February 1, 2007
Where the Wild Things Are
In May of 1987, I was invited to join a small group of botanicals purchasers on a trip to Missouri, where ginseng, Echinacea and sassafras grow in great quantities near the town of Eolia. The crops in this area are wild-crafted, meaning they grow in the wild rather than being cultivated on farms, and some of the land is owned by the U.S. Forest Service. The families that farm the land take great care to ensure the sustainability of each year's crop. The plants are harvested by individuals who then sell their crop to a broker, and Celestial Seasonings then buys the plants from the broker.
I had been invited on this trip to tour the area where the crops were grown and to visit the broker’s warehouse. We have long-standing relationships with many of our ingredient suppliers, and I always like to meet my contacts in person and see their facilities to ensure that their agricultural and business practices meet our strict standards.
My host, the broker, was very pleased to introduce us to the local people who supplied the labor for the harvest. I met one family whose son was extremely proud of his pet turtle and made sure I got a very close-up look at it!
The heat and humidity mounted as the broker took us to his warehouse, where the pickers would bring their harvest to be prepared for sale. Huge quantities of ginseng and Echinacea were laid out to dry in the warehouse before being shipped off to companies like Celestial Seasonings.
As we headed into the fields, we were warned that it was tick season and were advised to cover up as much as possible. We buttoned up our collars and pulled our pants legs down, but it wasn’t enough: it took us several hours to remove the ticks when we got back to our hotel later in the day.
I went to Missouri to see the flora, but it’s the fauna that sticks in my mind when I think about this trip. We also encountered huge spiders and water moccasins that week, but the ticks really stole the show and prompted one of my fellow travelers to proclaim this visit “The Great Herb and Tick Pick”!
