability, going as far as to give 1 per cent of their turnover to environmental causes. The attention to detail extends to the use of vegetable ink on their boxes, organic cotton for their string and even recycled wood to make the desks in their new Keynsham office.

Despite being a global brand, Pukka can still be found in the Bristol area, so we spoke to some employees to find out more about what they do.

Vicky Murray – sustainability and environmental manager

“My job here is to make sure that we are having the most positive impact on people, plants and planet that we can.

“We found that the far biggest impact is from people boiling their kettles. We need to focus on what we call the smart boil, only boiling water that you need, ideally using renewable energy.

“1per cent of everything that we sell has gone to environmental charities, and on Black Friday we donated all of our sales to local charities. We gave to the Forest of Avon Trust and to The Matthew Tree Project.

“My favourite tea is Three Tulsi tea, because it is a Fair for Life certified project, so the women there, their conditions have all improved through that standard.”

Fox – marketing director

“My job encompasses everything that you see – whether it is on the outside or the inside of a tea box, or on our website or social media, or at events. All of that sits in my area.

“There are two things that govern everything that we do. One is that it is beautiful, that it inspires you and lots of the elements are designed to try and do that. Secondly, that it is as sustainable as it possibly can be.

“There’s a great quote from Maya Angelou, who said: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel’ and that really governs what we do.

“We’re a B-Corp. There’s about 2,500 worldwide. You have to change your articles of association, so that you using business as a force for good. That may be planetary, environmentally or socially.

“I like Lemongrass and Ginger, but right now my favourite tea is Turmeric Active.”

Katie Pande – herbal education specialist

“My primary role is essentially educating and training members of staff, but also consumers and trade customers. So, in terms of what I do, I deliver a lot of training but I also do a lot of writing for the website.

“Out of all the places I’ve worked, I’d say that Pukka has definitely got the most fun, wild crazy bunch of people. That definitely makes a huge difference and there’s an awful lot of energy and enthusiasm here. You get a lot of perks as being a member of staff which is really nice. And, free tea!

“I like spicy teas, so I’d probably say Revitalise and Turmeric Gold are my favourite ones. The Revitalise tastes like Christmas, which is great.”

Ola Kalejaiye – head of supply chain

“Ultimately, the judge of whether we do a good job is when you go to buy a box of Pukka tea, is it on the shelf? If it is, then we’re doing pretty well.

“What we do as a supply chain is kind of at the heart of Pukka because it’s not just about selling it, but it’s about makng sure that it actually get’s on to that shelf.

“Three Ginger is probably my favourite tea. I’m always cold, so Three Ginger’s quite warming.”

Suze Rickard – international account executive

“My job is to talk to our distributing partners and make sure that they have absolutely everything they need to go and make Pukka amazing in their country. There’s all kinds of challenges. Different people drink tea and take supplements differently everywhere and it’s hard for us to understand that over here.

“Sometimes time-zones are a challenge, like talking to the people in Australia. Just getting time on the phone involves dedication!

“I am drinking a lot of the Relaxed tea at the moment.”

Alberto Parenti – customer herbal advisor

“I’m a herbalist, so I give technical support. I handle enquiries about herbs and give recommendations as well. We really care about customers, so we try to do our best to help them. Even if it’s a small enquiry, we try to make their experience the best possible.

“I’m the herbalist in the team so if a customer has some condition or doesn’t know what product is the best for them, you can have a mini consultation to understand the customer better and advise the best product for them.”

“The Three Ginger tea and Turmeric Gold are the ones I go to. I always start the day with Three Ginger to warm me up.”

Find out more about Pukka’s teas and their sustainable credentials by visiting www.pukkaherbs.com