The Heart of Matraea

Matraea is profoundly committed to safe, powerful, beautiful birthing. Honouring women in pregnancy and birth includes education, informed choice and advocacy. Built on the principles of midwifery practice, we believe that, “Birth is the foundation of all relationships, and it is where the difference we make in the world begins.”

As women, when we are supported in bringing our babies into the world with dignity and grace; when we reclaim the How, Where and When of birth–our instincts to mother are intact.  Matraea’s blog, “Fierce Dignity” captures this powerful instinct to mother: primal, unrelenting–our commitment to nurture and protect our children throughout our entire lives.

Vision became brick-and-mortar reality in 2011: re-purposing Duncan’s 1923 BC Telephone building into The Matraea Centre, and opening its doors in April 2011 to become a leading example in Canada of multi-disciplinary, integrative healthcare with a strong focus on Maternity care provision by midwives, and focused on providing exceptional care to families in the Cowichan Valley.  The name Matraea, rooted in the Greek word Matriarch, signifies our connection to the Great Mother—Gaia; Mother Earth. “Midwifing” Matraea has been a labour of love, a source of pride, and an act of community.

Along the journey to realizing the vision for Matraea, we identified an opportunity to further serve the community by supplying effective, trusted natural products for moms and babies: ‘beginning essentials’ that empower and support clients’ choices towards healthy pregnancies and births. The Matraea line of organic teas and body care products—also available now at discerning stores throughout Canada and beyond— is that vision manifested.

Matraea products are crafted with intention: from the sourcing,  purpose, and origin of our supply ingredients and material, to our products’ design, packaging and branding— our mandate is to meet the highest standards for safety, health, and sustainability—but also beauty and desirability. Women deserve to be cherished and loved, supported by trusted products that nurture not only their babies, but also their own hearts.