In 2016, Mountain Rose Herbs became the first company in Oregon to receive a TRUE Zero Waste Facility Certification. The TRUE program is part of Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in global green business industry performance and practices. TRUE is a whole systems approach aimed at changing how materials flow through society and encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused.

Over our 30+ years of business, we’ve helped literally tons of botanicals find their way onto our customers’ shelves. We always strive to provide consistent quality in our herbal offerings, but when it comes to superficial characteristics, Mother Nature often likes to put her own unique touches on each batch, which can result in some perceptible variation from one order to the next. However, you can trust that here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we’re always going the extra mile to make sure your ingredients are of the best possible quality, regardless of any apparent differences.

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make. —Dr. Jane Goodall

Environmental stewardship is woven into the fabric of Mountain Rose Herbs’ company culture and sustainable business practices. Striving towards zero waste is one way we take responsibility for our impact. Thanks to our dedicated staff, we became the first company in Oregon to achieve a TRUE Zero Waste Facility certification from Green Business Certification Inc. We completed a peer-reviewed scorecard and on-site audit to achieve the highest-level certification—platinum!

The question at hand is, “is this actually Arnica montana?” Steven, our Director of Quality, stands in front of two computer screens. One monitor displays brightly colored bars stacked on a black backdrop. On the other, photographs of vibrant yellow petals are zoomed in to such a degree that the golden bits on screen look more like banana peels than flowers. Steven and his team of lab-coat-wearing professionals use various methods of testing and an extensive reference library of pressed plant parts to find the answer. Species identification not only ensures efficacy, it also means keeping our customers safe.

Have you ever wondered about scientific names when analyzing a label or reading about an herb in your favorite herbal book? Besides being fun to learn (and pronounce), botanical names provide a universally accepted system of recognition. Depending on numerous factors, such as the region you live in, the lineage you’ve grown up with, or school you attended, the same plant could be referred to by several different common names. This can make it really confusing if you’re trying to identify a plant in the wild, consult an herbal book, or purchase a specific herb. I’ve found that a little overview of scientific botanical terminology can go a long way in understanding the plants I work with and use every day.

All of our herbal syrups and elixirs are lovingly handmade by our expert team in Eugene, Oregon. These tasty concoctions featuring herbs, honey, and alcohol, are highly valued for their effectiveness and ease of use. They also make for a flavorful way to experience the benefits of herbs and are excellent herbal allies to have on hand as the weather continues to get colder. All our herbal syrups are made with certified organic and consciously wild-collected botanicals, organic alcohol, and raw honey from the Willamette Valley.

Every Fourth of July for nearly two decades, Mountain Rose Herbs’ co-owner, Julie, headed into the mountains to collect St. John’s Wort flowers for our certified organic infused herbal oils.

Experience the 100+ years of history behind our organic hops from a third-generation Oregon farming family, from harvest through processing!

As our amphibian friend Kermit the Frog says, “It’s not easy being green"—and that’s particularly true for businesses! Since spring of 2014, our cross-departmental, volunteer-based Mountain Rose Herbs Green Team has helped our management team look at all aspects of our business operations through a sustainability lens. Recently, we received the honor of being featured in international corporate sustainability consultant Nikki Pava's guide to building successful workplace sustainability teams, so we thought we'd share some of the strategies that have helped us cultivate a culture of environmental responsibility across our organization. For those interested in building a green advocacy team in their own place of work, we hope these ideas can inspire and guide you!

From charging our phones to switching on the kettle for our morning tea, using energy often seems like an inevitable part of life these days. However, understanding and accepting this fact doesn't mean we can't take responsibility for the energy and fuel we use. Whatever your motivation, be it saving money or reducing your environmental impact, it can feel overwhelming to tackle a big goal like curtailing energy consumption. But there are ways to reduce your impact, either as an individual or as a business like Mountain Rose Herbs. Additionally, even though energy use is sometimes unavoidable, there are ways to offset the carbon emissions from that power production to help balance the scales.