Biodynamic Horticulture

Organics aren’t some new fangled trend we’re jumping on. More like a trend we helped to establish. We set up one of the very first Biodynamic gardens all the way back in the 1920s to provide us with the natural, effective raw materials we needed to make our products the way we knew they should be made.

In these gardens, flowers thrived in the rich, balanced soil, bees buzzed from blossom to blossom, weeds were attended to with natural solutions and gardeners gently trod on the earth, nurturing every living creature. The result: the purest plants, flowers and fruits grown on earth.

Remarkably, little has changed in Weleda’s gardens since more than 80 years ago. Although, indeed, we’ve grown a bit since then.

Biodynamic agriculture involves growing to organic standards without chemical pesticides or sprays. It takes into account not just the seasons but also the rhythms of the planets. Crops are planted or harvested at the optimum time and the soil is enriched and revitalised with Biodynamic preparations and natural fertilisers, so plants have strong inherent life-force and a more potent effect when used in health products.

At Weleda UK we grow over 300 plant species in our Derbyshire herb gardens, where we farm 15 acres organically for use in our products. We are inspected and assessed regularly and are a Demeter certified site. This international accreditation is awarded where produce has been grown to the highest organic standards using biodynamic methods, which were developed from Rudolf Steiner’s pioneering lectures in 1924 through which the whole organic movement began.

Where we use wild ingredients, such as rose hips of Rosa mosqueta that grows in the foothills of the Andes, these are gathered by controlled certified collection. This ensures that the natural habitat is not damaged or exhausted. The local community is equally protected by Fair Trade. Where ingredients are grown for us, we work with local farmers, helping them to convert their conventional farms into sustainable organic culture.

Through these fair trade agreements, Weleda offers economic and social support to these communities. People are just as important to Weleda quality as the use of healthy organic plants. It is a vital part of the Weleda ethos to take responsibility both for our environment and co-workers in this way.