What led to the founding of Verdure Sciences, and how has the company’s mission evolved since its inception?
Growing up in an agricultural community in rural India Ajay Patel was exposed to plants and botanicals early on. Patel’s grandparents owned farmland growing wheat, millet, tobacco and other crops, and raised cattle for milk. They even used the animal manure for biogas generation for cooking in their home. In addition, Patel and his family consumed spices and herbs daily as part of their diet, including turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, holy basil, cumin, etc.
Verdure Sciences® was founded in 1997 and was built upon the foundation of traditional botanical ingredients to best fit modern-day demands, backed by clinical rigor, botanical integrity, traceability, and sustainability. Over the years as the industry has evolved, Verdure has continued to build upon its strong foundation to innovate value added science backed botanical extracts, coupled with true vertical integration with its global sourcing networks to ensure quality, consistency and compliance exceeding industry standards. From Verdure’s award-winning research to their unique sustainability platform “Verdugration,” Verdure continues to strive to cater to ever-evolving global needs and growth without losing sight of the people, places, and processes, that make this all possible.
How has your background in chemical engineering informed your approach to botanical ingredient development and business operations?
Mr. Patel obtained his degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University; however, his interest in botanicals came from growing up in an agricultural community. Patel’s degree in chemical engineering has guided Verdure’s science-based approach, allowing for optimization of production, scaled growth, scientifically sound practices, and the ability to apply optimization efficiencies to sustainable solutions while utilizing the principles of both chemistry and physics. Patel’s disciplined approach has built Verdure Sciences® into a leading bioactive ingredient company that has a foundation in quality, sustainability, and science. Patel’s degree in chemical engineering, his devotion to processes, and deep understanding of integral components of working structures paired with intrinsic interest in botanicals have Verdure well poised for a long & fruitful future.
What leadership strategies have been most effective for you in managing growth and maintaining consistency across global operations?
From early on in Patel’s entrepreneurial career he was intrigued with global supply chains, which included not only sourcing of the raw botanicals, but more importantly the manufacturing of the bioactive extracts. The knowledge he gained by being on the ground early on provided a tremendous amount of insights and know how, which helped define and differentiate Verdure and its stakeholders. In addition, being actively involved in as many aspects of the business as possible, Patel has been able to share unique insights gathered over nearly three decades of business acumen. He continues to be well connected to the communities in which Verdure operates and maintains long-term relationships across the globe for informed, strategic, and highly effective global operations. Patel leads by example, maintains a strong work ethic, and holds integrity & trust in high esteem. He emphasizes these attributes in his team and in the bioactive ingredients that Verdure offers. These core essentials extend to adaptability, continuous learning, and proficiently planning across all areas and teams within the Verdure Sciences®.
In what ways does Verdure Sciences set itself apart from other botanical ingredient companies when it comes to innovation, quality standards, and scientific validation?
Verdure Sciences® combines rigorous testing, transparent and traceable sourcing, and global regulatory compliance so its botanical extracts meet the highest benchmarks for identity, purity, and safety. This is done via Verdure’s internal audit and compliance program coupled with 3rd party certifications ranging from GMP (USP, NSF) to ethical sourcing and ESG monitoring (SMETA, Ecovadis, Rainforest UEBT). Over the years Verdure has played an active and integral role in Industry organizations including American Botanical Council, American Herbal Products Association, Sustainable Herbs Initiative, United Natural Products Association, and most recently CRN.
Further, Verdure continues to partner with its customers, industry affiliates, growers, manufacturers, and stakeholders for truly collaborative capabilities. Verdure’s innovation journey began more than 25 years ago with the publication of its first human pharmacokinetic clinical study utilizing a well characterized and standardized botanical extract. Since then, Verdure's botanical extracts and formulations have been subject to hundreds of scientific publications with many of them a result of awarded research grants. "Our focus on integrity is built into our value and supply chain, giving Verdure's partners confidence in the consistency and credibility of our bioactive ingredients," said Patel. "Verdure has proven longevity with our core branded ingredients dating back 25 years, and business continuity with our legacy customers globally."
