Whole Herb Company

What Whole Herb Company does

Whole Herb Company is a B2B direct importer and distributor of organic and conventional raw botanical and spice ingredients, headquartered in Sonoma, California. Founded in 1975 by Jim Thrower and acquired by Berjé Inc. in 2009, the company maintains a catalog of more than 3,000 unique SKUs sourced from growers and suppliers across India, China, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, and South America. It holds a multi-certification stack — SQF Level 2, QAI Organic, OK Kosher, Halal, and Green Business — supporting supplier qualification for regulated CPG and ingredient customers.

The company serves five end-markets: food, beverage, nutraceutical, personal care, and pet care manufacturers. Operations are anchored by a 65,000+ square-foot climatically controlled warehouse in Sonoma, positioned within reach of the Port of Oakland for inbound botanical shipments. Whole Herb also offers custom blending services, moving beyond pure commodity distribution into formulated ingredient solutions. As a subsidiary of Berjé Inc., the company operates within a broader aroma-chemical and essential-oil distribution platform, enabling cross-sell into adjacent ingredient categories.

Name

Whole Herb Company

Legal name

The Whole Herb Company

Website

https://wholeherbcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Whole Herb Company is a B2B importer and distributor of organic and conventional botanical and spice ingredients, serving food, beverage, nutraceutical, personal care, and pet care manufacturers from its Sonoma, California headquarters as a subsidiary of Berjé Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical and Spice Ingredient Distribution

NAICS

Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Dried Herbs & Herb Blends (AFAJANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO)

Keywords

• Raw botanical ingredients
• Spice distribution
• Tea ingredient sourcing
• Essential oils supply
• Custom blending services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sonoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ingredient Sales: The company generates revenue through direct sales of organic and conventional raw botanical and spice ingredients to Food, Beverage, Nutraceutical, Personal Care, and Pet Care industries. Products are sold in various forms (whole, cut and sifted, fine cut, powdered) with transaction-based pricing.
2. Custom Blending Services: Revenue generated from creating unique custom spice and tea blends for co-packaging or individual branding purposes. Also offers proprietary formulation duplication services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Whole Herb Company is a direct importer and distributor of organic and conventional raw botanical and spice ingredients, supplying the Food, Beverage, Nutraceutical, Personal Care, and Pet Care industries. Its core offering spans Botanicals (whole, cut and sifted, fine cut, or powdered), Spices, Essential Oils (via parent Berjé Inc.), Tea Ingredients (seasonally imported), and Custom Blends (in-house tea and spice formulations for co-packaging or individual branding). The company combines global grower sourcing, in-house quality control, custom blending services, and a multi-certified food safety program from its Sonoma, California facility.

Product overview

The Whole Herb Company is a direct importer and distributor of organic and conventional raw botanical and spice ingredients, supplying the Food, Beverage, Nutraceutical, Personal and Pet Care industries. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of more than 3,000 unique products through five core offerings: Botanicals (available whole, cut and sifted, fine cut, or powdered), Spices (at-source seasonings), Essential Oils (through parent company Berjé Inc.), Tea Ingredients (seasonally imported), and Custom Blends (in-house formulations for co-packaging or individual branding). As part of the Berjé Group, the company leverages global sourcing partnerships to provide botanicals for flavor, fragrance, and functional applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Botanicals An extensive catalog of botanical raw ingredients available shipped whole, cut and sifted, fine cut, or powdered, supplied to food, beverage, nutraceutical, personal care, and pet care industry manufacturers.
• Spices At-source seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, flowers, roots, seeds, or stems of aromatic plants, sold directly to industrial customers in the food and beverage industries.
• Essential Oils An extensive range of essential oils and extracts offered through parent company Berjé Inc., serving the flavor, fragrance, pharmaceutical, and allied trades.
• Tea Ingredients Tea ingredients sourced seasonally from key regions including India, China, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, and South America, supplied to beverage manufacturers and tea companies.
• Custom Blends In-house custom blends for both tea and spice applications, available for co-packaging or individual branding; includes duplication of proprietary formulations or creation of entirely new custom blends using Forberg and high-volume V Blenders with multi-ton capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 unique products available from single source
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Berjé Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009In 2009, Whole Herb Company joined forces with Berjé Inc., a global distributor of essential oils and aromatic chemicals to the Flavor, Fragrance, Pharmaceutical, and Allied Trades. Together they provide a comprehensive range of more than 3,000 unique products with unprecedented versatility within flavor, fragrance, and functional applications. Berjé Inc. provides access to essential oils and extracts through Whole Herb Company.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Botanic Healthcare: Manufacturer of botanical extracts and nutraceutical ingredients serving food supplement and personal care markets. Comparable in botanical extraction capabilities and nutraceutical customer segment.

Broad incumbents

• Sensient Technologies: Global supplier of flavors, colors, and natural ingredients for food, beverage, personal care, and pharma. Overlaps with Whole Herb's botanical sourcing and multi-industry B2B distribution model.
• Naturex (Givaudan): Major natural ingredients supplier (now part of Givaudan) offering botanical extracts and nutraceutical ingredients. Comparable as a broad incumbent supplying plant-based ingredients to food, beverage, and personal care manufacturers.
• McCormick & Company: Global flavor and spice leader with a broad portfolio of herbs, spices, and seasonings for F&B manufacturers. Comparable as a large-scale supplier of botanical and spice ingredients to the same Food and Beverage customer base that Whole Herb serves.

Direct peers

• Indus Organics: Supplier of organic spices, herbs, and botanical ingredients for food manufacturers. Comparable as a direct importer of organic and conventional raw ingredients serving similar F&B customers.
• Synthite Industries: Manufacturer of spice oleoresins, natural food colors, and botanical extracts. Directly comparable as an ingredient supplier with similar botanical sourcing model serving flavor, fragrance, and food applications.
• Berjé Inc. Parent company of Whole Herb, distributing essential oils and aromatic chemicals to flavor, fragrance, and pharmaceutical industries. Directly comparable as a botanical and aromatic ingredient supplier with shared customer base and sourcing infrastructure.
• Frontier Co-op: Cooperative supplier of organic herbs, spices, and botanical ingredients to manufacturers and retail. Comparable in product mix (botanicals, spices, custom blends) and organic certification positioning.
• Kalsec: Supplier of natural spice and herb extracts, colors, and hop extracts to F&B manufacturers. Directly comparable to Whole Herb's botanical and spice ingredient offering with similar B2B distribution into food and beverage.
• Döhler: Global supplier of natural ingredients, flavorings, and botanical extracts for the food and beverage industry. Comparable in product range (botanicals, spices, extracts) and customer base (F&B manufacturers).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-whole-herb-company-inc-

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Whole Herb Company