Gaia Herbs, which operates its Mills River distribution and manufacturing facility south of Asheville and a 350-acre farm in Brevard County, escaped comparatively unscathed and has already begun to emerge from a deluge that introduced flash floods, landslides, highway closures, energy outages and water system disruptions to the area.
“First and most significantly, I’m relieved to tell you that every one 252 Gaia Herbs workers and their households are secure,” Kyle Bliffert, CEO at Gaia Herbs, shared in an announcement issued on Oct. 1. “The problem now’s offering energy and recent water. We’re working collectively to offer our workers with the mandatory provides.”
The Mills River achievement amenities had been closed within the wake of the storm for security evaluation, however the firm continues to obtain orders via its web site and deal with inquiries by electronic mail till cellphone service returns.
“We acknowledge it will delay shipments of any orders positioned prior to now week and thanks in your persistence as we focus our attentions on recovering our native space,” the corporate posted on LinkedIn.
In an Oct. 4 replace, Gaia shared that energy had been restored and that it was testing crucial programs together with bottling and achievement programs. Whereas the security of workers and their households stays first precedence, Gaia is activating its automated robotics selecting system to start delivery a restricted variety of orders shortly.
The farm was additionally spared main influence. A small creek that runs via the property overflowed, inflicting some erosion and flood injury, however a lot of the herbs had been harvested previous to the storm, Bliffert knowledgeable.
Among the many herbs rising in Brevard—some cultivated, some wild harvested—are American skullcap, ashwagandha, astragalus, bacopa, black cohosh, California poppy, Chinese language skullcap, echinacea, ginseng, ginkgo, goldenseal, gotu kola, grindelia, hawthorne, holy basil, lemon balm, nettle, oats, parsley, passionflower, valerian and vervain.
The Gaia greenhouse, which is nursing lots of subsequent season’s herbs, had been working on a generator since Sept. 27, and crews shortly jumped into clean-up mode.
“We’re working to revive the farm to its pure magnificence and can be able to plant these herbs on time subsequent Spring,” Gaia stated. “Our Gaian household, our Farm, and our firm are resilient, and we notice how lucky we’re to have the ability to share the excellent news that our employees is secure, and our amenities obtained minimal injury.”
Gaia will proceed to replace its social media platforms as restoration efforts proceed and the corporate returns to full operations within the coming weeks.
