They didn’t find what they were looking for as the herbs and capsules they did find were pallid, aroma-less and seemingly stripped of their natural bounty.
What they did discover was literature on how to create their own extracts. They were drawn to traditional and somehow forgotten methods of preparation. They sought out old, used books, like the United States Pharmacopeia and the National Formulary, to learn them.
Over the next 10 years, as their products became more and more popular, they turned their home into a hub for the growing company. They built an addition that housed a lab to make extracts. Their dining room became the shipping department. Sara sat at the table, using their typewriter to create labels for each bottle. Their home and lab became a classroom where Ed and Sara could pass their knowledge down to future herbalists. This training and educational system would eventually become the Herbaculture Internship Program.
To this day, the program is a powerful, residential, hands-on experience in herbalism. Many intern graduates have gone on to become herbalists in their own right. The program grew and formalized with the company. Today, herbal education is part of the fabric of the company.
By the mid 1980s, Herb Pharm was in a position to hire a few employees, and, in keeping with the company’s mission, they offered their new hires benefits as soon as possible.
In the mid 1990s, Herb Pharm built a large facility dedicated to extracting herbs. Over the course of the last few decades, the facility has steadily grown to accommodate growing demand for our products. We follow the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices not simply because the regulations are federally monitored, but more importantly because they help us maintain high quality control. In addition to adhering to the required regulations, we have been 3rd party audited by UL.
When Ed and Sara got the opportunity to expand their company, they purchased a parcel of land they’d admired frequently on their bike rides through the country. Parts of the land had been under-watered and over-grazed by sheep for years. It took time to nurse it back to health, but their hard work turned into bountiful harvests. This passion for supporting the soil has continued for decades through Certified Organic and regenerative agriculture practices.
Our passion for the work UpS does is apparent in the decades of actions, stewardship and advocacy we’ve taken to support it. These include being a Certified Organic farm, a Monarch Butterfly Waystation, Salmon-Safe, Bee-Friendly and a Certified B Corp.
Ed and Sara remain a vibrant part of our company today. Their commitment to learning and teaching others how to ethically create high quality extracts continues to inspire us to do things the Herb Pharm way – a way that cares for every plant, animal and person in every ecosystem we touch.