How has the Verdugration® framework shaped internal decision-making and external communications around sustainability?
Verdugration® shapes how the company prioritizes regenerative sourcing, traceability, and emissions tracking. It also inter-connects with Verdure Cares™, which brings focus to employee wellbeing, community impact, and strong supplier relationships. Together, they guide Verdure's decisions and help communicate a holistic, people-and-planet-first approach to sustainability. Further integral to Verdugration® are the Sustainable Procurement Programs (SPP). Under SPP Verdure has piloted programs aimed at ethical, sustainable, and transparent practices for key botanicals in its portfolio. "Verdure reports on these efforts and annual progress in our sustainability report," noted Patel. "Additionally, we have alignment with key partners and customers such as exploring collaboration with external partners, including third party climate-focused platforms (Planet FWD), to assess the carbon footprint of key ingredients we supply. This initiative aligns with our broader goals of transparency and sustainability throughout the supply chain."
In your Fourth Sustainability Report, Verdure highlights progress in areas like life cycle assessment and greenhouse gas tracking. What are the biggest challenges and opportunities you see in measuring and improving environmental impact in the botanical sector?
One of the biggest challenges is data collection considering that majority of the botanicals are grown on marginal farms—especially from complex, global supply chains. But Patel noted it's an opportunity to push for more transparency, consistency, and direct relationships with Verdure's partners.
What role does industry collaboration play in Verdure’s approach to raising the bar for quality and sustainability?
"Industry collaboration is key—we work closely with certifiers, researchers, farmers, and partners to improve traceability, adopt best practices, and strengthen clean label and sustainability standards across the supply chain," said Patel. "Long-term contributions with ABC (American Botanical Council), AHPA (American Herbal Products Association), SHI (Sustainable Herbs Initiative), and USP (United States Pharmacopeia: monographs), to name a few."
Verdure Sciences® is proud to be a founding member of SHI. Through SHI, Verdure contributes to a shared mission of improving the long-term viability of herb cultivation and wildcrafting by applying insights, tools, and education focused on ecological, social, and economic responsibility. On collaborating with the American Botanical Council, Patel said: "We have collaborated with efforts promoting adulteration education and mitigation, botanical monograph contributions such as ashwagandha, boswellia, pomegranate, saffron & others as well as Adopt-an-Herb with pomegranate through ABC. Further, Verdure is members of a number of committees through AHPA to promote both botanicals and the industry. These partnerships reflect our continued commitment to promoting the people, plants, and environments that make our work possible."
How do you approach leadership development within Verdure and prepare the next generation of team members to carry the company’s mission forward?
Patel aims to lead by example through adaptable processes that provide continuous improvement, and efficiency plans to empower current and future team members to keep quality and sustainable plant-based ingredients on the forefront in the natural products industry. From leading a dedicated, and long-standing team of employees, including family members, to explore opportunities and tackle challenges that allow them to grow, Ajay is continuously working to carry forward the mission of Verdure Sciences® and the values the company holds steadfast. Verdure’s team is incredibly diverse with approximately 50% of the team coming from different backgrounds, cultures, and parts of the world. Further, Verdure’s team is comprised of 64% women with roughly half holding leadership roles in the organization.
Looking ahead, what are the key priorities for Verdure Sciences in terms of business growth, sustainability, and scientific advancement?
Key priorities include expanding sustainable procurement programs, improving Scope 3 emissions data, and continuing to validate ingredient efficacy through clinical research. Patel added: "Business growth is tightly linked to quality & compliance, sustainability and science—it’s all interconnected! Verdure continues to build new product pipeline with research backed initiatives for our global markets. Recently, Verdure launched 3 new ingredient brands targeting women’s health, gut health and metabolic health, and continues to expand our legacy brands Longvida®, Pomella®, Bacognize® and WokVel® for new health applications and markets."