The BHTA was established in the 1970’s by a few growers who had the foresight to recognise that this industry would need to be collectively represented on many fronts.

The herb trade in Britain is one that is incredibly diverse, covering aspects such as fresh cut, fresh pot, garden pot, essential oil production, processing (such as freezing and/or drying), seed production and importing.

The members of the BHTA are committed to promoting the industry and ensuring that it has a safe and prosperous future. This is achieved through being actively involved in all aspects of herb production, product development, marketing and the many technical issues that arise. We have over 40 members and welcome companies involved in any way with the herb industry to join the membership and make a difference.

Today the BHTA is guided by an elected council that represents its members on many UK committees relevant to this industry and promotes the entire UK herb trade from culinary herbs to processed products. We have an incredibly strong Technical group which addresses issues of topical concern to the membership. Benign, sustainable systems for production of high quality herbs is the underlining theme. All work carried out by the association is presented at the annual conference, which is held each year in January.