From the Field to Your Cup

The Fascinating Journey of our Medicinal Herbs

For over 230 years, we have dedicated ourselves to the responsible use of natural resources with respect for nature. At the same time, we do everything we can to offer you the highest possible and controlled product quality. This process starts right at the beginning of our medicinal herbs’ journey – when the plants are being cultivated. For us, our suppliers are not just long-standing trading partners, but rather close allies with whom we are constantly setting new quality standards. We know from our centuries of experience: Only together can we ensure seamless quality and produce in a sustainable way.

Cultivated for Quality in Austria and Around the World

Our herbs pass through numerous stages on their way to your teacup. As with most plants, the journey of our medicinal herbs begins in the soil. Specifically, they are grown in regions where they can optimally develop their active ingredients in suitable climatic conditions with the help of the sun. As an Austrian family business, we prioritise regionality, short transport routes, and sustainable cultivation. Accordingly, we prefer to source our herbs from Austria wherever possible. However, cultivated plants such as turmeric, ginger and cinnamon do not grow well in Central European soil. We therefore import these herbs from experienced farmers in various countries around the world via fair trade. As with all our medicinal herbs, we process 100% of them in Austria.

Not every agricultural producer is a suitable partner for us. Our purchasing department takes a variety of criteria into account when selecting our suppliers. For example, many years of experience in cultivation are essential. As a manufacturer of herbal medicinal products, we are certified according to GMP (‘Good Manufacturing Practice’) and produce according to the strictest quality guidelines. We are therefore obliged to guarantee consistent quality and product continuity at all instants. In particular, the active ingredient content of our medicinal herbs must be appropriately high. Unlike many other distributors of herbs, we are subject to the high quality requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia.

For a long time, we have maintained excellent relationships with competent suppliers with whom we share a common vision of resource-conserving production. In particular, we have been working successfully with herb farmers from the Mühlviertel in Upper Austria and the Waldviertel in Lower Austria – in some cases for generations. We have been acquiring our green tea from a traditional family business in Japan for several decades. These valuable partnerships lay the foundation for us to be able to reliably offer you fairly produced products of excellent quality.

Working Together for a Sustainable Harvest

Good communication is the basis for successful co-operation. For us, intensive contact with our cooperation partners is a crucial part of quality assurance. We enquire by phone, email and occasionally even in person on site about how our herb farmers and their plants are doing up to harvest maturity. Especially after extreme weather events, the suppliers usually take the initiative and – in the best case for both sides – give the all-clear immediately.

To assure that the plants grow safely and securely, our experienced farmers use tried-and-tested methods and modern technologies to cultivate and raise them. Under optimal weather conditions, our little plants quickly and persistently make their way towards the sun, surrounded by numerous fellow companions. As soon as they have reached the required size, the harvest begins – with respect for nature in order to preserve the soil for future generations of plants.

The journey of our medicinal herbs continues to arrive at the nearby warehouses of the farms for storage. Compliance with all quality standards has top priority here. Among other things, the time factor plays a decisive role. This already applies to transport to the storage facility, which must not take too long for many medicinal plants. In this way, the herb farmers ensure that the freshly harvested herbs are gently dried quickly and that as many active ingredients as possible are preserved.

The diversity of our range is matched by the diversity of the entire plant world with all its peculiarities. Every herb has special requirements that need to be taken into account if you want to enjoy a rich harvest. Medicinal herbs such as the ever-popular cheese poplar or stinging nettle prove to be hard-working harvest helpers that grow back several times a year. Coriander and fennel, on the other hand, wait patiently for their grand entrance in early autumn, when their fruits are ready for harvest.

Wild Harvest – Herbs Gained Directly from Nature

We also obtain some of our medicinal herbs from sustainable wild harvesting. The life of these plants begins in unspoilt nature – in the mountains, on meadows or in forests. Unaffected by human influences and far from civilisation, these precious treasures thrive and are waiting to be discovered by expert wild harvesters.

Thanks to their years of experience, the wild collectors harvest with understanding and reverence for nature. In this way, they ensure that the plants grow back and that future generations can also enjoy wild-collected herbs. After all, biodiversity can only be preserved through the sustainable use of natural resources. That is why our wild harvesters also see themselves as guardians of nature.

Experienced wild harvesters are experts when it comes to determining the right time for harvesting. This sometimes depends on how the wild herbs are to be processed later. Roots, for example, often need time and are only dug up in late autumn when they have a wealth of flavour and aroma. The wild harvesters also make sure that the proportion of essential oils in the flowers is particularly high when they are harvested.

From the Countryside Straight to Vienna

Whether they come from wild collections from meadows and forests or from fields from controlled organic farming, all our medicinal herbs have one thing in common: sooner or later they make their way to Vienna. To be more precise, they are brought to our company headquarters at Eitnergasse 8, located within Vienna’s 23rd district.

Before a new chapter begins for them here, our internal quality process starts. The delivered herbs are checked for their active ingredient content and identity and subjected to a comprehensive residue analysis. Once approved by quality control, they are processed in a variety of ways in our Vienna production facility.

Finally, our herbs end up back at our company headquarters in various forms – ranging from cuts to granules to powders. From there, they are dispatched either as filter bag teas or loose herbal products in transport packaging to pharmacies, drugstores, wellness hotels or the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. We also have our own in-house manufactory at the Eitnergasse site, where we produce our own special herbal blends or those bottled according to customer requirements.

Some of our medicinal herbs are carried to our KOTTAS Kräuterhaus, our speciality shop for consumers at Freyung 7 in Vienna’s 1st district. In addition to herbal tea blends for health and enjoyment, our experts develop a wide range of herbal products such as incense blends, spices and original creations in the historic business premises. You can also find numerous products from the range in our KOTTAS Kräuterhaus Online-Shop.