At Mountain Rose Herbs, we feel it is our responsibility to ensure all the botanicals we offer support the entire supply chain. This includes the farmers, the harvesters, and those who call upon them in times of need. One of the strategies we employ to ensure a steady and sustainable supply of organic herbs and spices is contract purchasing. This means that we make projections of our community’s needs, sometimes before the seeds even go into the soil, so that farmers can better rely on the sale of their crops and we can ensure people will have access to what they need to support their health and wellness goals.
Organic farming comes with a unique set of challenges. From finding natural solutions for pest management to working through unpredictable and ever-changing climate patterns, farmers are faced with many unknowns. We can help reduce the pressure of these complications by helping farmers diversify their crops and also by acting as a reliable partner to them.
Even as our customers’ needs change, we insist on honoring our commitment to our farm partners. For example, in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, the herbal industry as a whole was overstocked due to highly varying purchasing habits during that time. As a result, many herbal companies didn’t purchase new harvests from farmers. However, we knew how negatively impactful that would be to farm communities, so we continued to purchase for our yearly needs to keep them going. It is these kinds of reliable commitments that ensure farmers can put food on the table, even through difficult and unpredictable times.
How Cultivation Preserves Wild Stands
A large percentage of botanicals in commerce come from wild sources. As the practice of natural medicine and healthy eating continues to grow, more pressure is being put on the wild stands, which is putting many wild medicines at risk of overharvesting. As the Senior Procurement Officer for Mountain Rose Herbs, part of my job is figuring out ways to move from wildcrafted to cultivated sources as much as possible.
While we work mostly with growers who specialize in specific plants, many are interested in finding ways to cultivate new ones. Some even love the challenge of growing at-risk plants like goldenseal and ginseng to ensure their availability for years to come. It takes a lot of research and development for successful cultivation, and we acknowledge and appreciate the openness of our farmer partners who recognize the importance of preserving wild stands of medicinal herbs.
Many people who wildharvest plants have been doing so for years and know how to ensure their harvest is done sustainably, efficiently, and that they are harvesting the correct species of plant. However, wild harvesters are becoming scarcer as the younger generations move towards big cities. As the wild harvesters grow older and retire, it is becoming more difficult to find people willing and knowledgeable enough to secure these plants. Cultivation helps to ensure access to many important plants for years to come
Our domestic farm partners are also allies in our efforts to ensure a stable supply chain. By partnering with more American farmers, we are better supporting local economies, reducing our carbon footprint, and diversifying the supply so that we have availability.
When a botanical I typically source from another country becomes more difficult to find, I reach out to the domestic farms to see if anyone is interested in growing it for us. We have several farmers who like the challenge of trying something new. Truthfully, not every crop works out, but when it does, it makes up for the failed attempts and creates greater crop diversity for the farmers. We will also often bolster our other purchases from them to offset an unsuccessful crop or pay for part of the input that went into the test grow.
This year you may have noticed more domestic offerings. Some of these include mullein, nettle, bee balm, Kapoor tulsi, and more are coming soon.
By learning about contract farming, you can see that sourcing is done with great intention and integrity. Mountain Rose Herbs does not purchase plants to simply have it in stock. There is a lengthy process that goes into bringing each of the 500+ sustainable and organic botanicals to you when you need them. We believe in supporting the farmers who make it happen, honoring the environment to ensure the future of wild stands, and reducing our carbon footprint when we can. We hope that this behind-the-scenes look helps connect you more deeply to the pure and potent botanicals you use for you and your families.
You may also be interested in:
Topics: Our Farms, Specialty Ingredients
Meghan Barr, Senior Procurement Officer, works closely with our farms to ensure a steady supply of high-quality herbs, teas, and spices are available. Originally hailing from New England, she discovered her love of plants in her high school environmental science class. She has since studied Appalachian herbal medicine at Davis & Elkins College, Pacific Northwest edible food foraging with Wild Food Adventures, and can often be found identifying roadside plants whenever she travels. Meghan takes great joy in learning the growing and harvesting practices of each of the plants she works with. Outside of work, you can find her crafting everything from glass beads to her next Halloween costume.
