Our Story
Wild. Organic. Authentic.
Just like you.
Born of an excess of rose petals and peppermint following an abundant harvest season, Garden Apothecary began as simple line of flower waters, made one-at-a-time in our Coastside kitchen.
Following a decade of growth and the opening of our flagship apothecary shop in downtown Half Moon Bay, California, we introduce the new Garden Apothecary: an edited collection of premier skin and body care products, rich with healing botanicals, made with an intimate connection to the wildness of nature and the gardens we grow.
Our wellness line consists of a professional, botanist-formulated skincare products and drinking teas, infused with carefully selected botanicals and created to enhance the natural beauty you already possess.
Garden Apothecary has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine; People Magazine; Sunset Magazine, NY Times and Vogue.
Our Apothecary
Located in the idyllic coastal town of Half Moon Bay, California, our flagship apothecary and farm is at the center of all we do. In addition to our iconic skincare collection and drinking teas, we stock our shelves with native plants and herbs, hand-made garden tools, lush bath textiles, and foraged curiosities discovered during our coastside hikes.
Sustainable and green business practices are important to us. We use recycled and (more importantly) reused paper, cardboard, wood and plastic materials in our shipping. We use post-consumer waste products, even printing with sunflower inks and using organic glues for some of our packaging. (For example, our mud masks are packaged in 100% compostable tubes.) We work with the San Mateo County Green Business Program to ensure our practices are verified and current.
In addition to our commitment to being a certified green business, we align our business, volunteering and donations with environmental and human rights causes. World-wide, we donate our time and money to organizations that focus on equality, women's rights and environmental justice. Closer to home, we work with various local schools, shelters, outdoor community spaces and protected land. In our shop we offer free workshops, tea tastings, free crops (including organic, fresh veggies, herbs and cut-flowers) and "free days", where we give away organic teas or plants. Our goal in these offerings is to empower everyone to learn about, be inspired by, and grow their own food or medicine - no matter the budget.
Additionally, we give back to our community by working with the City of Half Moon Bay in local initiatives and community events. We have chosen to grow, process, manufacture and ship from Half Moon Bay - thus, keeping jobs, money and manufacturing within our small town.
Our CEO
Jennifer Lee Segale is a professional botanist. In 1999, she started an organic landscape design and consulting company (Wildflower Farms) that specializes in coastal plantings, edible gardens, habitat restoration and unique plant sourcing. Jenn offers excellent design and consulting services, with a focus on plant and soil care. With a rich back ground in farming and plant propagation, her obsession specialty is plants.
Jenn continues to sustainably farm on the CA coast, focusing on no-till, dry-farming medicinal herbs for the Garden Apothecary collection. Her furthered education is independent botany and ethnobotany research in Central America, namely, Belize.
Jenn lives by the beach with piles of books and her two sweet dogs, Sorrel and Oolong. Plants overlord the property. Green tea and hiphop remain plentiful. Theobroma cacao is king. A rad husband and two rad stepsons join in on the fun.
Land Acknowledgment
We recognize and respect the Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. For us in Half Moon Bay, we are currently farming on Ramaytush Land (one of the 50 Ohlone tribes in CA), and are grateful to the People before us who grew plants, fiber and ranched. We understand that colonialism still exists, and we strive for farming and business practices that honor the land, the Ohlone Peoples and offer multiple ways of giving back through direct crop and monetary offerings. Acknowledgments are not enough - feel free to do your own research and create actions for appropriately honoring the tribal land you live and work on. Email us directly to learn more about our crop offerings.