Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

The Organic Herb Trading Company

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
The Organic Herb Trading Company

The Organic Herb Trading Company is a supplier of organic herbs and spices. It was founded by Mike Brook in 1982 in a small village called Hambleden near Henley-on-Thames. Over the last 30 years, the company has grown and sourced the UK’s largest range of ingredients for a diverse range of customers in the herbal tea, food, health & beauty and medicinal markets. Their customers are based both in the UK and worldwide and include brands such as Pukka Herbs, Neal's Yard Remedies and Riverford. It has been said that the Organic Herb Trading Company pioneered organic, Fairtrade and sustainable herb sourcing in the UK.

Contents

How it all started

Founder, Mike Brook, began to grow his own herbs on an acre of land in a village called Hambleden – near Henley-on-Thames. He soon noticed that there was a gap in the market for high quality herbal ingredients. This, combined with his interest in the growing organic movement, sparked his decision to establish a business to supply herbs and spices to medicinal herbalists and the wider organic sector. An early customer was Neal’s Yard Remedies who opened in 1981, and this partnership remains strong today. In 1994, both Mike and the business moved from Hambleden to Milverton in Somerset. With the new, larger location the company was able to expand, and added a range of drying, cutting, milling and blending machinery to the site, to meet the specific needs of customers. The branded arm of the business, known as Hambleden Herbs, was established to sell teas, herbs and spices to the retail sector, but was then sold in 2004. Today, the Organic Herb Trading Company sources products from over 40 countries and has over 725 products in its range.

Philosophy

The company was built upon its commitment to both organic food and farming and ethical trading. Organic production methods, and certified organic products, advocate a holistic approach to agriculture and environmental management. More information regarding the benefits of organic agriculture is available from the Soil Association.

Products

The Organic Herb Trading Company typically holds in stock over 725 herbs, spices, superfoods and botanicals - both sourced internationally and grown on site in Milverton.

Superfoods

Products considered so-called "superfoods" contain high levels of antioxidants, vitamins or other nutrients. The Organic Herb Trading Company has been responsible for many significant superfood sourcing ‘firsts’, including pioneering the sale of organic Baobab powder into the UK market

The Herb Field

The Organic Herb Trading Company grows over 60 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs on their Demeter-certified biodynamic herb field in Somerset, managed year-round by experienced grower Sarah Weston, with the help of volunteers during the summer months.

FairWild

The FairWild Foundation and its certification scheme was established in 2008, and promotes sustainable use of wild-collected ingredients whilst ensuring that workers are treated with respect and receive fair remuneration. UK brands committing to the FairWild standards include Pukka Herbs, Neals Yard Remedies and Juniper Green gin. Mike Brook was a founding member of the Union for Ethical Biotrade and the Organic Herb Trading Company is also a founding member of the FairWild Foundation. In 2014 they became the UK first processor and distributor of FairWild certified herbs and spices

References

The Organic Herb Trading Company Wikipedia