In this episode of Supplement Source, host Jeff Ventura chats with Verdure Sciences^® CEO Ajay Patel and Sustainability Coordinator Isabella Bucklew to dive deep into how we’ve built a botanical supply chain that our customers and partners can rely on from seed to shelf. Through a strong commitment to science, transparency, and long-term trust, we’re fostering relationships that go beyond just business.

If you’re involved in ingredient sourcing, product innovation, or supply chain strategy, this episode is a must-listen!

 

 

Begin Podcast

You are listening to Supplement Source, the official podcast of the Council for Responsible Nutrition. And now, your host, Jeff Ventura.

Jeff Ventura

Hello and thank you for listening to Supplement Source. My name is Jeff Ventura. I’m the VP of Communications here at CRN, and it is my pleasure to be joined today by Ajay Patel of Verdure Sciences^®, along with his colleague Bella Bucklew.

Let’s start with you, Ajay. Firstly, welcome. How are you?

Ajay Patel

Very good. And thank you, Jeff, for having me on your show.

Jeff Ventura

Absolutely. We’re excited, of course, to learn a little bit about your company. I love coming in a little bit blind on these interviews because it helps me ask the right questions. So, let’s just level set and start at the beginning. Give me a little background. What do I need to know—a brief overview of Verdure Sciences^®?

Ajay Patel

Verdure Sciences^® has been in the dietary supplement space for 28 years. We started in 1997, and our core focus is on Indian or Ayurvedic herbs and botanicals. In addition to that, we emphasize supply chain mitigation and optimization, quality and compliance. Being a company that’s globally positioned, it’s very important for us to comply with different regulatory requirements on a global scale.

Over the years, we’ve also invested heavily in the science and technology supporting our ingredients. We’ve paid close attention to customer service and have built an excellent team at Verdure. We’ve also developed strong, long-standing ingredient brands that have stood the test of time.

I can recall one of our original ingredient brands going back 24 years. A few others have been in our portfolio for 15 to 20 years. That longevity—whether in our business, our ingredients, or our customer relationships—has been key.

Again, aligning with global supply chains and maintaining strong partnerships has helped us tremendously. Having on-the-ground presence is crucial. As a company, we’ve really focused on this both internally and externally—with our customers and third parties. We perform audits regularly, not just from a quality or regulatory perspective, but also through an ESG lens. All of this ties into our seed-to-shelf model.

Jeff Ventura

That’s all fantastic information. I’m still stuck on how long you’ve been around—really, it’s quite incredible. Your company formed not long after DSHEA passed. You’ve really been in the business for quite some time.

I actually worked at FDA and took a trip to India, and I was amazed at how deeply herbs are embedded in the culture. You’ve developed real solid science behind that—it’s striking. Tell me a little about your procurement program and sustainable practices. How do you keep things aligned with sustainability principles?

Ajay Patel

Absolutely, and as you rightly mentioned, we’ve been doing this for quite some time. Building sustainable programs and frameworks takes time—it’s a journey. It starts with strong partnerships and alignment with manufacturing partners, and their supply chain partners all the way to the ground level.

Since we deal with plants and botanicals, long-term commitments from customers are critical. It often begins with the customer, their requirements and their willingness to commit, and that’s been essential in building these programs early on.

Another key factor is our partnerships with growers. We work to supply them with high-quality, consistent botanicals, seedling materials, and support from onsite agronomists. We also help with post-harvest processing infrastructure and use technology to optimize outcomes.

An important piece is providing fair wages and investing in local grower communities of a lot of these growers that we are depending on.

Jeff Ventura

I’d be remiss not to ask a few questions of your colleague, Bella Bucklew. Am I pronouncing that right, Bella?

Isabella Bucklew

Yes, that’s correct.

Jeff Ventura

Sustainability Coordinator at Verdure, tell us a little about the sustainability effort.

Isabella Bucklew

Our overarching sustainability program at Verdure is called Verdugration^®. There are several tiers that fall into it, but the main one I want to touch on is our Sustainable Procurement Programs.

