Our Frankincense Stewards
Madhi & Jamie
SOMALILAND & VERMONT | BÖSWELLNESS

Madhi Ibrahim and Jamie Garvey started Böswellness in 2004. Mahdi, a native Somalilander, wanted to start a business that kept him connected to his homeland. Visiting with the elders and community leaders, he heard the challenges they faced — endangered forests, drought and exploitation. By directly sourcing the resins from harvesters, Böswellness laid the groundwork for a model that protected trees, improved water access and paid fair wages. With strong ties to the region, they established a direct route from tree to distillery. This chain of custody enables them to guarantee the purity and quality of our products.

Gifts made with frankincense

Sacred Stewards

Mahdi with harvesters. Böswellness’s process for harvesting this sacred resin is careful and respectful of the Böswellia sacra tree native to the region. Taking care not to harm the tree, a superficial incision is made into the bark. From this small cut, the resin seeps out and dries over the course of a couple weeks. At this time, the harvesters return to collect the tree’s first offering and then continue this process for roughly six weeks. After harvest, the resin can be burned as an incense, infused into oil and distilled for essential oil and hydrosol.

Local Impact

Ingredient: Frankincense

Place: Böswellness has forged direct connections and deep relationships with harvesting communities in the Sanaag region of Somaliland.

Community: Installation of solar powered wells in villages.

Investment: 20% of profit into regional development.

Organic: Strengthening local economy for multigenerational families by being the first company to offer certified organic frankincense worldwide.

Forest: Partnered in a multi year study on the health of Boswellia forests with the Centre for Frankincense Environmental and Social Studies (CFESS).

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