Most tea is grown along the equator. But Light of Day Organic Farm and Tea Shop is near the 45th Parallel in southern Leelanau County. It’s the only tea farm in Michigan.
Over its 21 years in operation, Light of Day has garnered a positive reputation among locals, and business was booming this weekend. Founder and owner Angela Macke briefly stepped away from the register to explain to the newspaper how she runs a successful tea shop in the Midwest.
Macke said they’re the only tea farm in North America to be certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture and certified biodynamic by Demeter International. Put more simply, they are “certifi ed to the highest standard for commercially grown food.”
Light of Day occupies about 65 acres of land on M-72 south of Cedar, and Macke says they have about a thousand tea shrubs growing in their hoop houses. They need to grow a lot of plants to make their products, which include matcha tea, white teas, tisanes or herbal teas, and more.
“The reason Light of Day is the only one doing this, that we know of, (is that) tea grows near the equator. It’s a long way from its native origins. But also, it’s so labor intensive. It is considered the most labor-intensive agricultural crop,” Macke said.
The profitability of tea often hinges on slave labor and exploitation, Macke says, which is why tea plantations largely disappeared in the U.S. after slavery was formally abolished in 1865. She says most tea is currently grown in countries with weak labor laws, like China, India, Nepal, and Tibet.
Macke says growers must handpick 70,000 tealeaves for every one pound of tea. She says it takes as much as four days to pick and process a pound of tea – an estimated $640 in labor. According to Macke, they sell their tea for much less than that. For her and her small staff, it’s “a labor of love.”
Macke’s background is nursing. She graduated from Western Michigan University and the Bronson School of Nursing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and worked in Munson Healthcare. She discovered the health benefits of tea while striving for a more holistic lifestyle after graduating, and she used to recommend teas to patients.
“Tea improves cognitive function, is mood elevating, (and) increases your killer T-cells to help support your autoimmune system,” Macke said. “It’s an anti-platelets aggregate. It keeps the platelets from being clumpy, from sticking to each other, so it prevents stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, (and) deep vein thrombosis.”
“It’s so great for memory, mood, energy – it really gives you a little boost of energy without a lot of caffeine,” Macke continued.
Herbal tea can also help
Courtesy photo reduce inflammation, and nearly every disease has an inflammatory component, Macke said.
Macke is a religious woman, and sometimes talks about enjoying tea in a spiritual context. She identifies as Catholic and quotes Saint Thomas Aquinas. But she’s also interested in Zen Buddhism, and not just because Buddhist Monks introduced matcha tea to medieval Japan, where it was popularized.
“I respect all religions. Middle Way Buddhism is something that I think is so relatable. Karmic returns, and loving others as yourself – Jesus preached that too,” Macke said.
Light of Day Organics has a meditation garden where visitors can enjoy their drinks. Recently, they hosted members of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians to observe the winter solstice in the tribal religious tradition.
When the weather gets warmer, in May through September, Macke hosts “tea classes,” where registrants can sample different teas and see the farm. For more information on visiting options, visit the farm’s website at lightofdayorganics. com.
