This has been our unwavering mission since 1996 and is the shining light behind all that we do.
Our Just Cause
It’s time for change! To what we put into our bodies, how we do business, how we relate to each other, the planet, and how information is shared. We are driven by a passion for this change, and a determination to inspire and offer a positive alternative to the stress and self-medicating culture of the 21st century.
We imagine a world where communities are encouraging each other to enjoy a healthy meaningful life, and for there to be a happy herb store at the heart of these communities serving up compassion, understanding, wisdom, herb lore, and inspiring a more connected way of life.
Our History
The seeds for Happy Herb Co were planted in 1996 by our founder and tireless herb activist Ray Thorpe and Eliza Rix. Ray awakened to the healing, connecting power of herbs, and germinated his passion through research and experimentation. He learnt how herbs could offer a safe, healthy, non-addictive alternative to many medicinal and recreational drugs and that this knowledge was actively suppressed by those with vested interests.
In a quest to promote the appreciation and education of plants and herbs, Ray and Eliza started a market stall in Uki and opened their first shop as Happy High Herbs in the iconic village of Nimbin selling herbal alternatives for a healthy happy high life.
From these humble beginnings, Happy High Herbs grew worldwide to have almost 60 franchised retail outlets and a published book which is now in its 9th edition.
Sadly in 2013 there was a legislation change that would outlaw any products that would alter your state (excluding sugar and caffeine ). Ray and his team established the plant freedom alliance and fought to have herbs excluded from this law, which he was successful at but there were still many plant medicines taken away at this time. Devastated by the loss of so many amazing healing plants and fun alternatives, Happy High Herbs went into retraction and many of the iconic shops closed.
Shortly after this, Laura, now our company owner and CEO, joined Ray on a greater mission to save the much loved company and continue to dedicate their lives to serving its mission. In 2021, during Rays 75th year around the sun, Laura purchased the company to allow Ray to retire and enjoy his creative passions, and is now leading the company into its next evolution of connecting people and herbs.
A message from our Company Leader Laura
It is a great honour to have been chosen to lead this company and to be trusted by Ray to continue his mission for herbs. We have worked alongside each other for over a decade and enjoy a special friendship and unique way of operating in business. From our first meeting we knew there was magick in the air when Ray took me under his wing and has been mentoring me ever since to evolve the company how I wish.
There is no doubt about it that Happy Herb Co is an entity unto itself that captures the heart and soul of many, and seeing it thrive has now become my life’s purpose. I feel blessed to be guiding a company that is steeped in herbal wisdom, anchored into its mission, and enhancing the way our communities relate to their health and spirit.
Stepping into the ownership of the company has deepened my attunement with the essence of the herbs, which has awakened within me the inherent qualities of womb wisdom, and has led me to explore my sense of womanhood in the realm of business. As the CEO I now choose to illuminate our path with sacred feminine qualities and allow the nurturing aspects of that to flow through all that we do.
A message from our Company Leader Laura
It is a great honour to have been chosen to lead this company and to be trusted by Ray to continue his mission for herbs. We have worked alongside each other for over a decade and enjoy a special friendship and unique way of operating in business. From our first meeting we knew there was magick in the air when Ray took me under his wing and has been mentoring me ever since to evolve the company how I wish.
There is no doubt about it that Happy Herb Co is an entity unto itself that captures the heart and soul of many, and seeing it thrive has now become my life’s purpose. I feel blessed to be guiding a company that is steeped in herbal wisdom, anchored into its mission, and enhancing the way our communities relate to their health and spirit.
Stepping into the ownership of the company has deepened my attunement with the essence of the herbs, which has awakened within me the inherent qualities of womb wisdom, and has led me to explore my sense of womanhood in the realm of business. As the CEO I now choose to illuminate our path with sacred feminine qualities and allow the nurturing aspects of that to flow through all that we do.
Beyond Organic
How we do business is just as important to us as the business we are in, and that includes how we treat our communities, our team, our customers, and our planet. A ‘not-just-for-profit’ holistic business.
First and foremost we value quality and will always strive to source the best herbs locally, certified organic or wild harvested where possible.
We care about our footprint and have developed home compostable packaging. Many people don’t know this but biodegradable or compostable can still end up in the sea for millenia, whereas our home compostable film can actually go in your worm farm and breakdown in 26 weeks. Its been a labour of love getting this right and we are very happy with the outcome and are always seeking new and innovative ways to deliver our products with care.
We have always enjoyed generating profits to be shared and over the past 25 years have gifted over $700k across 50+ projects. We know that feeling good about what we do emanates into every area of our business, whether that’s product creation, human connection, or working with community care.
Healthier Happier Humans is not just a strap line we use, we live by it and that is felt amongst our team and our company culture. Living life and seeking our personal passions is very much encouraged and supported, which creates a sustainable, loving and interesting work environment that we all enjoy. We operate a 4 day week and are proud that many of our team have been with us for 10+ years.
Some of our team’s passion projects include Happy Breast Balm and Heart2Heart.
Nextwave
