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Bertha Reppert, founder of The Rosemary House, a
Pennsylvania herb and spice shop, has written a thorough, well-researched
book on how to start an herb business, based on her own 29 years of experience.
She includes interviews with others who have successfully started a herb
business - and she includes dozens of helpful ideas.
- To order 'Growing Your Herb Business'. When did you start growing herbs? I first began growing herbs in 1961 when I was introduced to these wonder plants--beyond parsley, mint and chives--at my first garden club program in our new home in Pennsylvania. I had always gardened, but these plants were a revelation. What prepared you to own a herb business? I went to business school, which was helpful, but after marriage I was a stay-at-home Mommy. Except for the time spent romping with the kiddies in the garden, nothing prepared me for the world of business. I only knew it was something I wanted to do and that the girls loved it too. If I had known all the pitfalls, I believe I would have stuck to making cookies and mother-daughter dresses. Why did you open an herb business? Total happiness in the project. Blissful unawareness of the necessity of making money. My friends enthusiastic playing along. The countless projects to be created and shelved (some never to be seen again). And total family support. What is the number one thing a person going into this business must know about herbs? How to grow them. Non-gardeners are at a real disadvantage. When I started, very few herbs were out there on the market so most of what I grew was from seed up, a real learning experience. Actually, they are the easiest of plants to grow and will give anyone more pure pleasure per square inch than anything else they plant. Usually, a pot or two is sufficient. What is your favorite herb? I HAVE to say 'ROSEMARY' and I am devoted to rosemary. It is the most useful of all and has built in symbolism (for remembrance). We pondered long and had over the name - The Rosemary House-and all the uses, lore, legends won out. But if the truth be known, I adore Basil! What have growing herbs taught you? They've taught me 'things are seldom what they seem.' To look at a herb garden is never as spectacular as an English border but if you reach down and TOUCH the herbs, ahhhh their 'hidden virtues' are all there, awaiting discovery. And then when you learn all they can do! It's the 'faith of a mustard seed that can move mountains.' What does the quote 'let the herb become the teacher' mean to you? This quote -- 'let the herb become the teacher' is engraved in stone at the herb garden at Cornell University. Do go see it! If you sit by an herb plant and study it, gently caressing its fragrant leaves, filling your hands with the oils, then sniff -- you can learn a lot. Lemon, mint, or lavender will alert all your senses like nothing else in the garden, awakening thoughts and memories, suggesting uses, inspiring prose or poetry, you will end up with a bunch in your hand to take along indoor for even more enjoyment. That's how I learned about herbs. Eventually I without hesitation was tossing chives in my scrambled eggs or oregano into the spaghetti sauce. Once you get the hang of it, it builds rapidly and easily. Also, share a piece of your ubiquitous mint plant with a child. Encourage petting, nibbling, watching it grow, sharing the harvest, have a tea party with the same mint--children learn quickly and respond eagerly to the lure of herbs. Perhaps all will be forgotten come the teens, but it will come back sometime when no one is looking. What are some tips for growing herbs? Not enough sun and poor drainage. With few exceptions, (sweet woodruff enjoys shade and mint will grow in anything including streams), they want their feet dry and a place in the sun. What are some of the herbs you grow? Mint, of course. Our sage is 12 years old. Our southernwood is going on 30; many of them are undemanding -- poor soil, draught, they are kin to weeds. Except rosemary. This can be a prima donna in our climate so I coddle it, talk to it, mist it indoors and enjoy it as long as it stays with me. Given what they want, most of them are easy to grow. If we lose a plant, moving it just six feet over to another spot sometimes does the trick. What does a person need to have their own herb business? Knowledge, above all else. It can indeed be an on-the job training business, but I guarantee you--people have questions, LOTS of questions about herbs. Enthusiasm for the project will get you through when the going gets tough. In the 29 years of Rosemary House, we have never run out of that. And some financial backing would certainly be helpful. We had very little of that and there were always time, when we had two weeks of snow and nary a customer in sight or the water company ripped up the street, when a backlog of money would have been comforting. Describe your store. We have a jam-packed store, wall to wall and floor to ceiling with narrow aisles filled with herbs and herb related products. Our table top items have botanicals on them. Our greeting cards are herbal. All the herb books and cookbooks we can cram in fill the shelves. Plants spill out over the porches. Gardening supplies, wall decor, herb seeds, oils and