This post is part of our series featuring International Herb Symposium sponsors.

UpS: Thank you so much to Shawn Donnille, owner and CEO of longtime IHS sponsor Mountain Rose Herbs, for taking the time to talk with us. Shawn, how would you describe Mountain Rose?

MR: As a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods.

UpS: And what is the company’s mission?

MR: People, plants, and planet are more important than profit. This principle is the bedrock on which Mountain Rose Herbs is built, the foundational philosophy that has guided us every day for 33 years and counting. It is the heart of what we do and the core of why we advocate so fiercely for sustainable organic agriculture, native plants, and fair trade.

UpS: Please tell us something about Mountain Rose that you’re really excited about.

MR: We are super excited about the conception and opening of the Mountain Rose Aroma Bar. This first of its kind essential oil market is designed to engage the senses through high quality, ethically sourced essential oils and personal aromatherapy products. The Mountain Rose Aroma Bar is now open in two Oregon locations: one in our hometown of Eugene and the second in Tigard, just outside of Portland.

UpS: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

MR: At Mountain Rose Herbs, we work from the fundamental belief that it is our honor and our responsibility to strive for excellence as human beings and as a company: to live by ethical principles and to set ourselves always on a path of growth and learning in our ever-changing world. We also know that we are best positioned to do this when we have our feet well rooted in the ancient traditions that humans have turned to for millennia: in the profoundly healing beauty of nature and the natural gifts of the botanical world. At the end of the day, sustainable quality of life hinges delicately on how we caretake our planet: how we tend to our watersheds; how we nurture our soils, water, and air; how we grow and distribute the food we eat and the botanicals we love. This is why we are unwaveringly committed to rigorous quality testing on all our products, why we only use packaging that is environmentally friendly, why we invest in our properties with solar energy, satellite-controlled water conservation systems, and bioswales to filter runoff water from our roofs and pavement. It is why we worked hard to become Oregon’s first Zero Waste Facility, diverting more than 90% of all non-hazardous waste from landfills and incineration.

Curious? Learn more about the company here, be sure to check out their blog for herbal recipes of all kinds, and watch the video below to find out about sustainability practices at Mountain Rose.