UK organic pioneer Mike Brook is stepping back from his role as founder director at Organic Herb Trading, the company he founded over 40 years ago.
In a special post on the company’s website, Brook shares his “founder’s wishes’, which encapsulate the values he hopes will inform future decisions at the business in a world of ever changing contexts and challenges.
Brook sets out four foundational elements: ‘Choosing organic’, ‘being fair’, ‘embedding quality’ and ‘making it sustainable’ – themes that are threaded through the company’s ethos.
Writing about how the company has evolved over four decades, Brook writes: “Over the years we’ve grown into all sorts of fascinating areas, responding to the huge appetite for herbal teas, developing cosmetics ingredients, and boosting the flavour and nutritional content of everything from baobab bars to baby food.
“I hope profoundly that these guidelines will be of some practical use, and help to keep the spirit of the company intact, so it can continue to be a force for good”
“But for me the original motivation has always remained central: to provide good medicine. Whether people are finding it in health food shops, on the internet, or through consultation with a medicinal herbalist, I want to provide trustworthy botanical products to support holistic healthcare.”
“It’s for this reason that I’ve been adamant about persisting in some of our most challenging areas, in the face of difficult commercial realities and numerous barriers.”
Brook touches on the complexities involved in the wild collection of herbs and botanicals, the joys of growing herbs on the company’s own fields in Milverton and a lifelong commitment to always sourcing the freshest material.
He writes: “It’s been very important to me that we’re independent, that we’re not constrained by shareholders, and it would be wonderful to think of Organic Herb Trading remaining in the hands of people who respect these values and intentions. I hope profoundly that these guidelines will be of some practical use, and help to keep the spirit of the company intact, so it can continue to be a force for good.”
• If you would like to share your own experiences and reflections on working with Mike and Organic Herb Trading over the years, please leave your comments below and we will add these as we develop this article.
Images: Organic Herb Trading