In this day and age, the options are endless when shopping for botanicals, and it’s nearly impossible to actually know who is behind these companies, really pulling the strings and making things happen- well, most of the time at least. When it comes to Herba Re-Leaf though, that couldn’t be further from the truth. You may have seen the name Herba Re-Leaf in the Facebook mitragyna speciosa community and  stumbled onto this website, looking for high quality, lab tested extracts & mitragyna speciosa. Or you saw an ad on social media or someone mentioned the name Herba or Cory Kilheeney in a comment thread somewhere and it piqued your interest. However you landed here, we want to say thanks for stopping by and checking things out- but we’d also love to give you a peek into the man who started it all and what REALLY motivated him to get into this industry. The reality of it all may surprise you, and in the end you may come to realize that you’ve found much more than a wonderful source for your botanical needs. 

We’ll go back to 2016- a year that would ultimately change the trajectory of many unsuspecting people’s lives.  Cory was working in the automotive industry, namely as an executive for a major player after years and years in the sales sector. One day, he woke up and realized that what he was doing just wasn’t scratching the itch he had deep inside- an itch to help reach others with an idea that was presented with him years prior on a trip to Florida in an attempt to break free from the chains of addiction he battled with for years. He had visited the very first kava bar in the United States while there, and to this day, he would describe that experience as something he “couldn’t quite explain, but just peaceful and welcoming.” The inclusive and easy-going social atmosphere he was a part of during this visit would stick with him, and ultimately become the deciding factor when contemplating his career choices down the line. It wasn’t that he was looking to get rich, or famous, but that he had a deep seeded desire to be a part of something similar on a regular basis, and to bring it to people in his community who didn’t realize that was exactly what they needed as well. A substance free environment, filled with people of all kinds, and a social, lighthearted place where you could count on a friendly face without the looming threat of booze or drugs sneaking around in the background. He left his 6 figure position in the corporate world and traded in the suit and tie for tiki torches and coconut cups. It was a slow start, simply selling vape mods out of his dining room at first while searching for the perfect space, but after cashing in his 401k and some creative real estate choices, Kava Korner was born. 

Cory and his then wife Mary, who remain close friends and business partners to this day, have run Kava Korner in several buildings since then, but the feeling has always followed them from location to location until it’s final home was established in 2020, and remains a cornerstone of the community in Trucksville, PA. In the beginning they sold brewed kava and vape mods, and after many late night convos with patrons around (many) shells, they were convinced to look into mitragyna speciosa and how beneficial it really was to that same group of people who were working hard to avoid alcohol and other vices. He was initially super hesitant to dive into mitragyna speciosa after hearing mixed things on the plant & sobriety,  a serious health scare due to some CBD that was made with a scary, unlabeled research chemical left him with a prescription for suboxone, and he gave in in a moment that left him stuck between a script for a controlled substance and a feeling of hopelessness to stick to his new, sober life. It was then that his eyes were opened to just how incredible the mitragyna speciosa plant is, and the many ways it can be useful for so many- whether in the recovery community or not. 

From there things took a drastic and rapid swing, researching how to brew mitragyna speciosa tea, sourcing reliable and ethical farmers from Indonesia, learning the legal side to it all- and most importantly becoming familiar with educating himself on responsible and safe mitragyna speciosa manufacturing so that no one would have to experience the horrific situation he did with adulterated CBD from a company that was either too lazy to realize what they were doing, or actively trying to deceive their customers. Kava Korner branched off into an online retail space, MBC Botanicals, and began to offer mitragyna speciosa powder, capsules and kava to the market at large, shipping across the country. His younger brother Austin moved from Pittsburgh to Dallas, PA in 2021 to help run the online side of the businesses, and the two of them dove into learning about extracts after seeing a hole in the market for products made without harmful chemicals or ingredients. They learned the science behind the various alkaloids in the plant itself, and ultimately worked out the only extraction method on the market to this day that ONLY utilizes green, food safe ingredients- all while keeping the products cost efficient and attainable for folks of all budgets. The guys then focused their efforts from the ‘full service” botanical shop to extracts in 2023, and Herba Re-Leaf was born, which is where you have landed today.

Because of the murky status of mitragyna speciosa in the general advertising space, the Kilheeneys turned to Facebook to promote MBC, and reach new customers. The mitragyna speciosa community on Facebook and platforms like Reddit, which I’m sure as you know, have quite the reach, but not all groups or vendor pages are created equal. What began as a way to get people to find the company morphed into a safe community for botanical enthusiasts to meet, share their stories, and learn about not only mitragyna speciosa, but kava and other botanicals as well that may help make their human experience a little more comfortable. Still active today, the Leaf of Love Botanical Community & Herba Re-Leaf Community groups together hold nearly 4,000 like minded individuals who gather to commune and learn about plants, but also really give a shit about each other. We have seen fundraisers for the children of mothers who have tragically passed, a yearly Christmas Miracle fundraiser to help surprise unsuspecting families struggling to get presents under the tree, countless giveaways, fun contests and posts that get folks sharing their life experiences with each other. Also born out of these groups is  the Leaf of Love program- a non-profit program sponsored by Herba Re-Leaf which raises funds to help those who have fallen on hard times keep safe, high quality mitragyna speciosa in their cupboards when they didn’t know where their next bag was coming from. All of this, from an idea this man had about creating a substance free community. A community that has expanded from the IRL to digitally gathering thousands. 

I had the pleasure of visiting Kava Korner in 2023, and I can tell you it was as wonderful as Cory describes his visit to that first kava bar in FL was years ago. I still to this day struggle to find the best words to convey the feeling I had there, but still carry that feeling with me, in hopes to get back to that type of fellowship again. As a former bartender and restaurant manager myself, who thought that getting sober meant leaving behind the nights of just hanging out at a social space of that sort for good, I was taken aback by the experience. All kinds of people, various ages, from various walks of life all sitting and chatting and genuinely caring about people. Kids running around while the adults talked and played games, non-alcoholic drinks flowing and everyone yelling “BULA!” (a common Fijian greeting shouted when enjoying kava) when a round of shells went out. Fun and laughter and camaraderie- all without the fear of getting pulled over on my way out or the impending embarrassment of imbibing too much. It felt like a place I had been so many times, and yet not nearly enough- on my very first trip in, already making plans to return. I thanked Cory for creating such a wonderful space, and in true Cory-fashion, he simply said “I didn’t do this, the people here, they’re the ones responsible for what this place has become.” He would say the same thing about the online community that has grown steadily since the groups were established in 2020. 

Herba Re-Leaf is truly the digital version of that experience. While you may not know it yet, stopping by to grab your goodies every now and then, you have stumbled upon the best botanical family out there. Welcome to the family, we are so happy you are here- and I KNOW the man himself would sit down and have a shell with you if you ever make it up to Kava Korner.