Twigs Naturals Locally made, naturally!

“When Mummy cooked, I was always sent to the garden to pick fresh herbs. We grew up hearing that we should plant things that we can eat,” Nigel recollects. For himself, he chose to plant aromatics such as basil, varieties of mint, rosemary, and thyme.

One Saturday not long ago, Nigel had a craft project with his son. “We made teabags from coffee filters and had afternoon tea; that was the start of Twigs Naturals. After being part of Cariri’s Business Hatchery Programme where most of the product development was done, we moved to commercialisation about six months ago.”

Nigel is the CEO of Twigs Naturals (twigsnaturals.com), a company that has a range of local teas and seasonings, using “the oldest method of food preservation known to man”: dehydration. Having cultivated professional relationships with farmers in Paramin, Cascade, and Central Trinidad, Twigs Naturals’ supplies come straight from the source.

“We then wash and dry in our electric dehydrators,” Nigel explains of the process of making Twigs products, adding that this process ensures a uniform removal of moisture and intensifies the flavour of his dried concentrates. The only items in his product range that are not grown locally are his green tea and garlic offerings.

“Nature gave us everything that we need; Twigs Naturals just makes it convenient,” Nigel says of his company’s promise to its customers. Their ready-to-drink teabags and seasonings are sold in convenient re-sealable plastic-lined paper pouches that maintain freshness and all the products are packaged in environmentally friendly materials.

“For our Tea Stations, we provide compostable, biodegradable Vegware cups and covers made from recycled materials. The signage we use are made from reclaimed wood and hand painted by a local artisan and the baskets at our point of sale are handmade right here in TT from Vetivier grass,” he shares of the ways Twigs Naturals promotes sustainable living through their business practices.

He credits growing up with influences from Moruga for his appreciation of nature and natural remedies. “My grandmother, like most other grandmothers, would have a herbal remedy for every ailment. Unfortunately, not all had a good taste,” he recounts, making sure to highlight that Twigs Naturals presents flavour profiles that not only taste great but add to overall health and wellbeing. “We toss out the myth that something good for you should taste yucky.”

The brand does not use preservatives, fillers or salt in any of their products and the teas are not “flavoured” or powdered like other commercial counterparts; they contain actual pieces of leaves and organic material.

Among the many varieties of teas offered by Twigs Naturals, customers may choose from Lemongrass, Bamboo, Ginger, and Caribbean Citrine Tea (a unique blend of lemongrass and orange peel).

For Christmas 2016, Nigel shares they have unveiled their Caribbean Christmas Tea, a blend of Wild Hibiscus (sorrel) and Anise, a classic flavour profile many Trinis adore. Likewise, the brand’s line of seasonings is not made from powders but leaves and flakes, “just as you would use if you had your own kitchen garden and were preparing your favourite dish.”

While at its advent Twigs Naturals carried only teas, the company has evolved to providing a

range of seasonings including dried pimentos, garlic flakes, dried rosemary, lemongrass, and dried thyme. These offerings and the fact that over 90% of Twigs’ inventory is grown on home soil is what sets the company apart, Nigel says.

“We have a product for just about anybody’s palette. If you’re not a tea drinker, everyone loves a great tasting pot so our seasonings [are available] as well,” he comments on the accessibility of his products.

Also available are gift sets, which include a variety of teas or seasonings paired with other handmade local items such as ceramics and wooden kitchen utensils, keeping in the vein of the brand’s natural and local products.

“Our products are all based on local favourites that we as a people already know and love; there is no better place to source them than right here so we can proudly place the red, white, and black on our packaging: ‘Product of Trinidad and Tobago’,” he says of the pride he and the brand take in supporting and providing local goods that are of high quality and bene_ cial to overall health.

Growing up in the 80s, Nigel remembers Trinbagonians being more reliant on our homegrown food basket – a tradition that he laments has seen a waning in recent times.

“Young people need to see the value of agriculture, not only to our economy at large but as a viable and honourable means to earn a living,” he says of his hope for a return to such practices of living off our lands and having pride in local food production that can sustain our citizenry.

As for Twigs Naturals’ future, Nigel says there’s only expansion on his mind. He hopes to introduce more signature blends of both his tea and seasonings and is keeping a close eye on the demands and wishes of his clientele for other product ranges that are available here at home. He also shares his hopes that in the near future Twigs will be supplying its products to friends and family abroad for an authentic taste of the Caribbean.

“We strive to give our customers the flavour of going out into their own kitchen garden for ingredients to prepare their favourite cup of tea or dish,” he says of his brand’s ultimate goal; a way of connecting tradition with ease, natural products, and flavours that are timeless.

Twigs Naturals can be found on Facebook and Instagram.