Meet Giltrecia Head | Herbalist, Historian & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Giltrecia Head and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Giltrecia, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Like most grassroots business stories, my process took time. I knew I wanted to start a business, but I wasn’t familiar with the resources available, and I wanted to gain as much knowledge as possible before getting started. I initially began by manifesting and analyzing what I truly wanted to do and the “why”. I started joining think groups and listening to entrepreneur podcasts to identify trends and tips that would keep me from sailing into the “overthinking” river and stay on the current of progress.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I wear many hats. I have for many years been committed to the performing arts; my work in graphic design prevails in visual artwork, and currently, I’m diving into rabbit holes as a researcher in African history. While these areas keep me busy, I am also simultaneously working with herbal teas. You could say this is an inherited trait of innately knowing that a plant, bush, or tree has prominent benefits, or that I can look at or talk with a person and know what herbs their body needs. I wasn’t conscious of this skill for a while, but I always loved my tea time. Growing up in North Florida, I had plenty of countryside and woods to explore, so I think it’s common for country folk (and those of the like) to connect with the environment and get to know the plant community thriving even in the nooks and crannies of these spaces.

In my late twenties, I went to a Co-op store called New Leaf Market, which had shelves lined with herbs and spices. I made it a point to collect every herb and tea blend available to make my concoctions. I wanted to understand how my body responded to these teas and whether I would be aware of their effects. About five years into my exploration, I became pregnant; scared out of my mind yet excited, I prepared my body for its first birth. I worked closely with a midwife who introduced me to more herbs like red raspberry, stinging nettle, and rose hips, sharing literature about herbal properties and the best approaches for pregnant mothers. I can say that my work was beneficial, but a freak accident (the umbilical cord took my angel) cut my pregnancy short by one month. This was profoundly debilitating, yet I continued my herbal work and conceived once again. While this resulted in another heartbreak, I realized that the teas helped me naturally deliver in both circumstances, and my uterus maintained a healthy state without damage.

These events significantly shaped how I began this business. Less than four months after my loss, I would endure the gradual loss of my father. While sitting in the hospital room, my aunt visited, and we started to talk. It was in this conversation that I learned about my grandmothers from three generations back, who were caretakers of the land and herbalists, and how their tea concoctions had prevented my father, and his siblings from the flu and other illnesses for years. I remember the lightbulb going off in my mind, and I told myself, “Ohhh…that’s where I get this from.” I had an inkling but didn’t fully realize it until my aunt confirmed it that day. After my dad passed, I grew more intrigued by plant life and the healing properties that the Earth offers us. From that point on, I began a self-study of herbal tea work, learning about herb families, primary properties, and how various types affect different parts of the body.

By 2016, I was making teas for friends who came by the house. One friend, a “charmer”, wanted to try my tea, and I was taken aback because they didn’t seem like the “tea type” – and yes, there is a type (or at least I thought, lol). I made a nice blend of ginger, lemon, mint, and lavender. I was surprised that they really enjoyed it and made sure to share a batch with their co-workers. Before long, I began receiving orders for fresh-brewed tea. I provided consultations to discern what the customers wanted, then delivered their orders. Would you believe that the majority of my clientele were men? Yes! Men who wanted to detox or find a way to meet their daily nutritional needs. And there were results. One guy experienced a full-body shutdown. When I learned about his illness, I felt compelled to make him a blend using bee pollen as one of the main ingredients. He got his batch the following week, and two weeks later, I received a call from a colleague stating that this man had fully recovered and credited my tea as part of his recovery. He became a regular client, and his co-workers then continued ordering from me for the next four years.

When COVID hit in 2020, I had started back in school and cut back on orders to focus on my research. However, during the shutdown, I had time to gather my thoughts about my next moves. I knew I needed to turn my business into something more substantial and stable, but I had been putting it off until now. I remember getting a call from one of my sister’s friends. He wanted me to assist him in maintaining his herbal collection, and in exchange, he provided me with a whole collection from a herbalist in Central Florida. I began making pills and tea blends and soon built up that collection. By April, I was determined to start my business website. I opened a page with WIX.com, and the rest was herstory…well, let me provide some detail: I first decided to say “ph@k it” and jumped right in, developing my logo and then my social media handles. I also created and organized my strategy for promoting on social media while working on the blends that I would sell. My challenges were numerous, but they provided me the opportunity to identify areas in which I could improve my methods and skills.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Now that I’ve acclimated myself a little more in Miami, I feel pretty confident about having a good time. Here is my schedule:

Monday: Brunch time is a must! I am a fantastic cook, but I would rather treat my BFF’s to Morgan’s in Wynwood, followed by a tour by “moi” through the Wynwood art communities. We would do selfies in front of the numerous murals and even visit a couple of studios. Our lunch would be at the House of Mac, and dinner would be at my house.

Tuesday: the Original House of Pancakes on SW 72nd street, and catch an early game of bowling and pool at the Bird Rd. Bowling alley. It’s one of the oldest recreation spots in Miami, so more history class for bestie! They would have to take AfroCuban dance class at the Koubek Center, and then we would have dinner at one of the Chinese takeout places, because in my opinion, they are all pretty good on that side of town.

Wednesday: We would head to South Beach. Lunch at Shuckers to have some great seafood, and then we would head to the beachside and go see the hotel where Scarface was filmed. Dinner would be at Kyu, a fabulous Korean fusion restaurant in downtown Miami.

Thursday: By this time, bestie is worn out, so we would head to Solea Brickell Spa & IV Lounge because we deserve to feel like we are millionaires. We would skip lunch and have dinner at Burgermeister and walk next door to Sweet Caroline’s Karaoke bar to sing to our heart’s desire! We won’t stay too long because…

Friday: Bestie will have to be ready for Bacon B*tch (Friday or Saturday brunch) at the Bayside Marketplace. This brunch is guaranteed to be lit and will get our weekend going the way it should. Our daytime activities would include visiting Virginia Key Beach and providing them with its rich historical connection to Miami’s black community and the Black Seminoles of Florida. We will go over to Key Biscayne to look at the beach houses. Since there’s always something happening in Miami, I know we’ll either catch a live music performance or a dance concert and unwind with some wine.

Saturday: We go to Calle Ocho to sightsee and hang out with my Afro-Cuban fam. We would eat at El Pub for breakfast, Juanchi’s Burgers for lunch, and El Carajo, located off of SW 17th, for drinks. Our night would be in Overtown at the Red Rooster for dinner and a club.

Sunday: We goin to church to get right for the week (lol). We would be down South in Cutler Bay/ Goulds, eating Sunday breakfast at Flava, and then after service, we would head to Aunt Ruth’s Kitchen. If there is a Caribbean party happenin, we goin and ending the night early because my bestie has a flight to catch on Monday, and Miami morning traffic is unreal.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yes! I want to give shoutouts to my support teams: My love, Louis, my sistars Peta, Amber & Maria; Demetria, Neosha, & Yolanda; Sikan AfroCuban Dance/InaOmi Inc. Family; my sisters and mothers from other lands Marisol y Milena and Momma Suzanne and Momma Carmen; my Sisters Lynn and Nat and my mother Ella who showed me how important plants are. I thank my elders, the Lowmans, who instilled in me the yearning to achieve and make things happen in my life.

I send a spiritual shoutout to the heavens (as above as below) guardian angels, to my father (passed on), who was a farmer, and my grandmothers, who were herbalists, teachers, and preservers of our Southern Black culture.

Website: https://www.ucteas.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uc1teas/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ucteas

Image Credits
Giltrecia Head