Richters Herbs

Richters was founded as a flower and garden center in 1967 by Waltraut and Otto Richter.{{Cite web| last = Mcquade| first = Mary Fran| title = Company Profile: Richters Herbs |website=Mother Earth Living| url = https://www.motherearthliving.com/gardening/A-Family-run-Business-Turned-Herbal-Landmark/}} Waltraut and Otto moved from Austria to Canada in the 1950s. After they began growing their own herbs, a 1969 feature article in the Toronto Star brought them wide attention.{{cite news | newspaper=The Toronto Star | date=19 October 1995 | page=16 | title=Herb suppliers travel world | last=Leahy | first=Stephen | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-richterleahy/145413989/}} They sent out their first catalogue in 1970.{{r|mcquade}} In early years, they did business as Otto Richter and Sons.{{cite news | newspaper=The Kingston Whig-Standard | date=13 March 1982 | page=60 | last=Hally | first=Jean | title=Organic Gardening | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kingston-whig-standard-richterhally/145415219/}}

Otto is a trained horticulturist. Waltraut ran the business,{{Cite news| title =Sex and spaghetti need more zip? Try some herbs | last=Van Krieken | first=Chris |newspaper=The Toronto Star |date=8 Jul 1986| page=104| id={{ProQuest|435452462}}}} assisted by their son, Conrad, who has a master's degree in botany{{r|mcquade}}

Originally located in Locust Hill, Ontario, Waltraut and Otto moved the herb operation to Goodwood in 1975{{cite news | newspaper=The Toronto Star | date=31 May 1978 | page=43 | title=Herbal world is cook's paradise | last=Cameron | first=Stephanie | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-richtercameron/145413549/}} after their farm was expropriated for the planned development of Seaton. The financial impact forced them to reduce their {{convert|29,000|sqft}} of greenhouses to {{convert|6,000|sqft}}, devastating their bedding plant business.{{r|leahy}}

The company pivoted to focus on herbs in the mid-1980s and began adding commercial growers to their client list.{{r|mcquade}}

Richters offers seeds for both culinary and medicinal herbs.{{r|warburton}} All plants sold by Richters are grown in its greenhouses or on its site.{{r|mcquade}} By 1989, Richters had increased their greenhouse space to more than {{convert|20,000|m2}}.{{Cite news| title = Growers urge variety in using herbs| last=Creighton | first=Judy | newspaper= The Sun Times |date=15 Jun 1989 | page=5| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-times-richtercreighton/145374697/}}

The headquarters is located east of Toronto. It has distributors in Australia, Germany, and Israel.{{Cite news| title =Family herb business booms|last=Warburton | first=Wendy |newspaper=The Hamilton Spectator| date=28 Mar 1998| page=62| id={{ProQuest|269893206}}}}

The company has certifications to allow it to export seeds and plants to the United States,{{r|martin}} and approximately 25 percent of the company's sales are to American customers.{{Cite news| title =Richters Herbs are definitely a cut above | last=Totten | first=Lindsay Bond| newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner| date= 28 Jan 1998|page= 56| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-richtertotten/145374547/}} Richters will attempt to ship anywhere in the world.{{r|mcquade}}

The catalogue provides educational content about the uses of herbs.{{cite news | newspaper=Elizabethton Star | date=11 February 2018 | page=A14 | last=Cope | first=Jeanne | title=Take time to study your catalogues | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/elizabethton-star-richtercope/145411162/}} To expand the varieties of herbs the company can offer, Conrad established seed collection agencies in Nepal, Ghana, China, and Ecuador in the 1980s.{{Cite magazine| issue = 44/45| pages = 10–12| last = Kramer| first = Dee| title = The hunt: Kill or cull| magazine = Women & Environments International| date = 1998| id={{ProQuest|211593745}}}} They also have a Chinese herbal researcher on staff.{{r|mcquade}} By 2000, Richters carried 800 varieties of herbs.{{cite news | newspaper=The Toronto Star | date=22 April 2000 | pages=P1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-richterp2/145416554/ P4] | last=Day | first=Sonia | title=Fingering your way to healthier plants | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-richterp1/145416644/}}

As of 2019, Conrad is president of the company.{{cite news | newspaper=Ontario Farmer | date=16 April 2019 | page=A4 | last=Martin | first=Diana | title=Grain processing mill gets green light despite opposition | id={{ProQuest|2210568742}}}} He travels globally to locate herbs that can be grown successfully in Canada.{{r|dowling}} Conrad has supported regulation of herb growers, pointing to Australia for an example of "workable rules for regulating medicinal herbs".{{r|warburton}}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|richters.com}}
• {{cite news | newspaper=The Toronto Star | date=18 June 1969 | page=29 | last=Wanstall | first=Anne | title=You can have a garden of sweet smelling herbs | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-richterwanstall/145414770/}}

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Category:Companies established in 1983

Category:Seed companies