potpourri, tote bags and tee shirts with herbs on them. Lots of herb/garden crafts, soaps, and bath things, dips, seasoning, vinegars and teas galore. It's a trip. How do you attract new customers? We do a lot of workshops, tea parties, two open houses a year, bring in experts to demonstrate or sign books, anything we can think of to get them into the tent and to TEACH. We have a tea room (another daughter) where we serve lunch, tea or dinner with lectures --all about Rosemary. Everything's coming up Roses, etc. etc. Our most popular and funniest event is our Fairy Festival the Saturday after Labor Day, when the whole town has a big craft fair. We make chaplets, fairy wands, decorate fairy baskets, tour the Fairy Garden, and have even had a real live Fairy in attendance. If the weather is with us, this is a day in the gardens everyone enjoys. This summer we are having a Teddy Bear Please Read To Me Tea in the garden (or the tea room in case of rain). Adults are $6, children $3, bears are free. Tell us the story of The Rosemary House. The story of The Rosemary House is another book! We do not have acres--three post-Civil War red brick row houses each with a garden in the back. This is in downtown M-burg which is fast growing up. We are on Route 114, which goes through the center of town, Exit 17 off the PA Turnpike and Exit 18 off I-81, right off the square. We are different because we ARE in a city but with the look of a farm. Our garages are barns. Because we are dependent upon others to grow our plants, our gardens are teaching gardens. We welcome visitors, will arrange tours and try to keep them labeled. We are different in that we have since June 1968 attempted to add something new to the inventory every month. 12 X 29 years is a lot of herbal ideas. These are Rosemary House products that we will wholesale to other herb shops. This year we added our new rosemary place mats and are now using the artwork for an Afghan. We also plan rosemary napkins, notepapers and other things from the same artwork. Most of our packaging is done by the handicapped in a sheltered workshop or by young mothers who are at home with their babies. Why are herbs so important to our history? They are the workhorses of the plant kingdom. They have touched our lives in countless ways and we are the fortunate legatees of all he knowledge about herbs that has come down through every continent, nay millennia. Every culture, every civilization, every continent has had its history, all of which is being gathered and fed into computers. The history of man and the history of plants are a closely woven fabric. And the dependency has been total. How rich we are! What are some ideas you can share with those who want to start a herb business? With a garden to harvest. Pot up surplus plants, hang bunches to dry; make teas and seasonings; craft away; sell knowledge--cooking classes, sell for your herb gardening friends on consignment; do weddings, parties and celebrations with herbs. What do you do that really seems to be popular with customers? Themes are helpful. We do an annual herb tea party, built around a theme--Victorian, Renaissance, Medieval, English, International. It sets the scene and gives you ideas to build upon. Our Fairy Festival is a perfect example. Because of this whim, we now have a whole corner of fairy stuff to sell and it is exceedingly popular. How can herbs be used for weddings and celebrations? I have written a book for Storey Communications calls 'Herbs for Weddings and Other Celebrations.' It covers herbs from invitations, announcements, showers, to thank-you notes and includes flowers, decorations, special touches and all our best party recipes. To say nothing of the special built-in symbolism of herbs. Tell us about herbal wreaths. They have their own charm, a quiet look that grabs the heart. There is nothing prettier than a totally herbal wreath. Nosegays are popular and the perfect gift for a 100th Birthday. I'm visiting one this week. Swags are always lovely and garland around a little girl's head, or draping an elegant table is exquisite. The most unusual way to use them is to convey a message, by consulting a Language of Flowers dictionary, you can speak more eloquently than with mere words. Why are herbs so popular today? In many cases, they represent an alternative form of medication and this has propelled the interest like you wouldn't believe. We started out with just 'Flavors and Fragrances' but the public demand has gotten us into botanicals, aromatherapy and we offer courses on Herbs for Health. But they have a universal appeal that just keeps growing. With the proliferation of nurseries that now sell herbs, we are still very much in the plant business, and our craft classes are as popular as ever. Perhaps it's a case of 'what goes around comes around,' but this is a boom in interest that doesn't seem to abate. When we opened 29 years ago, we thought the world would be as excited about all this as we were. Well they weren't. But I'm glad we are still here to participate in this exciting renaissance of herbs. For some, it's a passing interest. For some it becomes a hobby that goes in many directions. For the rest of us, it's a passion. - To order 'Growing Your Herb Business'.
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