Why I started Merifemme

For years, I worked in HR leadership roles in Munich. I was dedicated, passionate, and committed to helping people. But over time, I began to feel that I couldn’t truly be there for others in the way I believed was right. I was missing the depth, the authenticity, the human connection I once felt so strongly. After many long, honest conversations with myself and with people who know me best, I made a decision that would change everything: I quit my job.

At first, like many of us do when faced with uncertainty, I started applying for the same types of roles I had just left. It felt safe, familiar. But I quickly realized I was about to fall back into the very thing I had chosen to walk away from. That’s when I began asking myself the harder questions: What do I really want to do? How can I truly help people in the way I believe in?

I started volunteering with KinderHelden in Munich, mentoring children, something that still brings me deep joy. But it wasn’t a full-time calling. I felt the need to create something from within, something rooted in my own hands and heart.

Since moving to Munich five years ago, I had slowly started doing marmalades, baking, experimenting with herbs and spices, creating wholesome meals. It brought me peace. It relaxed me. But it still wasn’t the thing I was meant to do.

And then, something shifted.

A few years ago, I drove to visit my father’s aunt Meri in Croatia. It had been a difficult time, stressful months at work, personal exhaustion, emotional heaviness. I cried loudly almost the whole six-hour drive to her. By the time I arrived, I felt like a shadow of myself.

Meri didn’t ask questions. She simply welcomed me into her garden and offered to make me tea. At that point in time, I was into anything but tea. But I said yes, just to please her.

She returned with a steaming, fragrant cup of tea. The smell alone was calming me. I sat down in her garden, completely drained, and started sipping. Within fifteen minutes, I was asleep in the chair, under one of Meri's apple trees, finally at peace.

I didn’t think much of it at first. But the next time I visited her, I asked for a little more of that tea to take home. I wanted to feel that same calm again, and I did. So I asked Meri to teach me. She showed me which plants help with what, how to blend them, how to dry and store them with care. I started making teas for myself. One for better sleep. One to ease muscle cramps, after being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. Another for mood and hormonal balance, because I discovered that I am in perimenopause, that I still refuse to accept, but my body doesn't.

The more I blended, the more I shared. Friends began asking for my teas. They told me how it made them feel grounded, better, more themselves. And slowly, the idea started to bloom.

That’s when Merifemme was born.

I created Merifemme for every woman who needs those 15 or 20 minutes of peace. That one sacred moment each day to reconnect, to breathe, to let the world slow down. I wanted to bottle the feeling I had in Meri’s garden, that quiet magic, and offer it to anyone who needed it.

Every Merifemme blend is made by hand. I grow the herbs myself, care for them, harvest them with intention, and combine them with the purpose of bringing you balance. This is not just tea. This is presence. This is emotion. This is something you can feel.

I hope Merifemme becomes part of your daily ritual just like it became part of mine.

With love,
Rebeka