Herbal Refreshment
by Kim O'brien
Reprinted with permission from Santa Barbara Food & Home Magazine
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In speaking with Caroline MacDougall about her nationally distributed line of herbal coffee, one might think she was describing the flavor nuances of a fine cabernet- “Dark roasted notes of carob, barley and chicory, accented with the nuttiness of roasted almonds and a hint of sweetness from dates and figs.” This distinctive beverage answers to the name of Teeccino, and represents more than 20 years of experience in the herb industry, extensive world travels, plus a little inspiration from Caroline’s entrepreneurial great grandmother Alice Foote MacDougall. Not to mention, a firm commitment to helping caffeine-sensitive individuals improve their lives without sacrificing the satisfaction of a hot cup of (almost) java.
Caroline’s career education began at age 19, perusing books about herbs and natural medicines that were sold in the natural foods store where she worked in Palo Alto, California. She was particularly drawn to the studies of world-renowned herbalist Juilette de Bairacli Levy. “She traveled the world living with nomadic and tribal people learning their herb lore,” she explains. “She made herbs fascinating, mysterious, and above all healthy!” Caroline told Juilette of her admiration in a letter, and in response received an invitation for an apprenticeship. For the next few years, Caroline spent various periods of time learning about herbs from one of the world’s foremost authorities. At the same time, her own career was taking off.
By then, Caroline was importing herbs from several international sources as one of the founding members of Celestial Seasonings. “It was very fun for a young 20 year-old,” she admits, although after a few years in the executive world, she turned to nature for guidance. She explains of her next career move, “After being very corporate for awhile I needed to get my hands in the dirt. So I became a gardener in the north of Scotland. I was 25, and feeling pressure to figure out what to do with my life.” She spent the next few years traveling through Europe, touching down in Scotland, Holland, and England (home to the world’s best gardeners, she insists), and developing a number of herbal product lines along the way.
Caroline enjoys getting her hands dirty - in the early 1990’s, she made frequent trips to the rain forest areas of Mexico and Costa Rica, harvesting herbs for tea. “The poor families there have been pushed onto marginal land and have limited options for crops they can grow,” she relates. “So I went and helped them find herbs they could harvest from the nearby rain forest, and taught them how to prepare the herbs for tea. It was very fulfilling.” Her travels and education continued, and over the next few years she developed nearly 100 herbal blends for a number of major tea companies, including a caffeine-free chai that’s famous in the industry.
By the mid-1990s, intrigued by the newly developing coffee craze, as well as her own sensitivity to caffeine, Caroline set out to create a completely “unleaded” cappuccino. While formulating the recipe came naturally for the herbal expert (although interesting to note, the most popular Vanilla Nut flavor actually preceded “Original”), most of the initial challenge lay in preparing the herbs so they could be brewed according to the same rituals as coffee. “I had to do my own roasting and grinding, then find wholesalers who could do it for me. This wasn’t something that anyone else was doing with these ingredients at the time.” Nine months later, the first four flavors of Teeccino were born.
Besides managing a flourishing career, Caroline has also raised two sons, exercises regularly, travels frequently, and is involved in various organizations around town. “I never expected to live anywhere for so long,” she says of her 24 years in Santa Barbara. “I just love the Mediterranean climate, plus it’s the heart of the natural food world. I’d like to root myself here.” High praise from someone who spent more than 10 years planting and replanting herself in various international soils.
A defining member of the herbal industry, an ambitious entrepreneur and an avid philanthropist, Caroline certainly is an inspiration. “Coffee has been around forever and will be around forever,” she says, in coffee’s defense. “It’s really a respectable little drink. But I wanted to help people who are caffeine sensitive - many who don’t even know it - to improve their lives.”
Great Grandma Alice would be proud.
what about decaf?
One might be tempted to point out that decaffeinated coffee does appear to exist already - at least according to Starbucks anyway. As Caroline will quickly explain, even decaf coffee carries traces of caffeine, is highly acidic, and is processed with chemicals-which means it can still induce anxiety, insomnia, and other symptoms in caffeine-sensitive types. Besides being entirely caffeine-free, Teeccino is alkaline, all natural, and contains potassium, a natural energy booster.
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The Teeccino Sampler Pack
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