If you are sourcing ingredients for gin, flavoured vodka, liqueurs, or ready-to-drink (RTD) products, choosing the right botanical wholesalers will make or break the quality of your product.
The following guide is a curated list of reliable suppliers from around the world, helping you start your search for the perfect partner for your operation. For other insights around how to use botanicals in your distilling process – from creating flavoured gin, using vapour chambers, foraging or how to adjust your maceration to improve your extraction, you can find more here: BOTANICALS
Tips for sourcing botanicals and ingredients
Fresh vs. Dried botanicals:
Decide whether fresh or dried botanicals best suit your production needs. Fresh botanicals can deliver vibrant and immediate flavour but have a shorter shelf life and require careful handling. Don’t forget that fresh botanicals also contain moisture, which can make consistent weighing difficult for recipes with a very fine margin for error. Meanwhile, they tend to vary more in intensity as each micro batch / run will be different.
Dried botanicals are easier to process store and more stable, but that can come with a trade off. In some circumstances may offer slightly less intense flavours. There’s a big difference between air dried, freeze dried, dehydrated and so on too, let alone how some botanicals concentrate flavour when dried while others loose intensity.
Irrespective of the format, don’t forget that using botanicals with a high content of essential oils may cause the spirit to louche, which may not be desirable and therefore involve adjusting grams or changing methodology.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each, and both storage and extraction techniques (pre and during distillation) must be taken into account.
Storage conditions and degradation:
Proper storage is essential to maintaining the integrity of any botanical. Store botanicals in cool, dark and dry conditions to prevent degradation.
Needless to say, proper protocols around FIFO (First In, First Out) and understanding the best storage methods for each type of botanical are crucial. Additionally, having an accurate forecast and operating timeline for your supply ensures you are using botanicals at their peak quality and avoiding waste. Talk to your supplier to ensure continuity and steady turnover.
Cost of transport and local sourcing:
Transporting botanicals can be expensive. Whenever possible, consider sourcing ingredients locally to reduce costs and support regional suppliers. This approach can also reduce the need for certificates, fumigation, and other international or cross-state controls that certain countries require.
Moreover, for those looking to make geographical claims – it might be part of the requirements you need to adhere to (e.g. source of grain coming within a set state in America). Even if it is not, sourcing locally where possible will add to the authenticity of the product’s provenance and improve the product’s environmental footprint once you make your full supply chain analysis. Road miles accumulate rapidly!
That said, centralised botanical wholesalers may offer a greater variety, cost efficiency, continuity of supply and in some cases, quality. As always with finding the right solution, it’s a trade off between elements, so assess the bigger picture before making a decision.
Inbound raw material checks:
Always conduct appropriate quality checks on incoming botanicals. Ideally, do more than just manual checks and use lab analysis or bench distillations to ensure consistency and quality. These quality checks will ensure that only the best ingredients are used in your spirits and that you are pushing your suppliers to the fullest in your search for quality.
GCMS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) is particularly useful for botanicals such as juniper and coriander seed, as both year-on-year variations as well as regional differences can be acute.
Consistency of supply and seasonal variation:
Botanicals are often subject to seasonal changes, which can impact their availability and quality. To mitigate this, establish relationships with multiple suppliers or work with suppliers that offer consistent inventory year-round.
If working with new botanical wholesalers, purchase small quantities initially to assess quality before committing to larger orders.
Organic certification:
If opting for organic materials, ensure the chain of custody and any third-party contractors involved in forwarding, storing, or handling them also have the relevant certificates and traceability requirements as well.
Do your due diligence on the use of pesticides in general and make sure you have established your own standards to validate claims such as organic, fair trade, or regenerative. Auditing claims shouldn’t be seen as a negative, but a part of the procurement process.
Blend to experiment:
Many botanical wholesalers provide single-origin botanicals, allowing you to create custom blends should you want to. Vis versa, it can allow you to be hyper specific about what you want.
Consider experimenting with blends to develop the perfect balance for your product. This can be a good way to mitigate seasonal variance in flavour, integrate new and old supplies for continuity of flavour profile, or hedge against a limited amount of resource from certain regions.
Global Suppliers
Beacon Commodities
Beacon Commodities are specialists in sourcing botanicals specifically for gin production, including juniper berries, coriander seeds, citrus peels and other essential ingredients. As one of the globally known botanical wholesalers who are renowned for quality, they work with trusted growers worldwide to ensure consistent quality.
They have great logistical capacity and offer both small-scale and bulk options to suit various production needs.
