MONEY

Herbal shop spawns Phoenix restaurant

Georgann Yara
Special for the abg | azcentral.com

When Kita Centella split from the herbal shop franchise she had been running for four years to launch her own separate herb business, transitioning wasn't as simple as one would assume.

Owners Nick Brown and Kita Centella at their restaurant Sage Kitchen, which is conjoined with their Chakra 4 Herb Company store, in Phoenix.

Unlike most franchises that are structured with firm policies for the sake of uniformity, Centella discovered the one she had been part of was not. This provided an unexpectedly big learning curve when she opened Chakra 4 Herb Company in 2006 .

Not having those boundaries, however, also allowed the herbalist to be creative without fear of making mistakes.

"I had to create everything as I went along. I had to start a new website, have a new name… I didn't have an HR manual," said the Phoenix business owner. "But, I didn't know what I didn't know."

Centella's go-with-the-flow entrepreneurial approach aligned with her easy-going personality. The combination ultimately resulted in two Chakra 4 locations plus a full-service organic vegetarian/vegan restaurant, Sage Kitchen , which began as an extension of the herb store.

In the early years, Centella ran a single 748-square foot shop. Currently, she and business partner Nick Brown command two shops and the restaurant that encompass 2,734-square feet. Total sales have grown 263 percent since she first opened, according to company data.

Chakra 4's vast inventory is comprised of countless herbs and combinations used for healing, health improvement or teas. Individual items can range from $3 for a small measurement of herbs to $56 for aromatherapy products. The average sale rings in at about $20-$30 .

Chakra 4's herb capsules and tinctures have helped relieve customer Tammy Wentworth's high blood pressure and allergy symptoms. Her naturopathic doctor suggested trying herbal remedies.

"I had gone to western doctors and medicines did not help. With my doctor, Chakra 4 has totally addressed the situations," said Wentworth, who lives in Fountain Hills.

Wentworth recalled when a mix-up at the post office lost her monthly supply of tinctures used to treat her high blood pressure. Brown drove out to personally deliver them so she didn't miss a dose.

"They always have outstanding customer service and a true caring for their customers," she said. "I have great confidence in their products."

In 2011, Centella met Brown, whose marketing, branding and website expertise has been instrumental in Chakra 4's growth. He helped open the second location in Ahwatukee Foothills. In that same year, the hard-working pair started dating and have been in a professional and personal relationship ever since.

"When I first met Kita, her energy was impossible to ignore. And that level of passion she had for what she does, it was irresistible," Brown said.

Brown described their businesses as an extension of them, with one feeding off the other and putting their hearts into their venture.

"Because neither of us sleep a lot, it works really well," Centella said, laughing. "We focus so much on the business, so it intermingles.

A native of Connecticut, Centella was in her 20's when she thought she was simply passing through Arizona in 1980. After exploring the geography and getting to know the people, she fell in love with the state and chose to stay.

Centella's background was predominantly in the restaurant industry. She had been fascinated by plants since the age of 16, when her grandmother gave her a plant that got rid of poison ivy symptoms. She read a book by an herbalist and that interest grew.

In Arizona, she made Native American friends who mentored her and taught her more about the properties of plants. She went on to complete a western herbalism program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and taught herbal medicine classes.

In 2002, Centella purchased an herbal shop franchise and four years later legally separated to launch Chakra 4.

An avid tea drinker, Phyllis Lane was shocked when a blood test a couple of years ago showed a very high levels of the hormone estradiol. After some research, Lane discovered her beloved tea purchased from a retail shop was filled with pesticides.

Her quest to find a healthy option led her to Chakra 4, where she purchased organic teas and brewed at home. She also got into healing herbs. A year later, a blood test showed all hormone levels were normal.

"It was unbelievable. I feel really good," said Lane, who lives in Phoenix. "They are very knowledgeable and the owners are awesome. "

Customers' needs sparked the restaurant that, with a rebranding in 2014, would become Sage Kitchen. Centella realized that many of her herbal customers didn't have a proper diet. She found herself advising them about their eating habits and customers asking about food. Friends suggested she open a café.

Centella took over the adjacent space and in 2008, added the restaurant and renamed her business the Chakra 4 and Tea House . She developed all the recipes. They proved popular and that side of her business grew. The growth resulted in Centella and Brown officially separating the businesses.

Last year, Sage Kitchen officially launched with inventive plates that don't rely on faux meat and instead uses recipes that craft "sausage" out of white beans and transforms cashews into a pie that tastes like cheesecake.

Convincing the public to give this cuisine a try is somewhat easier than it was when Centella first opened.

"In the beginning, vegetarianism and healthy eating had the reputation of being bland… big chunks of raw tomato and zucchini. It's been a big task of ours to change the public perception," Centella said.

Brown added, "A lot of people are not expecting it to be so good. They're shocked. They're not vegetarian but they come in anyway."

Making the overall environment of the restaurant and Chakra 4 more approachable has been key to success.

"A lot of our customer service is taking something that's complicated and distilling it down so the average person can get excited to try it. It can be intimidating so we've worked hard to make it accessible and for people to feel comfortable," Brown said.

Centella said, "It's not a weird, hippy, avant garde thing. Anyone can do this."

Chakra 4 Herb Company

Where: 4769 North 20th St., 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix

Employees: 10

Interesting stat: Herbal dietary supplement sales increased by 7.9 percent in 2013, reaching a total estimated figure of $6 billion for the first time, according to the American Botanical Council.

Details: 602-254-0129, 480-759-0695, chakra4herbs.com