The Origin Story
Born From Prayer
Hi, I’m Yasmin Crystal Santos, founder of Altar Native, a brand rooted in flavor, feeling, and function.
The seed for Altar Native was planted in 2016 when I became the full-time caregiver for my mom after her early-onset dementia diagnosis. Frustrated with the side effects of pharmaceuticals, I turned to herbal medicine—and witnessed its power firsthand.
As I cared for my mama, I also began caring for myself. I stopped drinking to support my healing, but missed having something to help me relax and connect. In a quiet moment of prayer, I heard: “The plants are there for you.” That message shifted everything.
Kava was the first to find me, a plant that soothed my nervous system and brought me back to myself. I began sharing herbal sips with friends, and eventually, after my mom passed in 2021, I moved to Austin, continued experimenting, and kept praying.
In 2022, I moved to Austin.
With my caretaker chapter coming to a close, it was time for me to live out my life as a 20-something year old in a new city.
As I entered into the wellness and spiritual circles in ATX, people around me already knew about kava and always wanted some!
So I started bringing bigger bottles and mixers to share. I was working at Meta at the time, a very comfy job that provided me with a lot of financial security and free time.
But I wasn’t satisfied. I was being called to something more… I just didn’t know what
My prayer was a very non-dogmatic form of prayer; just a convo between me and my creator, whatever that may be. I spent months praying this same prayer: “Please guide me toward the greatest good.”
And one day, right after I prayed. My mind flooded with ideas for this business. I mean everything just came through in an instant — the name, the branding, the business model.
After a few weeks of workshopping it all in my mind and sharing with friends (who didn’t really get it lol) I committed.
And thus, Altar Native was born. I spent all of 2023 developing the brand, formulating recipes (aka “kitchen witchin”) and really getting clear on the vision.
Today, we have evolved into products, content, and consulting, but the prayer remains: guide me toward the greatest good. And the reminder still echoes: the plants are here – for me, for you, for all of us.