Pixie Doodle Farm
Erika Boudreau-Barbee and Joseph “Joe” Dale Harris
www.pixiedoodlefarm.com
Embarking on a healing journey steeped in the aroma of herbal tea, Erika Boudreau-Barbee and Joseph “Joe” Dale Harris, the dynamic duo behind Pixie Doodle Farm, are rewriting the script of health and wellness. Through their unique tea blends and guided healing practices, they bring the holistic and natural approaches to healing found in cultures around the world to people in America. The story of Pixie Doodle Farm and its founders is one of fierce determination and shows the importance of balancing passion with pragmatism to ensure long-term success.
Before Pixie Doodle Farm, Erika and Joe were both performers who lost their primary sources of income when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Seeking solace during these times, they turned to another of their passions: herbalism. With their knowledge of herbal remedies and their benefits, Erika and Joe felt that the Western model of healthcare – which emphasizes pharmaceutical interventions – lacked the natural remedies that were so common throughout the rest of the world. While modern medicine has its place in treating more intense ailments, it often prescribes unnecessary treatments in cases where all it would take to improve someone’s health is a simple cup of herbal tea. Recognizing an opportunity to share their passion and cultivate the tea culture that the United States lacked, Erika and Joe decided to transition from life partners into business partners and founded Pixie Doodle Farm.
Pixie Doodle Farm specializes in creating handcrafted herbal tea blends using herbs sourced from reputable organic suppliers. Each tea blend is designed to elicit a specific effect and is influenced by the herbal traditions of cultures from around the world. The tea blends are packaged using compostable, reusable, and recycled materials, avoiding all plastics. Products are sold online and in person at pop-up markets regularly throughout New England. In addition to selling tea blends, Pixie Doodle Farm also offers guided meditation, reiki, and other energy-healing sessions.
As Pixie Doodle Farm grew, it became necessary for Erika and Joe to find a larger and better-equipped space for them to work in. After asking around, one of their performer friends told them about the Entrepreneur Space (E-Space), a food and business incubator in Long Island City operated by the QEDC. While they only expected to have a new space to work out of, they were surprised to find that being at the E-Space yielded additional benefits. They began receiving email blasts from the QEDC notifying them of potential programs and opportunities for their business. Through one of these emails, they found out about the Cultivate Small Business Program run by Santander Bank in partnership with Babson College. This program provides early-stage entrepreneurs in the food industry with a chance to receive a substantial business education and capital grants to fund their business ventures. This program was a turning point for Joe and Erika, arming them with the business knowledge they previously lacked and yielding them $11 thousand in grant money. It was also through the QEDC that Erika and Joe found out about the JFK holiday pop-up market, which they sold at last year.
With their ever-increasing success, they can now pursue many of the ambitious plans they’ve previously had to put aside. Most significantly, they recently bought a five-acre plot of land in Bethel, NY where they plan to build a homestead to cultivate herbs themselves and conduct wellness and healing activities on a larger scale. Looking further into the future, Erika and Joe eventually want to create a Pixie Doodle Farm brick-and-mortar store to sell their teas and conduct more community outreach to educate people about herbalism and its benefits. Erika and Joe’s journey with Pixie Doodle Farm is one defined by resilience, and it teaches us that anything is possible with some passion and a little support.