To really understand what Bernie’s Herbals is and why it means so much to me, I have to take you back to the beginning of my journey. It’s not just about creating products that taste great and are good for you — it’s about offering something that makes people feel better, inside and out. And for me, that journey has been deeply personal.
I’m Elizabeth Gonzalez, and in 2019, my husband, Mike Bernardini, and I launched Bernie’s Herbals (originally Bernie’s Basics) — a venture rooted in our shared passion for plant medicine, wellness, and good food. But our story didn’t start with business. It started with health, healing, and a series of moments that would change my life forever.
When Mike and I met in 2014, he was already deeply immersed in the world of traditional plant medicine. He’d studied La’au lapa ‘au (Hawaiian plant medicine) in Oahu under Kumu Ohai and was known among friends and family for crafting tea blends that he called his “plant warriors” — his way of seeking the support of plants for healing. Mike was obsessed with making food from scratch and supporting his body with the same natural, sustainable ingredients that had kept people healthy for centuries.
As for me, I was in the midst of my own health journey. At 19, I was diagnosed with Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that brought constant pain, fatigue, and arthritic flare-ups that made even standing or walking difficult. There were times when I couldn’t use my hands due to the excruciating pain, and I relied on a cane just to get around. I couldn’t drive, and there were days I couldn’t even feed myself because my hands were too swollen and stiff to make a fist. My doctors warned me that my symptoms would worsen over time and that I would likely spend the rest of my life on medication just to manage the pain. The possibility of having children one day seemed bleak.
But life had other plans. By some “accidental” luck, I found myself living near organic farms in Santa Barbara, CA, and began working at the local farmer’s market. Sometimes I was paid in food, which meant I had access to the freshest, organic produce I’d ever eaten. Over time, my eating habits changed without me even realizing it. I began to notice that certain foods seemed to reduce my flare-ups and others made them worse. I started experimenting with what I ate, documenting my health, and eventually discovering something my doctors had dismissed: food mattered. I had no formal nutrition training at the time, but I was determined to understand how my body responded to food.
Fast forward 14 years, and by the time Mike and I met, I had transformed my health through food and nutrition. My doctors couldn’t believe it — my blood work came back showing almost no signs of Lupus. My inflammation was minimal, and there were no significant markers of the disease. In fact, by the time I turned 33, my doctors were puzzled. They couldn’t understand how I had ever had Lupus in the first place. If I hadn’t kept a detailed log of everything I ate, did, and felt over the years, they would have been skeptical that I’d ever had the disease at all.
It was during this transformative period of healing that Mike and I began talking more and more about our shared love for plants, food, and wellness. Mike’s deep knowledge of plant medicine and my own health journey created the perfect foundation for Bernie’s Herbals. We were inspired to create products that honored nature’s ability to heal, just as it had healed me. We wanted to share the power of clean, anti-inflammatory, gut-healthy ingredients with others, not just in the form of food, but in teas, tinctures, and wellness products that made people feel better — from the inside out.
In 2015, a miracle happened when we became pregnant with our first child. In order to help manage my inflammation during my pregnancy, Mike created a ginger soda made with herbs and raw honey. It became a life-saver. We searched non-stop for similar products on the market, but couldn’t find anything that came close. This was when we realized how important these herbal blends were to us, and we began crafting our first signature blends. This sparked our journey to bring healthful, healing foods and drinks to others.
But our path was not without heartbreak. In 2019, we were blessed to get pregnant again. But this time, we faced a devastating blow we couldn’t have prepared for. At 5 months pregnant, I went into early labor and gave birth to our son, Malcolm Guido Bernardini. He was born too early, and on the same day we got to hold him in our arms, we had to say goodbye.
This unimaginable loss cemented our resolve to share our tea blends, which had helped us through our grief and pain. Our mission became clear: to share the power of plants, healing, and nourishment with the world. It was a way to honor our son’s memory and create something beautiful out of our sorrow.
This devastating loss reshaped us, deepened our purpose, and gave us the courage to bring our tea blends into the world. The blend we created to help us through that time, Everyday Rising, became a symbol of hope and strength. It was a blend that supported both our nervous systems and our stamina—emotionally, mentally, and physically.
In 2020, during the pandemic, we found solace and purpose in Oahu, where we began selling our tea blends at the Waialua Farmers Market. It was here, amidst the heat of the island and the warmth of the local community, that our business began to grow. As Mike perfected his sourdough pizza recipes, which caught the attention of national pizza critics, we also continued to deepen our commitment to quality and healing through food.
For several years we worked at Farmers Markets selling our tea blends and sourdough pizza and wholesaling our tea through grocery stores on the island.
In 2022, we began working with Let Grace In, a nonprofit organization supporting families who have experienced the loss of a child. This partnership not only helped us heal but also gave us the opportunity to give back. We launched our “Dough Therapy” workshops, using the act of making bread as a therapeutic practice. Through these workshops, we were able to share the healing power of food with others who were walking their own difficult paths.
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Today, Bernie’s Herbals continues to grow and evolve. We now offer our teas and workshops back in our home state of Pennsylvania, where we are dedicated to offering the highest-quality, nutrient-dense products that promote healing from the inside out. Our tea blends are always crafted with the best ingredients, hand-selected for their health benefits, and we remain steadfast in our mission to provide food and drink that helps lower inflammation, heal the gut, and strengthen the body.
At the core of Bernie’s Herbals is a simple belief: everyone should have access to food that makes you feel good. We are here to share our heart-healing, soul-strengthening tea blends, our gut-healing foods, and our passion for wellness with the world. We invite you to join us on this journey of healing, nourishment, and community.
Thank you for being a part of our story. Together, we rise.
With love and gratitude,
Elizabeth Gonzalez
Founder, Bernie’s Herbals
Co Founder, For the People Bread & Tea Shop