The Importance of Our Values. By Finn Rautenbach

Redefining Vision, Together

A few weeks ago, I shared how my journey with the Sustainable Herbs Initiative inspired a deep internal renewal at Afrigetics. (Link to previous article here.) But this wasn’t just about our company—it was about joining a wider global conversation, walking alongside others in the botanical pharmaceutical world who are reshaping the way we source, trade, and honor medicinal plants.

Today, I want to share the heart of what has emerged: our new vision.

This vision is the product of months of dialogue—hours of questioning, listening, reflecting, and aligning. Every word was chosen with care to express who we are, what we believe in, and the world we are working toward.

Our vision is to be:

“A trusted global leader in sustainably sourced African medicinal plants, setting the standard for quality, ecological stewardship, and reverence for the sacredness of the Earth. As a family-driven business, we empower communities and uphold transparency, fostering regeneration for ecosystems and future generations.”

Let me offer context to the phrases that now guide us:

“A trusted global leader”
Trust is earned—and in an industry facing rising demand, complex logistics, and social responsibility challenges, we believe trust must be built through honest relationships. We strive to be known not only for our products, but for the integrity with which we work: through fair costing, transparency, and shared responsibility with our global partners.

“In sustainably sourced African medicinal plants”
Afrigetics was founded with the intention to protect and promote Africa’s botanical wealth. Africa’s flora is vast, diverse, and deeply medicinal. Our commitment to sustainability is not simply regulatory—it is relational. We see plants not as commodities, but as beings in a living system that includes land, people, and spirit.

By creating value around these herbs—what we call economic keystone species—we help protect landscapes under threat, and offer rural communities a way to stay rooted in place, economically and culturally.

“Setting the standard for quality, ecological stewardship, and reverence for the sacredness of the Earth”
Sustainability begins with quality. When poor-quality herbs are rejected at destination, the entire chain—ecological, social, and financial—is broken. It’s wasteful and harmful. That’s why quality is a non-negotiable value shared across our network.

But true stewardship asks us to go further. We are here to protect and regenerate. Whether it’s through wild-harvested Pelargonium sidoides being replanted to enrich soil and increase populations, or Sceletium tortuosum replacing unsustainable crops in arid areas, we ask: does this make ecological sense?

And underpinning it all is a quiet but unshakable belief: that this Earth is sacred. That plants are not mere resources, but teachers, healers, and elders. This reverence is the soul of our business.

“As a family-driven business”
Afrigetics is privately owned. With no external shareholders, we have the freedom to lead with our values—not just chase the bottom line. That independence has allowed us to act with integrity, even when it’s not the easiest route.

Internally, we operate like a family. We hold each other accountable with kindness and care. As we grow, preserving this culture is one of our greatest priorities.

“We empower communities and uphold transparency”
At the end of the SHI Learning Journey, one idea stood out: “lift the veil.” Transparency must become the norm—from consumer to brand, partner to aggregator, aggregator to harvester. This isn’t easy, but it’s vital.

We’re investing in internal systems that make transparency traceable, and partnering with others who share the vision. When we say empowerment, we mean participation, inclusion, and the sharing of value and voice—especially at the source.

“Fostering regeneration for ecosystems and future generations”
Regeneration is our guiding star. It asks us to do more than sustain. It asks us to repair, reimagine, and restore.

To regenerate means we leave things better than we found them—not only for the land and plant communities, but for the people whose lives are intertwined with them.

We’re learning what this looks like in practice. But it begins with honoring the sacred—the Earth, the plants, and the interconnected web we all belong to. From this reverence, real change becomes possible.

If you’re working toward a more ethical, regenerative future in the herbal industry—or simply believe that business must honor life—I’d love to connect. This is a journey we’re not walking alone.

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#BotanicalMedicine
#SustainabilityLeadership