At Mountain Rose Herbs, we feel it is our responsibility to ensure all the botanicals we offer support the entire supply chain. This includes the farmers, the harvesters, and those who call upon them in times of need. One of the strategies we employ to ensure a steady and sustainable supply of organic herbs and spices is contract purchasing. This means that we make projections of our community’s needs, sometimes before the seeds even go into the soil, so that farmers can better rely on the sale of their crops and we can ensure people will have access to what they need to support their health and wellness goals.
Organic farming comes with a unique set of challenges. From finding natural solutions for pest management to working through unpredictable and ever-changing climate patterns, farmers are faced with many unknowns. We can help reduce the pressure of these complications by helping farmers diversify their crops and also by acting as a reliable partner to them.
Even as our customers’ needs change, we insist on honoring our commitment to our farm partners. For example, in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, the herbal industry as a whole was overstocked due to highly varying purchasing habits during that time. As a result, many herbal companies didn’t purchase new harvests from farmers. However, we knew how negatively impactful that would be to farm communities, so we continued to purchase for our yearly needs to keep them going. It is these kinds of reliable commitments that ensure farmers can put food on the table, even through difficult and unpredictable times.
How Cultivation Preserves Wild Stands
A large percentage of botanicals in commerce come from wild sources. As the practice of natural medicine and healthy eating continues to grow, more pressure is being put on the wild stands, which is putting many wild medicines at risk of overharvesting. As the Senior Procurement Officer for Mountain Rose Herbs, part of my job is figuring out ways to move from wildcrafted to cultivated sources as much as possible.
While we work mostly with growers who specialize in specific plants, many are interested in finding ways to cultivate new ones. Some even love the challenge of growing at-risk plants like goldenseal and ginseng to ensure their availability for years to come. It takes a lot of research and development for successful cultivation, and we acknowledge and appreciate the openness of our farmer partners who recognize the importance of preserving wild stands of medicinal herbs.
Many people who wildharvest plants have been doing so for years and know how to ensure their harvest is done sustainably, efficiently, and that they are harvesting the correct species of plant. However, wild harvesters are becoming scarcer as the younger generations move towards big cities. As the wild harvesters grow older and retire, it is becoming more difficult to find people willing and knowledgeable enough to secure these plants. Cultivation helps to ensure access to many important plants for years to come
Our domestic farm partners are also allies in our efforts to ensure a stable supply chain. By partnering with more American farmers, we are better supporting local economies, reducing our carbon footprint, and diversifying the supply so that we have availability.
When a botanical I typically source from another country becomes more difficult to find, I reach out to the domestic farms to see if anyone is interested in growing it for us. We have several farmers who like the challenge of trying something new. Truthfully, not every crop works out, but when it does, it makes up for the failed attempts and creates greater crop diversity for the farmers. We will also often bolster our other purchases from them to offset an unsuccessful crop or pay for part of the input that went into the test grow.
This year you may have noticed more domestic offerings. Some of these include mullein, nettle, bee balm, Kapoor tulsi, and more are coming soon.
By learning about contract farming, you can see that sourcing is done with great intention and integrity. Mountain Rose Herbs does not purchase plants to simply have it in stock. There is a lengthy process that goes into bringing each of the 500+ sustainable and organic botanicals to you when you need them. We believe in supporting the farmers who make it happen, honoring the environment to ensure the future of wild stands, and reducing our carbon footprint when we can. We hope that this behind-the-scenes look helps connect you more deeply to the pure and potent botanicals you use for you and your families.
You may also be interested in:
Topics: Our Farms, Specialty Ingredients
Meghan Barr, Senior Procurement Officer, works closely with our farms to ensure a steady supply of high-quality herbs, teas, and spices are available. Originally hailing from New England, she discovered her love of plants in her high school environmental science class. She has since studied Appalachian herbal medicine at Davis & Elkins College, Pacific Northwest edible food foraging with Wild Food Adventures, and can often be found identifying roadside plants whenever she travels. Meghan takes great joy in learning the growing and harvesting practices of each of the plants she works with. Outside of work, you can find her crafting everything from glass beads to her next Halloween costume.
