Meet the team behind HejGro, say hello to Pavla, that’s me! Yes I am team. Ok I admit it, I get helpers during the busy seasons but other than that I create the recipes, I do the foraging, the cooking, the packaging, the customer service, the sales, the marketing, all of it.

Now let me tell you a bit about my background. I grew up in Czech Republic, it was still Czechoslovakia back then a communist country. We had no access to western products, or tv, fashion, or anything else. People had no idea about healthy food and most children’s diet consisted of white wheat, dairy products and sugar. I had lots of health issues when I was little n now in my adult life I worked out my body doesn’t like milk products, or much of wheat, and refined sugar doesn’t make me fell that great (especially after the initial sugar spike). And that’s why my products don’t contain any of those ingredients.

The other side of living in a communism was more positive or me. There was still the strongly felt connection with nature. Everyone knew we can eat Nettles, and Dandelions. Nettle soup in spring wasn’t a quirky adventure, it was common. My grandma would always send me out to fetch her herbs for stomach pain or this and that. As a 10 year old I knew them all, St. John’s Worth and Yarrow were all around growing wildly, Lemon Balm and Ladies Mantle were planted in our garden… They were all my friends, little beings in pretty green and colourful dresses. And they still are my friends. I talk to them when I go picking. I voice my gratitudes to the woods every time I pick Wild Garlic to make my pesto for you.

I’ve moved to UK many years ago I love the countryside here. I’m blessed to have all my friends here too! The spring greens are out already, Cleavers with their sticky coat cling to me whispering “I am you and you are me, let me clean your body this spring”. Anybody else here is a fan of cleavers water? I’m very lucky for my passion became my profession. I love my work! And I love sharing my knowledge and all the goodness of our native plants with you. Thank you mother earth for being so bountiful.