While our Chemirei farm produces conventional crops, a few kilometers away our Chemase farm operates under an entirely different set of rules – the strict standards of certified organic farming. It’s here that we grow niche botanicals including nettle, lemon verbena, lemon balm, raspberry leaf, and blackberry leaf, alongside organic lemongrass.

Organic certification is not a label we apply loosely. It governs everything from the seed stock we use to how we manage soil fertility, control pests, and rotate crops. No synthetic pesticides or fertilizers touch this land – instead, our agronomy teams rely on composting, companion planting, and natural pest deterrents to keep the crops healthy.

This way of farming asks more of the people who practice it. Yields can be less predictable than conventional methods, and the margin for error is smaller. But the payoff is a crop that reflects exactly what organic consumers are looking for: botanicals grown without synthetic inputs, in soil that is actively cared for rather than simply used.

Running two farms side by side – one conventional, one organic – also gives us a unique vantage point. Our teams move between both systems, comparing notes and carrying good practices from one to the other. It keeps us honest about what organic farming really requires, and it keeps us close to the land in a way that a single, larger operation might not allow.

For our partners abroad, Chemase represents a direct line back to a specific place and a specific set of practices – not just a certification stamp, but a farm they could, in principle, walk through themselves.