We are a zero-waste company!
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About Megan
Taproot Tea Company grew from a life spent close to nature. Megan Jones, owner and operator, grew up in a household where daily outside play time was mandatory and all living things were given great respect.
It wasn't until she obtained a job as a kayak eco-tour guide on the Outer Banks of North Carolina that her interest in plants and their properties became part of her daily life. Her experience as a kayak guide not only brought her closer to the rhythms of nature, but also provided opportunities to study and interpret traditional uses of plants in native cultures. During this time, Megan volunteered for numerous ecological fund-raising events, as a guide and interpretor of the local flora and fauna and was an organizer of local clean-up days for the canals and marshes which helped to protect the native species of plants. She also had the opportunity to work with at-risk children, creating educational after-school projects and working with local companies to provide no or low-cost field trips.
Megan's fascination with the healing powers of plants became even stronger while recovering from an injury, using a holistic approach with herbs and alternative healing methods. As she healed, Megan's partnership with plants solidified. She enrolled at Clayton College of Natural Health, completed her Family Herbalist Certificate and is currently working towards her Master Herbalist Certificate.
During this time, Megan relocated to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee (a plant lover's dream!) and soon after became an assistant to local herbalist Cynthia Johnston at MoonMaid Botanicals and has studied with naturalists Erik and Vesna Plakanis from A Walk in the Woods. In addition to hands-on experience, she consistently attended (and continues to attend) herbal conferences and workshops around the country.
For years Megan has put together her own tea blends, some for medicinal purposes, some for the pure pleasure of taste. Her tea blends became popular with family and friends, and in 2007, Taproot Tea Company was born.
Megan's commitment to living an environmentally-responsible life extends into her community. She is one of the founders of White Blaze Day, an annual fundraiser for the maintainance and preservation of the 72 miles of Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She currently sits on the city's Greenspace and Earth Day committees, both of which are focused on the greening of the city and is a volunteer in the National Park. In 2008, Megan also began leading medicinal herb walks and teaching herbal classes to her local community. Her frequent hikes into the wilderness are the source of appreciation for her environment and constant inspiration for her work with plants.
In addition to continuously working around and within the wonderful green world, Megan recently completed an intensive 8 month Herbal Apprenticeship program with Rosemary Gladstar, at Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center & Botanical Sanctuary, in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
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