Flora

When considering milestones in the history of natural health in Canada, a major event would have to be the founding of Flora in 1965. Since its inception as a small distributor of herbal remedies, Flora has evolved into a leader in the natural health industry.

One reason for Flora's continued success is the on-going commitment to innovation. Flora was the first company in Canada to manufacture herbal and therapeutic teas and the first company to produce cold-pressed, unrefined oils from organic seeds. As Flora has evolved, so have its research, development, and manufacturing capabilities.

A certified organic facility, Flora adheres to the industry's highest standards and has received Health Canada's Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification. These standards ensure that Flora's equipment, facilities, operating procedures, quality controls and assurances are of the highest quality. In addition, GMP certification regulates Flora's training of personnel, testing of raw materials and finished products, and provides product consistency guidelines.

A great deal of Flora's success must be attributed to the vision and leadership of its president, Thomas Greither. Under his guidance, Flora has evolved into a vibrant industry innovator that not only manufactures and distributes its own products to health conscious consumers throughout the world, but also distributes premier-quality products of select manufacturing partners.

While Greither is keenly focused on making sure Flora continues to produce and distribute some of the finest herbal products available, he also has an eye trained on the past, particularly with regards to his own family background. The Greither family has had strong links with the world of herbal medicine since the early 20th century when Dr. Otto Greither, Thomas's grandfather, avoided life-threatening surgery and regained his health with the aid of herbal infusions.

Realizing the value of natural health remedies, Dr. Greither dedicated his energy and life work to the discovery, production, and distribution of natural health-care products. In 1916, the herbal medicine pioneer founded the revolutionary Salus Haus "Health House." Almost 90 years later, under the leadership of Otto Greither, Dr. Greither's son and Thomas's father, the German-based company is an industry leader in the production of the finest-quality herbal supplements, including medicinal teas, tinctures, tablets, and therapeutic liquid tonics. Flora maintains exclusive distribution rights of Salus Haus products.

The family interest in natural health care also touched Thomas's brother, Peter Greither, who owns and operates Dr. Dunner, another select Flora manufacturing partner. The Swiss-basedcompany manufactures phytopharmaceutical remedies, natural cosmetics, and dietary supplements that are distributed in North America solely by Flora.

Seeking to share his family's passion for natural health and wholeness with others, Thomas Greither encourages Flora's employees to actively participate in the attainment of the company's mission "to participate in the continuing evolution of the people on Earth toward universal harmony, peace and perfection by providing products and services for the purification and upliftment of the body and spirit." They also "provid[e] each person who derives a livelihood with Flora, an opportunity for personal growth and advancement of these goals in life."

Today, Flora distributes almost 80 herbal products offering health conscious consumers relief from a variety of conditions ranging from addiction to yeast infection. While there is no end to Flora's growth in sight, Thomas Greither remains committed to one of its
founding tenets: "Flora will never sacifice quality for profit or convenience."