Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to McKayla Mooney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi McKayla, thanks for joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
Gardening has been a lifelong passion of mine growing up, so I wish I would have thought to start growing herbs sooner for cooking, steeping, and everything in-between! My gardening prior primarily included perennials, annuals, and vegetables. Since cooking and baking are further passions of mine, I could only imagine how much more creative I could have made some of the recipes I was trying out with garden fresh herbs. Nowadays I certainly cannot go without using fresh or dried herbs from my garden, such as basil or lavender.
If I had the chance to go back in time to start Enjoy sooner, I most definitely would. I opened Enjoy in August of 2021, but I had the desire to start growing herbs for tea years prior. At the time of Enjoy’s opening, I was newly graduated from the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities (December 2020) with my Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, and was preparing for my internship program to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist while working for a greenhouse and landscaping on the side. I also had an amazing opportunity to study abroad in Italy during college where I was able to study sustainable food practices. I was finally done with the bulk of my schooling, so I decided that summer to explore more in my gardening practices and started growing 8 varieties of herbs for tea.
Fast forward to now and I have my registration and license as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and plan to continue expanding the variety of herbs I grow and continue to share my joys of both simple and blended herbal teas with others!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’ve always been a fan of the outdoors. Some of my most fond memories growing up were camping, road trips, and gardening. I remember vegetable gardening and farmer’s markets with my aunt, and learning about wildflowers, birds, and butterflies with my grandpa. I took these lessons with me as I grew, and eventually started planning my own gardens at quite a young age–everything from food to fairytale. These passions in the outdoors eventually lead me to dive more into the interactions between nature and the humans that inhabit it. I began studying nutrition and the biochemistry behind it throughout college, and since graduation, I’ve become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
I began combining my interests of nutrition and gardening even more, and started to transform some of my gardens into herbal gardens. I was specifically interested in herbs that were native to Minnesota like Echinacea Purpurea, also known as the Purple Coneflower, and their roles in healing, relaxation, and more. I also grow a few other herbs to further round my soothing garden. Eventually, I started drying the herbs I was organically growing in my home gardens and creating homegrown tea blends.
Herbal teas are one of my favorite consumables, so when I started growing my own, I was excited to be able to share them. That’s how “Enjoy” started, “Mooney’s Herbal Apothecary.” During the growing season, I spend each day tending to my gardens. It makes me so happy to be able to share this herbal passion with others, whether they choose a simple one herb blend, request a custom blend, or even just visiting to learn more about the process or science behind it all. My packaging is also decomposable or recyclable, so I can help reduce at least some of the carbon footprint our plants work so hard to remove.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
I grow and tend to my products personally and organically! I care for each herb in my gardens utilizing personal experience, wisdom from family, and knowledge from college. The specific college I graduated from at the University of Minnesota was called the College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Sciences.
Some of my herbs are even started by seed in a controlled environment before entering my outdoor gardens. I enjoy tending to the plants personally so I can control the care and journey each herb goes through and ensure they are healthy and held to a high standard for sharing!
The greatest lesson I have learned in this growing process is to further practice patience and that at the end of the day, growing herbs is similar to a dance. You give it a little of this (some sun, water, care), and they will give you a little of that (a great harvest, nutrients, enjoyment). Patience is key, and participating in the herbal tea growing process is quite worthwhile – from planting, cutting, drying, to anticipating new growth, then doing it all over again :) I love the process of creating homegrown blends!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I started Enjoy initially on Etsy, then branched out to Instagram and Facebook. I wanted to be able to share pictures of the herbs and the beauty of the nature around them in addition to the platform I would be selling the teas on. I am also able to share information regarding my business and the specific herbs I sell to help those I connect with better understand Enjoy. By having a social media presence, I am able to reach out and connect with more people!
It was amazing to see the support from family, friends, and even those I hadn’t yet met begin to follow my online presence for my business! I would encourage anyone who is diving into their business to take plenty of pictures representing your authentic business and sharing their online presence with family and friends to enjoy with you! I like to showcase the peacefulness behind the process along with the end results. I’ll also share new releases and what people can expect from Enjoy! I am sure to respond to messages or emails I receive in a timely manner in case there are any questions I can assist with or so I can better understand the desires of those who reach out to me! Social media has really helped Enjoy stay in touch with folks and holistically showcase what Enjoy has to offer!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EnjoyMooneys
- Instagram: enjoymooneys
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoymooneys
Image Credits
McKayla Mooney, Enjoy