These programs ensure that we provide proper resources to these farmers, including educational guidance and seedling material. But as Ajay mentioned, one of the biggest focuses is providing fair wages to farmers and their workers.

Jeff Ventura

Fascinating. So, tell me—what’s next in terms of sustainability? What are you looking at moving forward?

Isabella Bucklew

We’re definitely focused on deepening our Scope 3 emissions tracking. Generally speaking, there’s a shift toward transparency and accountability. Customers and partners increasingly expect traceability throughout our supply chain, supported by data-backed, environmental impact reporting like Scope 3 emissions and lifecycle analysis.

Jeff Ventura

It’s a mouthful.

Isabella Bucklew

It is! But it provides a deeper understanding of sourcing practices. Certifications are still important, but stakeholders increasingly want to go beyond that level and really understand the full story behind the ingredient.

Jeff Ventura

That’s so important. I was watching a video, maybe on your website, of farm footage. It struck me how decentralized your supply chain must be. Different regions, plants, and farming agreements—it must take a lot of skill and vigilance to align all of that into a sustainable and efficient system.

How do you, on top of that, maintain transparency and traceability across such a constellation of ingredients?

Ajay Patel

Supply chains, especially for botanicals, are very complex. It takes time, commitment, and buy-in across the chain of custody. Customers have to be willing to trust our processes and commit to long-term partnerships so we can take things to the next level with our downstream partners.

We have an internal audit team that works directly with our manufacturing partners in India and visits growing communities multiple times a year. These visits help ensure alignment, address challenges, and support improvements in practices that ultimately lead to better crop outcomes, both in quality and consistency.

Jeff Ventura

You said “quality” and that always catches my ear. When you’re an ingredient supplier, you live or die by it. It’s at the core of your value proposition. How do you convey quality to potential customers? Has that changed over time?

Ajay Patel

When people think of quality, they often think of a Certificate of Analysis. But with botanical ingredients, it’s so much more than that.
You can have third-party certifications and a good-looking CoA, but the real question is: Are you aligning with proper testing methodologies? Are you complying with different global regulatory requirements?

Auditing the supply chain is essential. Third-party certification bodies like NSF and USP are valuable—our India facilities are NSF-GMP and USP-GMP certified—but we go beyond that. Our internal audit team provides oversight throughout the year. They’re on the ground, auditing manufacturing sites and growing areas, ensuring our confidence in the supply chain.

Jeff Ventura

And you mentioned “confidence”. Internally and externally, that’s what you’re trying to build, right?

Ajay Patel

Exactly. It took us ten years to build this internal audit team. External auditors might visit for 2–3 days once a year, but our team is out there every 3–4 months for extended stays, evaluating, mitigating, and asking: How do we stay not just on par, but stay ahead?

Since DSHEA passed, the supplement industry has evolved. Increased FDA enforcement of GMPs has kept us on our toes and that’s a good thing. It gives us and our customers confidence in the quality of our products.

We’re lucky to have several legacy customers who’ve been with us for 20–25 years. We continue to grow and evolve with them.

Jeff Ventura

As we near the end of the episode, what are you most excited about for Verdure’s future?

Ajay Patel

The industry has evolved, not just in terms of compliance, but also in consumer acceptance of botanicals. That growing acceptance is driving market growth, something we’ve seen especially since COVID-19.

Yes, there will be more regulations and scrutiny, but it’s exciting to see consumers place more trust in our industry. That motivates us and shows the potential this space has.

We’re also seeing crossover between supplements, foods, and functional beverages. New delivery formats are emerging for these powerful ingredients. The future is bright, and we’re committed to supplying high-quality, traceable ingredients that meet global regulatory needs.

Jeff Ventura

Let me say, as someone who has an 80-year-old mother who called me the other day and asked me about ashwagandha, I can tell you that consumer interest and confidence is extremely high. I think the future is very bright for this industry.

Thank you both for joining Supplement Source. We love hearing from our members, so please come back anytime you have news or updates to share.

Isabella Bucklew

Thank you so much, Jeff. It was a pleasure speaking with you today.

Ajay Patel

Thank you, Jeff.

Jeff Ventura

Appreciate it—thank you, both of you.