Marketing Non-certified Organic Herbs
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Kevin Arthun
Posted on: April 5, 1998

I am currently expanding a small trial herb venture into a larger scale project which I hope to be a sustainable business. I have several prospective areas that I can grow herbs organically. But the organic certification comes after 3 years of proven organic production. Are there ways of marketing non certified organic herbs and still securing some of the deserved organic market premiums? Specifically milk thistle and garlic.

This is becoming increasingly difficult to do. In the U.S., for example, there are laws governing the sale of organic products, and buyers and manufacturers are under increasing pressure to demand certification.

There are still quite a lot of organic product in the market that is not certified so it is still possible to sell it that way. At this point in the evolution of the herbal marketplace, the balance is teetering in the direction of certification, so it is impossible to give you blanket assurance that you will be able to sell your product at the premiums you hope for. Much depends on the particular needs and concerns of the buyer.

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