Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Joseph
Hi Monica, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The idea for Lakay Goods simply came from necessity. Though I had always loved tea, COVID intensified my dependability on holistic medicine overall. At the very beginning stages it was clear that many Americans felt mis-informed and ill equipped for the pandemic. Being away from my close family I felt stranded as well. People were dying by the second and I had no idea for to prevent it or equip my body to defend itself. So I quickly started digging and leaned on my family. There the journey began with me realizing that the work had already been completed by my Haitian ancestors who maintained their health through herbal medicine using indigenous plants for generations.
As a Haitian American, I felt a deep responsibility to acknowledge them but also be a conduit so that anyone and everyone can have access and enjoy the benefit of the work of our ancestors. I believe the information should be readily available so that is continues to be passed down through future generations.
The shop is not just for the Haitian people, it serves my family and friends as well. It ensures that we stay connected, informed and most importantly healthy. I pride myself on sustainably sourcing our products and providing them ready for use, pure and unrefined.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not! Starting a company while the world was on lockdown was pretty tough. There was very limited opportunity to get facetime with my customers. I had no previous experience with running business, marketing, sales, etc. On top of that this is my passion project, and I still have had to maintain a 9-5. Running a business has taught me so much about accountability and prioritizing! Lastly, Ive also had major issue importing goods from Haiti. The political climate has gotten worse every year. Its been very hard to transport large amounts of goods from our local vendors. Ports/airport have shutdown multiple times where we couldn’t get product. This is an issue we still have today. I was super reluctant, but I had to pivot our original intent very quickly to keep the store alive. We now sell Haitian goods on a “while supplies last basis” when we can get shipments. For the most part our products contains domestically sourced organic ingredients. But all in all the support of family, friends and the community I’ve created through this brand I have hope to keep going.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Lakay Goods specializes in herbal tea. All of our blend are Haitian inspired from the names to the herbs used in the blends themselves. I am very proud to have some of the herbs sourced from Haiti. Also very proud of our iced tea pop up bar we introduced this past summer. It was a hit! What sets us apart is not only the delicious flavors but the thought, countless hours of research and testing that went into creating these blends. Each blend has their properties that help with certain ailments and symptoms, and every herb in the blend compliments the other to achieve a wellness goal.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see us eventually open a brick and mortar flex space. The space will have a tea shop but also serve the community. We will have books and artist talks and a variety of wellness events for the community as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lakaygoods.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lakaygoods
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lakaygoods
- Other: Tiktok @Lakaygoods
