A Healthy Leaf

Welcome to A Healthy Leaf! My name is Mark Reese. I am a husband and father who through personal experience is continually amazed at God’s love and forgiveness. I grew up in Canada loving the great outdoors. I studied mechanical engineering in northern Michigan then moved to Hawaii for grad school. In 2007, I took an exploratory trip from Hawaii to Annapolis, MD, to learn more about a missions project in which I was preparing to be involved. This trip strengthened a budding friendship with my now wife who grew up on the East coast. We were married in May of the following year in Hawaii. After finishing my studies, I continued to work for the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute while my wife continued to pursue her work as a registered nurse. In late 2009, we relocated to Charlotte, NC, to pursue the completion of the previous mentioned missions project. We welcomed twin girls into our family in the spring of 2010; and after assisting with the missions project, I spent the following 5 years working as a mechanical engineer in Charlotte. We were first introduced to Moringa in the spring of 2014. Out of curiosity, I began researching the history, claims, and current uses for this incredible plant. We developed a strong passion to learn about this tree first hand with the goal of being able to use our knowledge to assist with agriculture development oversees. God had opened our eyes to how incredible this tree is and how it could help so many. After much thought and prayer, we pursued an opportunity to further our knowledge and experience growing Moringa. In January of 2015, we sold our house and everything we couldn’t fit into a shipping crate. Then, leaving our friends and family of the southeast, we headed across the country to Southern California. In a joint effort with family in Poway CA, we have been growing Moringa and also designing and testing a solar dryer. Our dream is to be able to use our knowledge and Moringa business to help people in developing countries produce and process high quality Moringa for their own nutrition as well as export.