Herb Society of America

Name

Herb Society of America

Legal name

Herb Society of America

Website

https://herbsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Herb Society of America is a 1933-founded nonprofit educational organization serving 2,200+ members with herbal education programs, including webinars, a 3,500-volume lending library, conservation initiatives, and grant programs for classrooms and university researchers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Herbal Education Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Herb Farming (Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Mint, Dill) (AFAGADAK), Medicinal Plant Farming (Botanical/Pharmaceutical Crops) (AFAGAGAE), Botanical & Herbal Extracts (Adaptogens, Polyphenols, Essential Oils, Standardized Extracts) (AFAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Herbal education
• Nonprofit membership
• Horticultural research
• Plant conservation
• Educational publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Willoughby

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual national membership with stated value of $135. Membership fees provide less than 50% of HSA operating funds, indicating reliance on additional revenue streams.
2. Donations and Annual Fund: Unrestricted annual fund gifts directed to operating costs including utilities, office supplies, staff salaries, and technology. Includes Thymely Treasures recurring gift program. Membership fees cover less than 50% of operating costs.
3. Webinars: Non-members pay $20 per webinar registration. Members receive free access to monthly webinars and on-demand library.
4. Etsy Shop Sales: HSA operates an Etsy shop selling branded merchandise including seasonal offerings, limited edition clothing, gardening, kitchen, and gift items. Proceeds support the mission of herbal education.
5. Planned Giving / Founders' Circle: Legacy giving program through estate plans, bequests, retirement plan beneficiary designations, and life insurance policies. Also includes stock donations and Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs.
6. GreenBridges Program Fees: Registration fees for GreenBridges garden certification program support newsletter and pollinator education.
7. Friends of the Library Memberships: Annual membership levels: Mint ($35), Lavender ($50), Thyme ($100), Bay ($250 lifetime). Provides book sale discounts and recognition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Herb Society of America is an educational nonprofit organization founded in 1933 that promotes herbal knowledge through membership programs, webinars, online courses, the annual Herbarist journal, an extensive library and archives, conservation initiatives (Notable Natives, GreenBridges), youth programs (Thyme 4 Kids, Sensory Gardens), grants, and scholarships serving more than 2,200 members across the United States.

Product overview

The Herb Society of America is a membership-based nonprofit organization (founded 1933) offering a portfolio of educational products and programs focused on herbal education. Core offerings include web-based educational programs (webinars, online courses), publications (The Herbarist quarterly magazine, Herb of the Month features), and library services (3,500+ volume lending library with online catalog). The organization administers grant programs including Samull Classroom Herb Garden Grants ($500 per classroom) and the HSA Research Grant ($10,000 annually). Conservation initiatives include the Notable Natives Program and GreenBridges pollinator habitat initiative. Youth education is delivered through the Thyme 4 Kids program featuring sensory gardens and indoor gardening guides. Additional offerings include an ETSY merchandise shop, Business Member Directory, and event calendar. The organization serves over 2,200 members with educational outreach through digital content, publications, and community programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GreenBridges: HSA's initiative encouraging home and community gardeners to support native plants and pollinators by creating safe passage through gardens.
• Samull Classroom Herb Garden Grants
• Notable Natives
• Notable Natives

Products and services

• National Membership
• Business Membership
• HSA Webinars
• Online Courses
• The Herbarist
• HSA Library & Archives Research Services
• HSA Branded Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• 70+ grants awarded to schools and researchers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Horticultural SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReciprocal Admissions Program partnership providing HSA members free or reduced admission to more than 300 public gardens and arboreta across the United States. This partnership enhances member benefits and supports the organization's educational mission.
• EtsyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEtsy serves as the marketplace platform for HSA's branded merchandise shop (hsashop.etsy.com). HSA creates product listings and Etsy handles order fulfillment and shipping. This enables HSA to sell merchandise without maintaining inventory or warehouse.
• Valparaiso UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2026 Research Grant recipient: Drs. Danielle Orozco-Nunnelly and Jeff Pruet conducting research 'Identifying Novel Medicinal Plant Compounds to Combat Infection: an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Project' involving 150+ undergraduates growing herbs in medicinal plant garden.
• Purdue UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2025 Research Grant recipient: Dr. Jose Thekkiniath studying Evaluating the anti-parasitic activity of Holy Basil and Thai Basil against Babesia parasites that cause human babesiosis.
• Tuskegee UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2024 Research Grant recipients: Drs. Williard Collier and Desmond Mortley and Ms. Gertrude Kanyairita researching The Efficacy of Cannabis sativa extracts as biopesticides for controlling Erwinia carotovora and Pseudomonas syringae.
• Various Herbal BusinessesminorOthersBusiness member directory includes herbal farms, apothecaries, and product companies including: Morning Sun Herb Farm, UrbanHerbal, Mulberry Creek Herb Farm, Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Four Elements Herbals, Herbal Roots Zine, Hobbit Gardens, Huckleberry Hutch, Rooted Woman Herbs, Lovage Garden, Ohio Herb Center, and others. These members receive vendor opportunities and directory listings in exchange for membership support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Public Gardens Association: Professional association for public gardens that connects many of the same institutions in HSA's reciprocal network. Broader institutional lens but overlapping ecosystem and audience.
• Royal Horticultural Society: U.K.-based global incumbent in horticultural education and membership. Larger, older, and broader than HSA but a useful reference for member-benefit structure, garden network economics, and education-driven nonprofit scaling.

Direct peers

• United Plant Savers: Nonprofit dedicated to conservation of medicinal native plants in North America. Direct thematic peer to HSA's GreenBridges and Notable Natives programs, with a comparable small-staff, donor-funded operating model.
• American Horticultural Society: National U.S. membership-based horticultural education nonprofit that already partners with HSA via the Reciprocal Admissions Program. Operates the same model: membership dues, educational programs, garden network, and grants, with a broader horticultural scope.
• American Botanical Council: Nonprofit focused on medicinal plant education, herbal research, and scientific literacy. Closely aligned with HSA's research grant program and medicinal-herb content streams, with overlapping member/audience profiles.
• National Gardening Association: U.S. nonprofit providing gardening education, grants, and community programs. Comparable member/audience and educational mission, with broader gardening scope that could absorb herb-curious members.

Emerging players

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: Nonprofit focused on invertebrate and pollinator conservation, directly adjacent to HSA's GreenBridges and pollinator-education themes. A potential strategic ally or competitor for pollinator-program funding.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Native plant research and education organization with a public-garden footprint. Overlaps with HSA's Notable Natives and native-herb conservation programming, with stronger institutional backing and a physical destination site.

Regional players

• The Herb Society (UK): U.K. counterpart organization with a near-identical mission of herbal education, conservation, and community. Useful international benchmark for programming and membership economics outside the U.S.

Others

• Master Gardeners (Extension programs): University extension-based volunteer gardening education program offering free local training. Indirect peer that competes for the same home-gardener audience and volunteer hours HSA relies on.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/herbsocietyofamerica
• Instagraminstagram.com/herbsocietyofamerica
• Pinterestpinterest.com/HerbSocietyAmer
• Xx.com/herbsociety1933
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/herb-society-of-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Herb Society of America