Strolling through a wellness festival in early 2019 I stumbled across a table with tea samples. I was drawn to it because of the sweet smell, that somehow reminded me of all my favorite scents in one, and because I love tea. I don’t drink coffee and I much prefer the gentle flavors of tea blends. I started chatting with the barista and she told me about the brand Olyxir and how they were a zero-waste brand of tea strips.
I had a lightbulb moment and realized after all my years of tea-drinking I’d never considered the impact of all the excess packaging from tea-bags and containers. Tea strips are a creative and minimalistic solution to drink to more sustainably, you just drop a strip into hot or cold water and let it dissolve. There’s no need to remove a tea bag or carry around any additional accessories other than your refillable tea strip holder.
Months later I had the pleasure of interviewing Josephine Musco, the creative mind behind Olyxir tea strips, and feel honored to share her story here with you today. Olyxir was a simple reminder to me that there’s always innovation to be done in the world of sustainable living and that a lot of amazing women around the world are leading that change.
Hi Josephine, could you tell me a little about your background?
I was born in Lebanon. I have a Master’s degree in corporate leadership and restructuring. I had great interest in science especially biology and chemistry.
What inspired you to create the tea strips and how do they work?
After getting my patent for the olive leaf powder granted, I was particularly motivated to do something with it but all delivery methods that were there were messy and/or created post-consumer waste. I wanted something different, a product that respects Mother Nature so I invented the strip.
Can you tell me more about olive leaves, their benefits and your choice to incorporate in your collection?
Olive leaves were my father’s favorite healing recipe. He recommended them to people with diabetes, high blood pressure, to clean wounds, etc... He passed on and as homage, I wanted to validate his beliefs through science and I did.
What does zero-waste living mean to you and why is eco-friendly living important to you?
To me this just means; being vegan and being a mindful consumer in general (no plastic, buy in bulk, no processed foods, minimal packaging, not supporting fast fashion). It’s reduce, reuse, recycle.
I love, respect, and revere Mother Nature, that’s why I’m eco-friendly, because I want her to thrive for a long long time, because I don’t want the glaciers to melt, I don’t want forests to catch on fire...
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs looking to break into the natural and eco-friendly market?
Be ethical. Be unique. Put out a good honest product that you truly and wholeheartedly believe in and don’t give up on it. Keep pushing till you see the light. It’s worth it, I promise.
You can find Olyxir Tea Strips here and follow them on instagram @Olxyir