Have you developed a passion for herbs and herbal medicine? I'm guessing if you are reading this, you have already delved into the wonderful world of herbalism, either having become a herbalist or as a layperson.
Perhaps you enjoy creating and have made various herbal products in your kitchen at home and are considering if you could channel this creative passion into a small business?
There are so many ways to sell herbal products now, you could take the traditional route and pack up your wares and travel the country attending fairs and markets, you may approach natural food and health shops to see if they would stock your products or you may opt to sell online and join the hugely competitive worldwide 'wellness' market.
There are steps to complete before you are market ready-
formulation work
ingredient sourcing
branding and packaging
marketing
regulation checks
Do not be daunted by the list, lets work through them together ..
Do you need a license to sell herbal medicine in the UK?
It depends, if you are making any medicinal claims you will need Product Authorisation under the UK Medicines Act or Traditional Herbal Registration under the Traditional Herbal Medicines Directive.
If you are a Medical Herbalist you will not need either to supply your patient following a consultation where the product is made on your premises.
Is a herbal business profitable?
Potentially yes! Consumer trends indicate a growing awareness of natural solutions, 2022 was a strong year for herbal/traditional dietary supplements and 2023 is expected to be even stronger. With allergies on the rise, customers are looking for ways to reduce their impact, antibiotic resistance is decreasing our reliance on these drugs, leading for a search in alternative cough products amongst others, and a return to post-covid hectic, stressful living is increasing demand for sleep aids and stress-reducing remedies.
How to formulate herbal products
If you have a good idea of what you want to create, the type of product and the herbs you would like in it, then the next step is to source the herbal ingredients, more on this shortly.
Perhaps you have some idea of the product you would like to create, or the condition you would like to address but little to no formulation experience. Formulation is an expert skill, built on many years of experience and requiring a good head for maths as products need to contain effective levels of constituents whilst remaining within dosage guidelines.
The Botanical Extract Company can offer a bespoke formulation service, built on many years of experience with herbal products. Working with us, you can create effective products for your herbal business to sell either on a market store or on Amazon or Shopify. We can guide you through every step of this process.
Whichever way you approach your product development, you will require a reliable source of herbal ingredients that have been sourced from growers with the highest standards, that have then satisfied rigorous quality- control checks.
Here at The Botanical Extract Company we have a range of over 300 species of herbs available, either grown agroecolgically by ourselves or sourced from other organic suppliers. From this range we have the ability to produce all herbal liquids, dried herbs- loose or powdered and combine ingredients in bottles, jars, teabags or capsules.
How to I create packaging for my herbal products?
You can design your own or ask for a helping hand from us and our own design contacts. The same with the packaging, either source and supply your own, or we can assist with this too.
How do I market my herbal products?
Do your research! Think about the sort of person who may buy your products, create a 'customer persona', give them a name if necessary. Think about their lives and preferences, where they shop and what guides their buying choices. If you are going to promote via social media, consider which platforms your target may audience visit and if they prefer blogs, videos or podcasts. The more you can understand about your customer, the better chance you have of connecting with them.
Starting a new business can be daunting, but incredibly exciting and you will surprise yourself how quickly you can develop the necessary skills.
If you require any help whatsoever, contact us
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