Burnout to Bloom
How Herbs Inspired Peach Pollen
Meet the Founder: How Peach Pollen Came to Life
In 2020, I was deep in the grind working as a sales leader at a startup juggling back-to-back meetings and sales quotas. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was regulating my stress with herbs. My obsession with lemon balm tea and rosemary wasn’t just a hobby, it was probably the very thing keeping me sane and helping me close deals.
I remember one day, after giving three back-to-back software demos, I had 30 minutes before my fourth. Instead of prepping, I sat in the sun on my patio, inhaling the scent of a rosemary bush. That little moment of stillness (and inhalation of an herb that fights fatigue and energizes the mind) got me through the rest of the day. At the same time, my love for plants was taking over my apartment and I started dabbling in scrappy gardening. Before I knew it, I was blending my own herbal teas.
Looking back, I smile at how naturally it all unfolded. I had no clue that those small moments spent with plants would lead me to launch a plastic-free tea brand that helps others slow down and reconnect with nature.
Still Learning, Always Growing
While I'm not a formally certified herbalist (yet!), my approach is hands-on. I've grown, harvested, and worked with most of the organic herbs in our blends, and I'm expanding my knowledge through books and local herbalism sessions in Austin. My goal is simple: to make the benefits of herbal tea approachable and enjoyable for everyone.
Beyond herbs/gardening, I still love house plants, I love thrifting, crafting, and upcycling anything that might have a second life. I even hosted a couple of plant swaps and a workshop where we made buttons out of avocado seeds while sipping herbal tea. It was very wholesome.
Composting is My Therapy
Every week, I walk down to the garden, dump my compost, and check in with the plants. On rough days, I take it a step further and turn the compost pile, shovel, sift, dump, and repeat. Somehow, it always lifts my mood. Maybe it’s the meditative rhythm, or maybe it’s just the satisfaction of seeing food scraps transform into rich, fertile soil. Either way, composting keeps me grounded.
Why I Started Peach Pollen
I really hate single-use plastic, especially when it sneaks into things that are supposed to be good for you (looking at you, plastic tea bags). The more I learned about microplastics, landfills, and ocean pollution, the more I wanted to change my lifestyle.
Then, in 2024, I was let go from my tech job. It forced me to ask: What am I actually chasing? Did I want to spend my time talking about taxes or giving software demos? No. Did I want to talk about lemon balm? Yes.
So I took the leap. It was terrifying, leaving tech with no formal herbalist certification, just a gut feeling that Peach Pollen could resonate. I pushed through the imposter syndrome, researched compostable tea packaging, and finally found a home-compostable material that actually breaks down within 50–60 days. Not just the tea bags, but the entire package. The shipping mailer, labels, even the ink. Everything. Peach Pollen is 100% plastic-free and fully compostable.
And here we are, one year later, selling online, partnering with cafes, hosting pop-ups, selling out at a local regenerative farm-to-table grocer, and survived the brutal Texas summer farmers markets. Yee haw.
What Makes Peach Pollen Different?
Peach Pollen is for those craving a more intentional, grounded way to enjoy their daily herbal tea ritual. We create impactful loose-leaf tea blends (and tea bags) using whole herbs because we believe in the power of plants. Our mission is to help you slow down, restore, and connect with nature. Peach Pollen herbal tea is known for:
Whole herbs, for maximum flavor and real plant power in every cup
Fun, comforting, flavorful tea blends
100% compostable packaging, a chance to give back to the soil that sustains us
Proudly plastic-free and microplastic-free
Try Peach Pollen for Yourself!
If you're curious, the best way to start is with our herbal tea sample kit, this is a great way to find your perfect blend. Or follow along on Instagram (@peach.pollen) for herbal inspiration, behind-the-scenes magic, and community updates.
Thank you for being here. It’s truly rewarding to build a brand that aligns with my passions. I hope you chase your hobbies with all your heart, you never know what they might turn into.
Sincerely,
Brittany Florentine
Founder of Peach Pollen
