Herbiseed

What Herbiseed does

Herbiseed is a UK-based specialist seed producer founded in 1984 by Dr Martin Parham and now owned by Steve Morton, who acquired the business in 2010 with Dr Parham retained as consultant. The company produces seeds of more than 700 weed species and over 200 wildflower species, holding 800+ species in stock at any given time. It serves three distinct customer segments: agrochemical research organisations requiring scientifically reproducible weed seed for field trials, ecological restoration and conservation projects requiring UK-native and organic-certified mixtures, and pet owners purchasing direct from the company. Operations are anchored on a 20-acre site in Twyford, Berkshire, with additional seed multiplication capacity in Serbia and the Philippines, enabling year-round production across hemispheres.

The technical offering spans a deep catalogue of weed and wildflower seeds, a UK-provenance Goring Gap local-origin range, certified organic wildflower mixtures, and adjacent application equipment including ultra-lightweight carbon fibre spraybooms. The business holds Defra-registered UK seed merchant status, which is required for legitimate seed trade and tenders into public restoration schemes. Scientific depth is anchored by multiple former Jealott's Hill International Research Centre scientists in founder/consultant and lead herb roles. The website operates on the Sitefinity CMS and functions as the primary commercial surface.

The business model combines B2B supply to research and restoration buyers with direct-to-consumer sales (including pet owners), generating revenue through seed sales, certified organic mixtures, and ancillary sowing equipment. Pricing, contract structures, distribution margins, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The combination of multi-country production, niche catalogue breadth, and family-business ownership suggests a small, capital-light operator rather than a venture- or PE-backed entity.

Name

Herbiseed

Legal name

Herbiseed

Website

https://herbiseed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Herbiseed is a UK-based specialist seed producer founded in 1984, supplying 800+ weed and wildflower species to agrochemical researchers, ecological restoration projects, and pet owners from a Berkshire base, with additional production in Serbia and the Philippines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Seed Production

NAICS

Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Floriculture Production (111422), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Turf & Ornamental Seeds (Lawn, Golf, Landscaping) (AFABAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medicinal Plant Farming (Botanical/Pharmaceutical Crops) (AFAGAGAE), Herb Farming (Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Mint, Dill) (AFAGADAK), Forage & Pasture Seeds (Alfalfa, Clover, Ryegrass, Bermudagrass) (AFABAFAD), Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Specialist seed production
• Weed seeds research
• Wildflower seed mixtures
• Agrochemical field trials
• Herb seed supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Twyford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Seed Sales: One-time product sales of seeds including weed seeds, herb seeds, wildflower seeds, and plants for pets. Prices listed per 1000g with multi-currency support (UK Pounds, US Dollars, Euros)
2. Field Trial Services: Additional products and services for agrochemical field trials and glasshouse tests including crop seeds, cover-crop seeds, fungicide susceptible varieties, spraybooms, and trial plot services
3. Consultancy Services: Consultancy on field trial methodology, wildflower establishment, and weed science. Production of promotional seed packets and contract growing services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Herbiseed is a specialist grower and supplier of unusual seeds and plants, organized into six main lines: weed seeds (over 700 species for agrochemical field trials and weed science research), crop and cover-crop seeds for trials and glasshouse experiments, herb seeds (medicinal, culinary, and natural products), British native wildflower seeds (over 200 species for habitat creation), seed mixtures for plant-eating pets, and TTLTM tortoise food mixes. The company complements its seed catalogue with field trial services including contract growing, plug plant production, consultancy on trial methodology and wildflower establishment, and ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre spraybooms.

Product overview

Herbiseed is a specialist seed grower operating since 1999 with a comprehensive portfolio organized into six main sections: Weed Seeds (700+ species for agrochemical screening and research), Crop Seeds (for field trials), Herb Seeds (unusual medicinal, culinary, and natural product herbs), Wildflowers (200+ British native species), Plants for Pets (seed mixtures for plant-eating animals), and TTL Tortoise Food Mix. The core offering centers on unusual and wild plant species rarely available elsewhere. The company provides Field Trials Services for the agrochemical industry including contract growing, consultancy, ultra-lightweight spraybooms, and technical support. Additional services include wildflower consultancy, promotional seed packet production, and plug plant supply. Products are available through Quick Order system and searchable online database.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• T-Lady's Mediterranean Tortoise Mix: Herbal diet containing a range of herbs for mediterranean tortoises, observed to eat in the wild.
• Tropical Tortoise Mix
• Goring Gap
• Certified Organic Wildflower Seed Mixtures

