For over 30 years, Paul and Caitlin Rivett Carnac's family has been wholeheartedly devoted to cultivating quality herbs, and making herbal remedies more accessible to the community with the same superior quality they would provide to their nearest and dearest. St. Francis Herb Farm uses an approach that they call their Holistic Herb Approach, which brings science, craft and organic farming together while ensuring the highest quality product possible.
In 2021, the Rivett-Carnac family opened a 33,000-square-foot herb facility (Canada's largest), and this year they received the CHFA 2023 Organics Achievement award. The massive organic farm that mothers these herbs is in Barry's Bay, and the growing process begins by looking at each plant and the elements such as soil fertility, sustainability, and biological diversity, all while tending to each individual herb's growing and harvesting needs.
"When my parents started St. Francis Herb Farm back in the summer of 1988 in the kitchen of their old farm house, they had a goal to help people live healthier lives. I know they had no idea that our wellness community would grow to this scale in Canada and we are grateful to our many and dedicated long term customers who have supported us across Canada for all these years."
~ Paul Rivett-Carnac, President, CEO and Co-owner of St. Francis Herb Farm
St. Francis Herb Farm also works with a plethora of local Canadian farmers who share the same values, to provide the public with the best herb possible. By delving into the intricacies and numerous variables crucial for crafting sustainable, high-quality products, this company meticulously considers the preferred extraction process, temperature control, and maceration duration. They remain faithful to the family's decades of expertise, continuously drawing inspiration from traditional herbal texts.
Lastly, science is a major part of this process. St. Francis Herb Farm has a partnership with the Biopharmaceutical Department of the University of Ottawa to assess analytical testing of their crafting and farming practices to ensure that their product is indeed generating the exact quality they intend. Their website explains, "We call this our Holistic Herb Approach because the quality of the extract is defined not by the amount of a particular ingredient, but rather the care and intention around sourcing of high quality herbs, mastering the variables within the extraction process, which is then supported by assay testing which indicates the breadth and richness of the extract. This is the foundation of well-made plant medicine."
We at The Apothecary are so pleased to welcome this amazing Canadian herbal brand into our store. You can look forward to finding a majority of the Kids line in store and on our website (to keep the precious littles protected), as well as a wide variety of the immune, allergy, and cold & flu products. Let us know what your favourite St. Francis Herb Farm products are by emailing us at [email protected] for a chance to win a $10.00 Apothecary gift card!
