Mark Wheeler - Founder
The soul of our farming operation is our founder Mark Wheeler. He established Pacific Botanicals in 1979 after healing himself from a long bout with chronic colds and flu using simple herbal remedies. Mark was so inspired by his own healing that he started a small farm in Southern Oregon to grow organic medicinal herbs. After 10 years he moved the farm to its present location in the heart of the Applegate Valley where he eventually expanded the farm to its present size of 140 acres. Mark’s experience and expertise, developed over three decades in the medicinal herb business, has allowed Pacific Botanicals to become a leader in our industry. Mark has a simple but powerful vision: to help as many people as possible experience healing by providing them with the finest quality organic medicinal herbs available. To assure you of quality Mark participates directly with Pacific Botanicals quality control team on decisions about the quality of herbs that we source and sell.

Mark is a man of few words who puts his heart into the work he does. He is passionate about organic and lives his life with an exceptional commitment to sustainable practices and personal simplicity. He is a leading international figure in the organic agriculture and medicinal herb field and is in demand for speaking, teaching, and other herbal educational events. He conducts educational tours here at the farm for students, educators, and practitioners, and is committed to organizations like United Plant Savers and The American Herbal Products Association. Mark's passion is traveling and outdoor adventure. He is an accomplished whitewater rafter and loves his time on the river with family and friends.

Toni Corrente-Evans - Chief Operations Officer
Toni is our chief operating officer. She is a certified master level human resource professional and certified coach, and brings 40 years of business leadership experience to the farm. She has inspired the growth and development of the customer service aspect of our business and her leadership has helped create a culture of teamwork here at the farm. Toni is inspired not only by the healing mission of the farm work, but also by the peace and fulfillment. Toni takes care of all large sales and supervises our purchasing department. She works hard to build relationships with out regional, national, and international customers. Toni’s philosophy on life is to live with gratitude, express a generosity of spirit and always look toward the promise of possibility. Her favorite herbs (at the moment) are Tumeric, Hibiscus, and Chamomile. Toni loves to go RV'ing, visit friends, garden, read, do art projects, and explore the wild natural beauty of the Southern Oregon Coast. She is married to a wonderful guy (D.E.), has two fantastic stepchildren, three grandsons, three granddaughter, and one grandaughter on the way. She has a little white dog (Coton de Tulear) named Lizzie who is very entertaining. The thing she would most like to change in the world is to eliminate world hunger, especially among children. To this end she has sponsored a child from the Philippines through Children’s International for the past 15 years.

Mike Moran-Assistant Operations Manager
Mike is one of PacBot’s most experienced employees. He had been here for 11 years, before he took a break to get his lanscape contractors liscense, and then he returned to us in 2012. He has studied ecological design, soil science, and permaculture. He is married to Dori Moran and they have an eighteen year old daughter India, and…a brand new baby girl named Autumn Jade!

He loves the diversity of work he does here at the farm, from driving tractors, to inventory management, to talking to customers on the phone. His passion is sustainability, renewable energy, and self sufficient living. He and Dori are avid fans of the southern Oregon coast where they enjoy camping and beachcombing. Mike also loves to surf and ride motorcycles.

Mike would love to see big money removed from politics in the form of campaign finance reform. He would like to see America reduce its dependency on petroleum and develop more of a sustainable energy future.

Dave Metzger - Farm Manager
Dave is our Farm Manager and has been working in agriculture for over thirty years. In addition to driving tractors, repairing equipment, and supervising the field crew, he enjoys the abundant wildlife that the farm sustains. Everything from bald eagles, cranes, kites, hawks, swallows, deer, foxes, ducks, geese, and the occasional cougar make farm life quite exciting. Dave finds the variety of herbal crops that we grow here very interesting and likes the challenge of growing so many different species. He also enjoys the people he has met and worked with here. Dave’s philosophy is that life is a great journey so we might as well enjoy the ride. He loves to garden at home, he is an avid outdoorsman and loves animals. He feeds the ducks, birds, and deer that live around his property. Dave’s care, and kindness permeates the work in the fields and his energy and devotion to the work are an inspiration. Dave considers health our biggest asset and his wish for the world is for people to find ways to get and stay healthy. His favorite herbs are chamomile and Echinacea purpurea.

