Responsible Sourcing in the Botanical Industry: A Panel Discussion

A panel discussion on the responsibility of the herb community in addressing the challenges the botanical industry faces in sourcing botanicals responsibly. Speakers include Ben LeVine, Chief Herbalist & Co-founder of Rasa, Jan Von Enden, Head of Group Sustainability – Supply Chains at Martin Bauer Group, and Angela McElwee, the previous CEO of Gaia Herbs. Moderated by Ann Armbrecht, Director of the Sustainable Herbs Program.

Bios for the Speakers on the Responsible Sourcing Panel:

• Ben LeVine is the Chief Herbalist & Co-founder of Rasa, an adaptogenic coffee alternative company. He got started in the industry as an herb buyer for a large herbal tea company and now teaches a series on herbs of commerce at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism.
• Jan Von Enden is Head of Group Sustainability – Supply Chains at Martin Bauer Group. He has a background in tropical agriculture and spent most of his career in coffee-producing countries, where he worked to enhance the economic and social well-being of small-scale coffee-farming families worldwide.
• Angela McElwee is the previous CEO of Gaia Herbs. She is an advocate for using business as a vehicle to promote positive change for people and the planet and brings that same ethos to her work as a board member for other social impact and wellness organizations.
• Moderator, Ann Armbrecht is the director of the American Botanical Council’s Sustainable Herbs Program and the author of The Business of Botanicals: Exploring the Healing Promise of Plant Medicines in a Global Industry, published by Chelsea Green Books in February 2021.