VitaSprings Blog

Starwest Botanicals started as a small retail herb shop in 1975 in Sacramento, California. When we made the decision to begin selling herbs wholesale, we were faced with competition from more-established herb companies. We felt that our best chance to compete was to focus on selling a higher quality of herbs at good prices. Saying that you sell quality herbs sounds rather quaint, as most companies say they sell quality – we knew better. As I hit the road with my sample bag, I could demonstrate to the store buyers that our quality really was better, at equal or just slightly higher prices. Most stores I visited “got it.” They knew that their business would prosper if they carried herbs that were fresh, potent, and worked for the purpose intended.

We grew rapidly on the strength of our commitment to provide value through a combination of quality products, excellent customer service, and fair prices. In 1979, we built our first herb mill to have better control over the processing of our herbs. In 1980, we began importing herbs from several different countries and supplying manufacturers and wholesalers. We also began supporting the fledgling organic herb industry in 1980. In 1983, Starwest was named to Inc. magazines list of top 500 fastest-growing private companies.

Today, Starwest is one of the largest suppliers of organic herbs in the United States, with over 150,000 sq. ft. of modern warehouse and production space and over one million pounds of herbs and spices in stock. We are proud of our accomplishments, but the thing of which we are most proud is that we have many customers and suppliers that are still doing business with us over 40 years later.

We believe in offering the best value to our customers for their herbal purchases and, because we directly source our products from around the world and process them in-house, we can deliver on that belief. We also stand behind our products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I know it’s easy to make a claim that you’re committed to something; but, just like I showed those herbal stores years ago, we deliver on our commitments.

Today you have a choice – you can buy mediocre herbs and spices from the many storefronts that have sprung up on the internet, or you can buy higher quality herbs and spices from a company that you can trust. We’re sure you’ll see the same superior quality in our products that store owners saw more than 30 years ago.