Through some of the best and worst moments of Claudia Phillips’ life, Cherapy has always had her back.

A friend gave her a version of the pillow when she had her first kid, and eventually Phillips decided she would make her own — but a more comfortable version. Years later, when she was in the hospital after a nearly fatal car accident, the nurses heated the DIY pillows for her to use as she recovered.

“While I was laying in the hospital bed, it really helped me to relieve all kinds of tension,” Phillips said. “And then the hospital staff were curious about it, too.”

So began Cherapy, which Phillips has run out of her Columbia apartment since 2015. She makes therapeutic heat and cold pillows filled with cherry pits, selling the products at hundreds of retailers across the country. Maryland stores include Found Studio in Baltimore and The Nest in Clarksville. Last year, Cherapy was featured in Oprah Magazine’s “Made in America” edition for July and August.

The 54-year-old entrepreneur said that, unlike the usual rice or grain therapy pillows that get moldy over time, cherry pits release moisture when heated and dry as they cool down.

Cherry pit-filled pillows are widely available in many parts of Europe, but in the U.S. they are less common. Phillips, born and raised in Germany, said the European products are typically sold as square-shaped pillows — which is why she decided to make her own wraps in the shape of sleeves.

“People can work while Cherapy is on their neck, or while they’re doing dishes, so the European version was actually a role model for how not to do it,” Phillips said.

There are 1,000 cherry pits in a single heat wrap, she said. Fortunately, she does not have to eat 1,000 cherries every time Cherapy gets an order. She sources the pits from a cherry-product manufacturer in Michigan.

Phillips said she is planning to move — bringing along her at-home business — to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in the next year, a decision she is making partly because she sees more business opportunity there.

How did Cherapy begin?

When I was a massage therapist, I started using that little pillow my friend had given me during my sessions, and all my clients asked me where I got it. I thought, “It’s from Germany, but I can make you one.” And that’s how it all started. I just started searching where I can buy cherry pits, and I had some sewing skills from my mom and my grandma who were seamstresses. So my clients started buying some from me, even though I didn’t have a business back then.

When did Cherapy become a full-time endeavor?

In 2009, I almost died. I was hit by a drunk motorcyclist, and I was literally on fire in the burning car. Somehow I survived this accident, and I had to quit massaging because I had titanium in my whole body. I thought, “Oh my goodness, I still can sew, and Plan B has to kick in for income.” So that’s when Cherapy turned into a business.

What’s something you wish more people knew about your business?

In the beginning, nobody knew about Cherapy. I literally had to beg people to give me a chance to put it in their stores. Now I don’t have to beg people, but I still have a hard time convincing them that this is an amazing healing process through natural means.

It’s so powerful, and it really treats everything from sinus issues to respiratory problems. I wish people would be more open to it, but I think they’re starting to.

What does a day at your business look like?

I do a lot of the production myself because everything is handmade and I have a hard time finding people who sew.

When I get orders, I usually cut the fabrics and sew them into a sleeve that I fill with cherry pits. Then I section them into three, so that the cherry pits don’t fall from one end to the other.

The supplier in Michigan processes the cherries to marmalade or canned cherries. They clean the pits for me so there’s no more cherry stuff on them, then they have to heat the pits so that they fully dry out because cherry pits are toxic just like apple seeds.

I could make like 20 pillows in an hour; after a while it gets very quick. I have ladies that do just the sleeves for me because that’s the time-consuming part, and then I fill and section them.

What’s your next or biggest ambition?

Here and there I get people from Canada that ask me where they can buy Cherapy pillows there. But I don’t have any retailers in Canada, and shipping is expensive. I’ve been trying to find either a business partner or distributor in the country so Cherapy can be distributed and accessible in Canada.

What are the challenges of doing business in this area?

During the holiday season, from August until December, I work nonstop. One retailer in New York orders three to four thousand units in the fall, and this is all handmade stuff. That’s just one retailer out of several hundred. I need the right help for my business, like a little manufacturing place maybe, so that I can just have everything based there. That’s why I want to move everything to Baltimore. I think there’s more opportunities for small-business owners like me.

What’s your favorite part of your day?

I really like to go to events and meet retailers. There’s so many amazing retailers out there, and in the beginning I didn’t even realize how complex it can be for them to choose products for their store. I always learn from them, and maybe they learn from me, too.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.