Quick Check In (3-5 Questions)

Best for: Initial contact, email inquiries, first phone calls, browsing online shops

• Where were these herbs grown, and can you trace a specific batch back to its farm or harvest site?

• What certifications do you hold (Fair Trade, Organic, Regenerative, etc.), and can you share documentation?

• How do you verify fair wages and safe working conditions for growers and harvesters throughout your supply chain?

• Do you have direct relationships with the communities where you source, and how do you compensate traditional knowledge?

• If prices seem unusually low: how are workers compensated compared to the retail price?

Deep Dive Evaluation Questions

Best for: Long-term partnerships, bulk buying, wholesale relationships

Environmental Stewardship

• What sustainable farming or wildcrafting methods do you use to minimize soil depletion, habitat disruption, and chemical contamination?

• What harvesting practices ensure the plant populations remain healthy for future generations?

• How do you measure and track ecological impact across your supply chain?

Labor & Human Rights

• How do you verify fair wages and safe working conditions for both internal staff and harvesters/growers throughout your supply chain?

• Have any human rights or Indigenous treaty violations been documented in your sourcing regions? How do you respond?

• What recourse do workers have if they experience exploitation or unsafe conditions?

Herb Origin & Community Accountability

• Where were these herbs grown, and what specific ecosystems were they sourced from?

• Which communities or Indigenous groups originally cultivated or stewarded these plants?

• Do you have direct relationships with the grower communities, and how do you compensate traditional knowledge?

• Can you provide detailed information about the specific farms, workers, and communities involved?

Transparency & Verification

• How transparent are you about your supply chain? Can customers trace individual batches back to their origin farm or harvest site?

• What certifications do you or your herbs hold (Fair Trade, Organic, Regenerative, etc.), and can you provide current documentation?

• Are you willing to publish supplier names, farm locations, and worker compensation ranges publicly?

• If prices seem unusually low: how are workers compensated compared to the retail price?

On the hunt for Green Flags

Here are some examples of responses you get to the questions above, organized as Green Flags, Yellow Flags, and Red Flags:

FARMING & HARVESTING

🟢 GREEN: "We use regenerative organic methods—cover cropping, no till, compost inputs. Wild harvest follows population surveys to ensure 30% minimum regeneration. Here's our latest ecological report."

🟡 YELLOW: "We try to be environmentally responsible and avoid harmful chemicals."

🔴 RED: "All our herbs are certified organic so you don't need to worry about that."

LABOR & WAGES

🟢 GREEN: "Workers earn 120% of local living wage benchmarks. We conduct annual third-party audits, results available upon request. Workers can report concerns anonymously through our hotline."

🟡 YELLOW: "We pay competitive wages and believe in treating everyone well."

🔴 RED: "Fair trade stuff is overrated. We know our farmers are treated right because we've been in business for decades."

ORIGIN & COMMUNITY

🟢 GREEN: "These chamomile flowers come from Farm X in Region Y, Hungary. Our contact is Name Z. We visited last year and paid premium prices to the cooperative. Traditional knowledge belongs to the local farming families—they've grown this for generations."

🟡 YELLOW: "We source from Eastern Europe, mostly small family farms. We try to support them fairly."

🔴 RED: "It's from overseas. We don't get into all that detail—it's proprietary information."

TRANSPARENCY & CERTIFICATIONS

🟢 GREEN: "Here's our Fair Trade certification (valid through 2027), organic certificates for each batch, and a supply chain map showing every partner. Happy to connect you with our sourcing team."

🟡 YELLOW: "We're working toward certifications. We follow best practices."

🔴 RED: "Certifications cost too much for small businesses. We're trustworthy—you can just trust us."

PRICING & ECONOMICS

🟢 GREEN: "Yes, our prices are higher because we pay farmers living wages. About 65% of the retail price goes to the growing/harvesting communities. Here's a breakdown."

🟡 YELLOW: "We aim to be fair across the supply chain."

🔴 RED: "Herbs are naturally cheap. If you want to spend more, go elsewhere."