Spearmint Spearmint (India)

Harvest and Production Process

Spearmint flourishes in temperate climates and can grow from 11 to 40 inches tall. Although it is typically a perennial plant, in India, it is grown as an annual, producing a unique chemical oil profile as a result. Farmers rotate spearmint through their fields after each harvest, allowing them to achieve three harvests per year instead of just one. This practice regenerates soil health for future productivity and provides an economic opportunity for farmers to earn more income from the same land.

Through sourcing spearmint from rural parts of northern India, we support hundreds of small-scale farmers. Many farmers have been growing spearmint for generations, cultivating it alongside traditional crops like wheat, potatoes, and corn. By diversifying their crops to include essential oil crops such as spearmint, they can increase their income by as much as 3 to 5 times.

Each farmer takes their harvested spearmint to a nearby community distillation unit, usually within a half mile (1 km) of their house. The whole aerial plant, excluding the roots, is steam distilled for essential oil, a process that takes about 8 hours to complete.

After distillation, farmers bring their oil to our sourcing partner for purity testing and payment. Some collection centers are equipped with gas chromatographs (GCs) and basic laboratory equipment for primary-level testing, while others rely on basic tools for initial analysis. Farmers are typically paid on the spot, within an hour or up to 2–3 hours, depending on the activity level at the center.