The Sustainable Herbs Initiative has spent the past two years digging into that question through working groups, Learning Journeys and conversations across the botanical supply chain. That work has culminated in the SHI Toolkit 3.0, which offers companies practical guidance on everything from risk mapping and supplier relationships to fair pricing and true costs.
Ann Armbrecht, founder and director of the Sustainable Herbs Initiative, explained that “sourcing with love” means taking care of the people, places and plants on which businesses depend. While translating that philosophy into business decisions can be challenging, she argued that investing in sourcing communities is also a business necessity.
“If you don’t make those investments, those communities from which you’re sourcing the herbs on which your business depends, they’re not going to be there,” she said.
She added that one challenge is that brands often buy ingredients through intermediaries and may have limited visibility into their origins. Armbrecht noted that sourcing teams can be responsible for 100 to 150 or more materials from around the world, making traceability difficult without greater investment in purchasing capacity and supplier relationships.
The toolkit also addresses hidden production costs that can be overlooked when market prices dictate what processors receive. These include transportation, harvesting access rights, clean sacks, seed trays and fuel for drying.
“If these companies are going to stay in business, they need to be covering their costs,” Armbrecht said.
She added that stronger partnerships do not always require higher prices. Reliable purchasing commitments, timely payments, advance communication and investment in supplier capacity can help strengthen supply chains.
Through SHI, Armbrecht hopes to encourage companies to collaborate, share resources and build more resilient botanical sourcing systems.
“What gives me hope is a quality of relationship and connection that I have found in this work,” she said.
To hear more about sustainable herb sourcing, the SHI Toolkit 3.0 and what’s next for the Sustainable Herbs Initiative, listen to the NutraCast above or on your preferred podcast platform.
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