Joseph Flach & Sons Ltd
Joseph Flach & Sons are long-standing supplier of herbs, botanicals, and spices, offering high-quality ingredients for gin makers. They have been in business for over a century, catering specifically to the needs of spirit producers, and are known for their wide range of botanicals, including juniper, angelica root and various spices.
Their products are thoroughly vetted for quality and consistency, making them a sought after partner for many distilleries globally.
Kraeuter Mix
Kraeuter Mix are also botanical wholesalers specialising in herbs and spices. They pride themselves on its dedication to sustainability, partnering with farms that follow environmentally friendly practices.
Their botanicals are carefully processed to preserve the essential oils and active components that contribute to flavour and aroma, and typically they have a lot of options for specific regions for those looking for specific provenance. They are a trusted supplier to both small and large-scale operations.
Starspice
Starspice is a supplier of a wide variety of botanicals and spices, catering to both small and large distilleries globally. The company has a vast inventory of botanicals, including both common and exotic spices, allowing for a high degree of specificity when designing a recipe.
They also maintain stringent quality control protocols while their flexibility in providing both small-scale batches and bulk quantities makes them a versatile partner for distilleries of any size.
North American botanical wholesalers & ingredient suppliers:
Apex Flavors
Apex focuses on both natural and artificial flavours, suitable for RTD products. They are well known for their extensive range of flavour extracts, which can be used to enhance a variety of spirit profiles, making them ideal for producers seeking versatility and quick R&D turnaround.
American Mercantile
American Mercantile is a U.S.-based supplier offering a broad selection of botanicals and extracts for distillers. They pride themselves on reliable and fast shipping, ensuring partners get the freshest botanicals to maintain flavour integrity.
Bulknaturaloils
Bulk Natura Oils specialises in natural oils, herbs, and botanicals, suitable for flavour extraction and experimentation. Their diverse range of essential oils can be an excellent addition for both flavour and aromatic complexity in RTD production.
Dandelion Botanical
For those based in Washington – Dandelion Botanical is a family owned herbal apothecary specialising in quality botanicals. They are based on the border of British Columbia are and can supply a wide range of roots, herbs, and flowers.
Flavorman
Flavourman are specialists in custom flavour development for bespoke botanical blends. They offer consulting services to assist distillers in creating unique and signature flavours, perfect for brands looking to stand out in the RTD market.
Lhasa Karnak
Lhasa Karnak offer a large selection and the highest quality herbs, essential oils, and other natural products. Ideal for smaller to mid sized operations based in California who are looking to get hold of wholesale herbs.
Memphi
A reputable U.S. supplier known for high-quality botanicals and spices to the food industry. That said, Memphi can also work with distilleries of all sizes and offers both bulk and small-scale packaging options, which makes them flexible in catering to diverse production needs.
Monterey Bay Spice Company
Cali based Monterey Bay Spice Co offers a wide range of botanicals, including rare and harder to find (in bulk) herbs. As botanical wholesalers, Monterey Bay Spice Company are well-known for their comprehensive selection and for their ability to service the beverage industry.
Moreover, they have all the necessary certificates and accreditations to surpass the more rigorous supply chain audits.
Mountain Rose Herbs
Since 1987, Mountain Rose Herbs have been committed to supporting organic domestic agriculture. They specifically partner with farms practicing organic and regenerative agriculture, ensuring the quality of botanicals is maintained from the source to your spirits.
Being independently owned allows them to prioritise sustainability, ethical sourcing, quality, and the well-being of our community over profits. If you are looking for strong ESG credibility in your supply chain, Mountain Rose are botanical wholesalers who will help you walk that walk.
Mueggenburg USA
Mueggenburg USA supplies dried botanical ingredients to the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries, offering both wild and cultivated botanicals from North America and international sources.
With in-house milling, blending, and heat treatment, they provide over 500 organic and non-organic botanicals. Their 40,000 ft² warehouse supports year-round inventory, ensuring stability despite crop fluctuations. All products come with a third-party Certificate of Analysis..
Pacific Botanicals
Pacific Botanicals cultivates high-quality herbs with a focus on regenerative agriculture, offering products that are Regenerative Organic Certified®. With over 40 years of experience, their herbs are tailored to their specific micro-climate, ensuring consistent quality. They are committed to sustainability, providing reliability for customers.
Penn Herb Co.
