Mocean Maté: New Made-in-Vermont Energy Tea

By
Mocean Maté
Posted October 14th, 2010

Megan Walsh of Rootwise Herbals and Skye Nacel of Mocean365 have teamed up to create a bottled energy tea called Mocean Maté (pronounced Motion Matay). The Morrisville, VT, residents started with a base of yerba maté, a stimulating plant native to South America, and infused it with an additional organic herbal blend, for stamina, endurance and immune system support.
The 16-ounce glass bottled drinks are sweetened with Vermont pure maple syrup, which Walsh and Nacel believe adds to the drink’s distinctive taste and potency. Walsh, a certified clinical herbalist and RN says, “Yerba maté, on its own, is amazing, and the herbal blend that we developed was hand-picked to fortify the tea and deliver an amazing potion!” Nacel adds, “We love yerba maté and want to share our love with everyone we can!”
The two picked the slogan, “Energize Your Adventures”™ during a recent surf trip to Central America, as they hiked into remote surf breaks through villages filled with wide-eyed kids who would eventually become their new friends. Nacel says, “Travel, adventure, and living life as fully as possible has driven my life’s work, and this new business will be a reflection of that.” He added, “We hope as much to educate, inform and inspire people to look around the corner for a new adventure, stay strong in mind, body and spirit, and do their best to live a fun and happy life.”
Walsh, 33, has been running her business, Rootswise Herbals, since 1998, and does herbal consultations, teaches classes and seminars, and sells a line of natural products, including loose-leaf tea that is available throughout Northern New England. She believes in a holistic and hands-on approach to healing, preventing problems before they start, and working with people and where they are in their lives. These roles, in addition to her farming and growing experience, bring a solid foundation to the duo’s project. “Not only do we want to inspire people to keep moving and searching for that new adventure, but we also want to provide the nourishing and sustaining fuel so they can keep on doing just that. That’s why we chose the herbs that we did, to support the body’s many incredible functions,” adds Walsh.
Nacel, 38, specializes in movement coaching and training, and adventure photography and video production as Mocean365. He leads regular outdoor fitness classes, teaches at seminars, camps and clinics, and has hosted and been a film maker for outdoor adventure TV in addition to a myriad of other movement and adventure-based projects throughout a 15-year career. He feels his background will help the new business as they create a small team of athletes and ambassadors to not only help promote the brand, but the ideals of living a fun, active and healthy lifestyle. The two have plans for future products, but plan to grow slowly and stay efficient, while staying connected with the community and their customers. Nacel says, “We want to develop future products, while striving to march to our own beat. My mother has produced a specialty food for 20 plus years (Vegetaball’s Farm Pesto) and is a model of keeping things simple and effective without bowing down to the norm.”
The drink is currently available at retailers throughout Vermont as well as accounts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. These range from health food stores to outdoor shops to restaurants. They are currently producing their Energy Tea at LACE Community Kitchen in Barre, VT. The various marketing efforts of Mocean Maté include sponsoring local events and ventures such as the Vermont Mountain Bike Festival, The Mad Dash Adventure Race in St Johnsbury, The Magic Wheel Bicycle Center and The Johnson Skate Park Jump Jam along with music festivals such as Manifestivus and Rhino Fest. Their sponsorship is often hands-on in the form of effort and support for the events, not just sending product. Check them out at www.moceanmate.com.