Living Herbs was established in 1990 by Cornishman Tom Wellington. A trained chef and successful entrepreneur, Tom has worked hard to develop and grow the business so that Living Herbs has now become one of the largest herb growers in the North Island of New Zealand supplying herbs to over 200 garden centres.
After Tom’s well-earned retirement, Mark Riethmaier has taken over the business and continues to provide the best quality herbs to gardeners all over the North Island.
We have a small team of dedicated staff, some of whom have been with the business for more than 20 years and who all work passionately and tirelessly to produce the quality of herb our customers have come to expect, and ultimately love.
Approximately 70 percent of our herbs are produced from seed, and the remainder are grown from cuttings and root division. A number of mother plants are kept on-site for cuttings, while seeds are sourced from established, top quality suppliers such as Kings Seeds.
Crop growing is divided into a ratio consisting of 60% of all herbs being cultivated inside and 40% cultivated outside.
A sheltered outdoor area is available for hardening off plants before they are dispatched to garden centres. This ensures they can cope with the home garden environment and flourish into fully grown ‘adult’ plants.