Penn Herb Co. offers over 400 wild-harvested and organic herbs, ideal for wellness and medicinal use. Established in 1924, they provide herbs in various forms, including whole, cut, and powdered, along with liquid extracts and capsules. Herbs are expertly milled, sifted, and packaged in their Philadelphia facility to maintain freshness.
Prinova
Prinova provides generic and branded botanical extracts, nootropics, a full selection of acids and acidulants and large stock holdings such as Potassium Sorbate & Sorbic Acid, alongside Hydrocolloids & Thickeners. A useful supplier for those making flavoured products, seltzers, and RTD’s.
San Francisco Herb Co.
San Francisco Herb Co is an established name in the herbal industry, providing bulk botanicals for all-scale production. From roots to flowers, seeds, roots and fruit peels, their quality selection of wholesale herbs and botanicals are sourced from all over the world. Worth noting that they import from European suppliers as well as domestic farms.
Starwest Botanicals
Starwest Botanicals began in 1975 as a small herbal shop in Sacramento, California. They have grown into one of the largest suppliers of organic botanicals in the U.S., driven by a commitment to quality, value, and sustainability. They are a trusted supplier of a wide range of high-quality herbs.
UK botanical wholesalers & ingredient suppliers:
Note: Many of the global suppliers named above are based in the UK (e.g. Beacon, Joseph Flach), while EU suppliers can also easily deliver. However, the following two suppliers are ideal for UK specific operations and those on a nano-distilling scale, needing only a few kilos at a time.
Organic Herb Trading Company is a supplier of organic botanicals, known for a diverse and high-quality selection. Organic Herb Trading Company places emphasis on sustainable and fair-trade sourcing, which helps ensure ethical practices across their supply chain.
Healthy Supplies – Sussex Wholefoods offers a wide variety of herbs and spices in bulk, catering to both small-scale and large production needs. Sussex Wholefoods also provides smaller quantities easily, making them ideal for experimental batches and R&D purposes.
Langdon (UK & AUS)
Founded in 1852 in Melbourne by Henry Langdon, Langdon has grown from supplying gold prospectors to becoming a major global purveyor of high-quality ingredients. Family-owned for over 170 years, they leverage a network of trusted suppliers for sourcing and delivering traceable products.
Today, Langdon is internationally known for sourcing the finest ingredients and providing product formulation solutions. Langdon offers over 2,500 high-quality ingredients, including 500+ dried botanicals for herbal teas, spice blends, spirits, and therapeutic products.
Australian Suppliers
Australia is rich with flora and native ingredients unique to the continent. It’s worth noting that many of these botanicals are not farmed but foraged, which requires sensitivity to the communities and the environment from which they come.
Additionally, responsible sourcing means recognising that the availability of some ingredients may be limited, necessitating mindful and sustainable practices, alongside some accurate forecasting.
Australian Native Products
Australian Native Products is the world’s largest commercial producer of Lemon Myrtle – the botanical that will put Australian gin on the world map. They are a go to for craft distillers looking for myrtle, be it lemon, anise or other!
Creative Native Foods
Provides a range of indigenous Australian botanicals. Creative Native Foods, founded by South Australian Andrew Fielke, focuses on native Australian ingredients that have been used by First Nations People for millennia.
They support Indigenous farmers and emphasise transparency, marking products sourced from ATSI growers with the Aboriginal flag symbol. Their extensive network spans across Australia, championing sustainable practices and supporting rural communities.
Diemen Pepper
Diemen Pepper offers Tasmanian pepper products, including hand-harvested pepperleaf and pepperberries. Pepperleaf is available in different forms, including bulk dry leaf and fresh seasonal leaf. Pepperberries are sustainably harvested and are available dried or freeze-dried.
Additional native botanicals include wattleseed, lemon myrtle, anise myrtle, cinnamon myrtle, bush tomato, strawberry gum leaf, saltbush, and freeze-dried fruit powders.
Final Thoughts
Sourcing the right botanicals and ingredients for your gin, flavoured vodka, or RTD products is a challenging but rewarding process. By working with trusted suppliers, you can achieve consistent quality and innovate with new flavours that set your spirits apart.
Whoever you pick – producers should also do their due diligence on both the ingredients and the supplier. Obtain Certificates of Analysis where possible, and ensure all claims are verifiable. As always, building a robust supply chain is about trust and relationships—work closely with your suppliers to help them understand your specific needs.
Use this cheat sheet to explore and source the best botanicals for your next craft spirit. Remember, the quality of your botanicals is the foundation of your flavour—so choose wisely!
