GRANBY — The word “bitter” can draw negative connotations. But through incorporating it into her store’s name, Kelly Bernier, owner of Bitter Day Herbals in Granby, hopes to encourage people to rethink the often-held aversion to the flavor.
“We don’t eat enough bitter foods, usually because people don’t like how they taste,” Bernier said. “And a lot of wild herbs, when you bite into them, they’re bitter … But here in America, we love the sour, the salty, the sweet.”
Bernier, 24, is a bioregional herbalist and holistic nutrition counselor, as well as a full-time graduate student studying mindfulness at Lesley University in Cambridge. Bernier currently sells her Bitter Day Herbals products online, but in around two weeks, she plans to open a walk-in location for the herb shop at 181 West St. in Granby.
Herbalists tout bitterness as a taste found in some of the healthiest herbs, such as dandelions, which Bernier harvests on local farms including Brookfield Farm and Next Barn Over Farm in Amherst. Some nearby residents have also volunteered their yards for Bernier’s harvesting, she said.
Bernier said that she tries to use local resources whenever possible, also harvesting about eight to 10 other herbs locally, including chickweed, nettles, jewelweed and Japanese knotwood. In addition to selling dry herbs — she carries over 70 different varieties in her store — Bernier creates her own products, such as a dandelion warming salve and sweet birch cooling salve.
Bernier began working with herbs about two years ago, when she sought alternatives to certain traditional western medicines that were causing her to experience negative side effects. As she experimented with remedies, Bernier completed an eight-month apprenticeship through Milk and Honey Herbs in Shutesbury and created a dandelion warming salve as one of her first products.
“I made it because I knew that dandelions could help warm up muscles when you have aches and pains,” Bernier said, “and I’m somebody who likes to have a warm compress on me when I’m sore … so I was like, OK, what can I make so I can put something on me every day instead of taking an ibuprofen or a Tylenol? And so I made this salve, and it worked wonders.”
Bernier gave the salve to family and friends, who also noticed results.
“That’s kind of where the enthusiasm started,” Bernier said,” “Like, OK, I can sell this stuff. I can make this a business.”
Bernier’s business ambitions gained a boost when she entered a contest for a Harold Grinspoon Concept Award as an undergraduate at Bay Path University. She entered the competition, which invites students to put forward their business ideas, expecting a simple prize such as a sweatshirt. Instead, she found herself under the guidance of seasoned business professionals, including Grinspoon himself, the founder of the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation.
Through opening the walk-in location, Bernier said that customers will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves more closely with the herbal products before making a purchase. The shop will also save Granby locals from needing to make the trek to communities such as Northampton or Chicopee for herbs, she added.
“People want to touch. They want to smell, they want to see,” Bernier said. “It’s part of the marketing world.”
Bernier’s parents own the West State Street building, where her parents operate Something Special Catering Service. With her family’s support, Bernier said that opening the walk-in location was a “no brainer.”
The shop is tentatively set to be open Friday and Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.