We do not sell “ingredients”. We accompany plants that existed before us, held by people who know them better than we do. This page says how.
Three commitments we are building
1. Naming the lineage, every time we can
Our intention is that every plant at INFUSE be named with its terroir, its tradition of use, and the name (or collective) of the harvester — when consent to publish that name has been given, and when we know it. When we do not yet know it, we say so. An anonymised plant is a less reliable plant. We prefer a harvester who appears to a “partner” who fades into the background.
For species prone to botanical confusion — Bursera copal versus Shorea, mushrooms requiring double extraction, Blue Lotus whose quality can vary by a factor of ten, White Sage and Palo Santo whose sourcing can be predatory — our intention is to document the botanical verification method and to make it accessible. This traceability is being built.
2. Fair price, paid in advance, without opaque intermediaries
We pay in advance, never on credit, and never at a spot price when it is manipulated. We accept that certain plants cost what they cost — a K'iche' ceremonial cacao ex-farm has nothing to do with industrial bulk cacao. We refuse hidden commissions. If the chain has more than three links, we question the chain.
3. Reciprocity with source communities
Catherine Lee wrote in Indigenous Women's Voices (Routledge, 2017): verbal acknowledgment is not enough. When INFUSE draws benefit from a living tradition, reciprocity must be material. It is the operationalisation of the Honorable Harvest (Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 2013) applied to digital commerce.
Our reciprocity model is being structured — through named partnerships, direct sourcing relationships, and support for communities we work with. We will document it here as concrete commitments are made.
The lineages and traditions
Six traditions, across four continents, from which these plants come. Each card opens in the Forest — ethnobotanical context, digested books, consultations available.
We intend to open detailed sheets — cooperative, certifications, Forest readings — as our sourcing relationships become concrete.
Batch traceability — what we are building
The traceability system we are building aims to give every sachet, jar, and stick a batch identifier opening a sheet that would contain:
- Precise origin — region, and where possible the named cooperative or farm.
- Harvest date and wheel-of-the-year phase at the time of gathering.
- Method — wildcrafted, agroforestry, shade-grown, biodynamic. Without “organic marketing”: we cite the certification when it exists, we cite its absence when it does not.
- Harvester or collective — when consent to publish the name has been given.
- Botanical verification — for species where confusion is documented (copal, mushrooms, lotus, resinous incense).
- CITES certificates — when the species is under international convention.
- Forest readings — the INFUSE book digests that informed the sheet (Beyer, Hirst, Kimmerer, Yunkaporta, Buhner, Prechtel, etc.).
Our intention is that the sheet be attached to the confirmation email, archived in your client account, and accessible publicly via a permanent link — and that when a detail changes (new harvest, new cooperative, change of method) the sheet update while the history is preserved.
Reciprocity with source communities — our approach
Precision is a form of respect. Naming the source, paying in advance, building lasting relationships — this is our foundation. Our model of material reciprocity is being structured through direct partnerships and will be documented publicly as it takes concrete form.
Precision is a form of respect. Naming the source, paying in advance — this is our minimum, not our maximum.
Frequently asked questions
Why name each harvester rather than speaking of "partners"?
Because lineage is first-order information, not a selling point. A plant carries no abstract quality — it has a terroir, a hand that gathered it, a local knowledge. Naming the harvester returns to the plant what it is: a fragment of a long relationship. It is also a safeguard against wellness dilution, which erases faces to sell 'ingredients'.
How does INFUSE embody reciprocity with source communities?
Because verbal acknowledgment is not enough (Catherine Lee, Indigenous Women's Voices, 2017). When INFUSE draws benefit from a living tradition — Shipibo, Kichwa, Xhosa, Mazatec, K'iche' — reciprocity must be material. It is the operationalisation of the Honorable Harvest (Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 2013) applied to digital commerce. Our reciprocity model is being structured — we will document it here as partnerships are built.
What does fair price mean concretely?
Three things. One: we pay in advance, never on credit, and never at a spot price when it is manipulated. Two: we accept that certain plants cost what they cost — a K'iche' ceremonial cacao at €28/kg ex-farm has nothing to do with bulk industrial cacao at €4/kg. Three: we refuse hidden commissions and opaque intermediaries. If the chain has more than three links, we question the chain.
How to verify the integrity of a plant received?
We are building a per-batch traceability sheet — origin, harvest date, method (wildcrafted / cultivated / agroforestry), name of harvester or cooperative when we know it, CITES certificates where applicable. For species prone to botanical confusion (Bursera vs Shorea copal, mushrooms requiring double extraction, Blue Lotus integrity, White Sage and Palo Santo sourcing), our intention is to document the botanical verification method. This system is being built; we will make it accessible as it takes concrete form.
A question not answered here — harvester, batch, lineage, dosage, tradition? Write to us at gestion@infuse.earth or ask the Forest. We respond within 48 working hours.
Last updated: 2026-05-17