Bruce Fain-Mill Manager
Bruce is our mill manager. He has been in heavy industry processing for 32 years. His work has taken him from lumber, to stone, to livestock feeds, and finally to farming. He has been with Pacific Botanicals for 12 years and brings his expertise to not only our milling operation but our quality control team as well. What gives him satisfaction here at the farm is the relationships with co-workers, the diversity of the work, and knowing that his labors directly affect the health of people all around the world. His personal philosophy is to live lightly on the earth by consuming less and recycling. Bruce lives on the farm and rides his bike through the fields from his house to the mill. He loves to grow and preserve many of the foods that he eats (including a dynamite salsa), collect antique medicine bottles, and explore the rich landscape of our state. He has three beautiful daughters whose names all begin with the letter C…Chantel, Ceanna, Chevill. If he had the power to change the world he would have us concentrate on alternative energy, liberate us from the grip of the oil companies and commit to being a fully green nation.

Dori Moran - Quality Control Manager
Dori has been with us for 12 years and has a great deal of experience in a variety of areas on the farm. She grew up on a farm in Maine and understands how varied farm work can be and the need for flexibility in dealing with its processes. She has a BA in zoology, laboratory experience, and her curiosity for living organisms has lead her to an interest in the vital health giving power of medicinal herbs. This knowledge and experience contribute to her work as a member of our quality control team.

Her personal philosophy can be summed up in this way: live simply, speak kindly, keep growing, be happy in life, and if your not enjoying what you are doing then make a change...Life is too good not to enjoy it! Her favorite plants are kitchen vegetables because they bring us essential health and nourishment. She loves all flowers and is especially drawn to the herbs Angelica archangelica and Nettles.

Dori’s spirit comes alive outdoors and she enjoys spending time in her home garden, at the Oregon coast, on hiking trails or on a raft on the Rogue River with family and friends.

Nate Brennan-Purchasing Manager
Nate is our Purchasing Manager/Operations Assistant. He is a graduate from the University of Oregon with a BS in Environmental Studies. The Ocean State, Rhode Island was his original home and much of his early work experience centered around the boating industry. He loves exploring the variety herbs we sell here and learning about their properties and uses. He enjoys our diverse customer and supplier base and the kind and supportive people he works with here.

His greatest joy is his fiance Lindsay and baby girl Lilac. His personal goals are to have another child, purchase a home, and continue to work in a beautiful place with progressive people.

Nate is a super big music fan. He and Lindsay’s favorite group is Phish and they have been to over forty Phish events all over the country. He is an avid gardener, basketball player, and did I mention he loves playing with little Lilac.

He seeks contentment in life and would like for people in America to learn to get along and focus on protecting the environment.

Lisa Ward - Administrative Assistant
Lisa is our administrative assistant. She has a business clerical background and does every thing from bookeeping, product receiving and returns, to supplies management. She is a problem solver and affectionately refers to herself as our “internet procurement ninja.”

Lisa is a “cubicle refugee” and is grateful to work at Pacific Botancials because she gets to come to work and see the vital beauty of the farm. Her window looks out over the fields and she loves seeing the big stands of echinacea, calendula and red clover. She is a recent convert to herbalism and actively takes care of her health with the herbal tinctures she makes. Learning about the herbs and how they can support our well being is one of her passions. In the warmer weather she loves to walk on the farm with her dog.

Perhaps her biggest passion in life is music of all kinds. “I think music is the universal language, she says. I love live concerts.” Her current favorite music is classical jazz and especially the music of Billy Holiday. She says it speaks to her soul. But she also wants to explore live dance, and opera. For Lisa an ideal day would be to take a drive in her Chevy truck with her dog Dizzy, (named after Dizzie Gillespie of course) get some great coffee, take a walk through the park, and sit and watch the river go by. She also loves being with her family, and lately enjoys playing trucks with her three year old nephew.

What Lisa would like to change in the world is to end racism and celebrate ethnic diversity. She also loves being with her family, and especially having fun with her nephew.

Customer Care Team
"You have the nicest people!" This is something we hear a lot from customers who order from us here at the farm. The reason for this is because our people really care. Great customer service from good people is a very big part of our mission. We are small enough so that you can still talk to a person on the phone if you wish. We have the experience so that you can always get the help you need from someone who has a good working knowledge of our products. We asked each of our care team members to describe in one sentence what they liked about working at the farm. Here is what they had to say.

(Customer Care Team Photo From left to right: Dori, Lisa, Ceanna, Nate, and Donovan)

What I Love About Working at Pacific Botanicals

• Dori: The great people I get to work with here and the strong belief I have in the work we are doing.
• Lisa: You just can’t beat the scenery.
• Ceanna: Being a part of a great team of wonderful people, and helping our wonderful customers get the herbs they need.
• Nate: Working among the magnificent smells and colors of the healing herbs and flowers we get to work with every day.
• Donovan: Feeling at peace with the environment and the people.
• Tonia: I have worked here for a very long time in the peaceful beautiful surroundings of the farm, and the good energy of the people and the plants brings me great joy.

Click here to read about Our Commitment to Quality...