As written by Andy Thornton, our fellow alchemist, as he reflects on our upcoming Oregon journey.
This summer, as part of our regenerative journey, we return once more to the forested embrace of Oregon to gather with the Sustainable Herbs Initiative (SHI) community. It is a homecoming of sorts, one that brings together growers, makers, thinkers, and storytellers who believe that plants are more than products, that nourishing plant magic begins not in the bottle, but in the soil, in the hands of the people who tend it, and in the relationships that sustain it.
Circle at Banyan Farm, last year in Oregon.
The SHI annual gathering is not your average industry event. There are no booths or product launches, no PowerPoint pitches or crowded conference halls. Instead, it is a living conversation: a circle of trust and transparency, of inquiry and imagination. We sit in circle, often outside, and listen. To each other. To the plants. To the deeper stories beneath the surface of supply chains.
Last year, we were fortunate to share space on multiple occasions with Ann Armbrecht, SHI’s founder, ethnobotanist, and passionate advocate for integrity in herbal sourcing. Through her gentle leadership, we explored what plants mean to us as individuals, as communities and as companies. We left changed. Not with tidy answers, but with better questions.
Ann Armbrecht at a regenerative farm in Costa Rica.
SHI’s work is about slowing down. Rooting deeper. Connecting as people. Asking: What does sustainability really mean when applied to our industry? How do we honor the people and places behind our ingredients, not just in marketing copy, but in practice? What would it look like to build a supply system that is truly regenerative?
At evanhealy, these are not abstract questions. They are the compass that guides every sourcing decision we make. We are proud to be part of the SHI community; a growing constellation of brands, farms, wildcrafters, and herbalists who believe that beauty begins with relationship.
This year, as we prepare to return, we do so with a deeper sense of commitment, and urgency. The herbal world is growing fast. But faster isn’t always better. In our rush to meet demand, we risk losing sight of what truly matters: the health of ecosystems, the dignity of labor, the sacredness of plants, the quiet power of traditional knowledge.
We look forward to reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting new ones in Oregon. To walking among medicinal plants. To sharing meals made with intention. To continuing the hard, beautiful work of making our industry more just, more transparent, and more whole.
We’ll see you in the circle.
Follow our rag-tag alchemists traveling the world on a regenerative journey.