Products and services

• Weed Seeds Over 700 weed species produced as seeds and tubers for worldwide agrochemical screening, agricultural research, and weed technology field trials.
• Crop Seeds Small quantities of crop seeds, cover-crop and erosion-control species, trees, vines and shrubs, wildflower seeds, and fungus-susceptible crop varieties for fungicide testing and agrochemical screening in field trials and glasshouse experiments.
• Herb Seeds Wide range of unusual herb seeds rarely found in mainstream commerce, including medicinal herbs, food and flavouring herbs, farm and garden herbs, and natural products (dyes, fibres, essential oils).
• Wildflowers Over 200 British native wildflower species for habitat creation, ecological restoration, wildlife support, gardening, and landscaping, available as individual species or formulated mixtures.
• Plants for Pets Seed mixtures for plant-eating pets and grazing animals including tortoises, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, horses, ponies, goats, alpacas, llamas, and cats, plus wild bird seed mixtures and cat grass/catmint products.
• TTLTM Tortoise Food Mix The Tortoise Lady's Mediterranean Tortoise Mix and Tropical Tortoise Mix herbal diet seed mixtures containing herbs observed tortoises eat in the wild, for indoor container growing or outdoor sowing.
• Field Trials Services Comprehensive services for agrochemical field trials and glasshouse tests including contract growing, plug and pot-plant production, promotional seed packets, contract testing on non-target plants, and establishment of field trials and demonstrations.
• Contract Growing Services Production of plug plants, contract seed multiplication, and flower, leaf, or root production. Temperate species grown in the UK; Mediterranean and tropical species grown in Eastern Europe (Serbia) and the Philippines.
• Seed Sourcing Service Worldwide network of botanically qualified experts and specialist seed producers used to source seed of species not listed in the catalogue, including species obtainable from other specialist seed business operations.
• Wildflower Consultancy Consultancy service with 20 years of experience in designing and implementing wildflower landscapes including landscape design, species selection, seed supply, land preparation, seed sowing, and plant establishment, with speciality in establishing flora on landfill sites and difficult soils.
• Weed Science Consultancy Expert consultancy on field trial methodology, wildflower establishment, and weed science, supporting agricultural and agrochemical customers' experimental programmes.
• Featherlite Ultra-Lightweight Carbon-Fibre Spraybooms Featherlite ultra-lightweight spraybooms built with carbon-fibre booms, designed for use in field trials and small-scale horticulture applications.
• Rice Weeds Seeds and tubers of flooded paddy rice weeds including multiple Echinochloa biotypes from various geographical origins, produced at Herbiseed's Philippines site.
• Resistant Weeds Herbicide-resistant weed populations including multi-resistant, triazine-resistant, ALS inhibitor resistant, ACC-ase inhibitor resistant, and glyphosate-resistant biotypes for resistance research and screening.
• Weed Populations (Multiple Origins) Weed seed from separate populations with widely different geographical origins including England, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and Serbia, enabling comparisons between populations and baseline herbicide tolerance studies.
• Goring Gap Local Origin Wildflower Mixtures Southeast England local-origin wildflower seed mixtures composed of species collected from the Chilterns and Thames Valley, blended with grass seed from a certified organic ancient meadow, with mixtures for sandy, clay, calcareous, loam, and wet soils.
• Certified Organic Wildflower Mixtures Certified organic wildflower mixtures based on 80% grass seed from a certified organic ancient meadow in the Thames Valley plus 20% wildflower seeds, marketed as the only range of certified organic wildflower mixtures with truly wild grasses available in the British Isles.
• Promotional Seed Packets Colourful picture packets of wildflower seeds designed and packed by Herbiseed, used to promote organisations' environmentally friendly image or commercial products.
• Wildflower Plants Wildflower plug plants (6-8 week-old seedlings in modules) and pot-grown plants for establishing wildflowers into bare land, enhancing newly sown lawns, or introducing species into established grassland.

Quantifiable outcome

• Same day order dispatch
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Crop Science: Major agrochemical buyer that Herbiseed supplies weed seeds to for herbicide field trials and resistance screening. Broad incumbent operating across the same regulated crop protection R&D value chain.
• Syngenta (Jealott's Hill): Global crop protection and seeds major; Herbiseed's three principals all worked at its Jealott's Hill research centre. Functions as a key enterprise customer for Herbiseed's weed-seed screening business and is the dominant incumbent in the same agricultural research value chain.

Direct peers

• Strictly Medicinal Seeds: US-based specialist in medicinal and culinary herb seeds with comparable emphasis on unusual species and documented provenance. Direct comparable to Herbiseed's medicinal and natural product herb range.
• Ernst Conservation Seeds: US-based native seed producer supplying conservation, reclamation, and pollinator habitat customers. Comparable target market in native species seed supply for ecological restoration.
• Boston Seeds: UK supplier of wildflower, amenity grass, and native species seeds with overlapping landscape, conservation, and agricultural trade customers. Closely comparable catalog breadth and direct-to-customer sales model.
• Applewood Seed Company: US-based native wildflower and grass seed specialist with comparable catalog breadth and direct e-commerce model. Geographic counterpart in North America for Herbiseed's wildflower business.
• Richters Herbs: Canadian specialist herb seed and plant retailer with deep catalog of unusual culinary and medicinal herbs. Closely comparable to Herbiseed's herb seeds product line and direct-to-consumer motion.
• Emorsgate Seeds: UK-based specialist in native wildflower and meadow seeds with comparable target customers (landscapers, conservationists, gardeners). Most direct UK competitor to Herbiseed's wildflower and wildflower consultancy business.
• Seedharvest: UK grower and supplier of native British wildflower and grass seed with provenance focus. Direct competitor in the British native seed segment that Herbiseed targets with its Goring Gap local-origin range.
• John Chambers Wildflower Seeds: UK native wildflower seed supplier serving similar environmental stewardship and landscaping customers. Comparable product mix and B2B/B2G sales motion to Herbiseed's wildflower line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/herbiseed

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 Herbiseed