Posted by Environmentalism is a popular, hot-button issue nowadays. More and more consumers choose to buy from companies that ethically source their ingredients, including botanical vendors. It goes beyond quality control to question the impact on the earth.
Many kratom users want to make sure they’re respecting the plant’s native origins and the environment. Some kratom vendors distinctly promise to engage in ethical sourcing. What does it involve, though? How can you tell whether it’s sustainable from start to finish?
Real Botanicals truly engages in ethical kratom sourcing, and here’s information to prove it.
Where Is Real Botanicals’ Kratom From?
For the global and U.S. markets, Indonesia is the primary supplier of kratom. Real Botanicals states their kratom comes from Southeast Asia. It’s likely from the island of Borneo, which has the perfect climate and growth conditions. Although Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei all are Borneo, the Indonesian side of Kalimantan is a major focus point.
There are several sources of Borneo kratom (in order of importance):
- Kapuas Hulu in West Borneo, a remote jungle region with entire villages that switched from rubber tapping and gold mining to farming and harvesting kratom;
- West Kalimantan (Kalbar), specifically the capital city of Pontianak, Ketapan, and Melwai; and
- Central and South Kalimantan with the Kahayan and Barito rivers
There, kratom is also the lifeblood of the people. So, when you buy from Real Botanicals, you can feel good knowing that ethical kratom sourcing supports the people in one of its native countries.
What Kind of Kratom Do They Source?
Real Botanicals’ kratom does not sell strain and vein kratom but capsules, shots, and tablets that rely on specific alkaloid profiles. However, the time of harvest for kratom matters for the alkaloid profile they want in their products.
It makes sense that they come from green (mid-maturity) and red (fully mature) leaves. Full-spectrum products definitely come from red kratom, while broad-spectrum comes from green. The revised Acend formula is a high-MIT broad-spectrum tablet that contains fermented mitragynine extract plus the 3 minor alkaloids of paynantheine, speciogynine, and speciocillatine. The fermentation turns its alkaloid profile more towards red.
White (young) kratom leaves are high in mitragynine and contain the 3 minor alkaloids like green kratom does. However, they not only don’t have as developed an alkaloid profile as green kratom leaves, and their effects are sharp and energizing as opposed to balanced and smooth. They have thin leaves with low absolute mass of alkaloids per leaf, which isn’t financially valuable for getting the most out of kratom alkaloid extraction.
Who Does Real Botanicals Source Their Kratom From?
Real Botanicals does not specify exactly who they source their kratom from. What we know is that they work with trusted partners and co-ops in Southeast Asia (in this case, Kalimantan in Borneo). They buy directly from organized Indonesian farmers.
In so doing, they bypass predatory brokers, who buy from several unvetted farms to supply bulk kratom. They also avoid speculative spot-markets, which are known for issues with freshness, degradation, and contamination of kratom from storage while waiting for prices to increase.
Benefits of Ethical Sourcing
There are several pros of ethical sourcing that consider both the people and the environment:
- Co-op model for direct trade and fair compensation for living wages and community investment.; and
- Agroforestry (environmental stewardship) ensures that kratom harvesting does not damage the fragile rainforest ecosystems (deforestation) and instead yields continuous, sustainable cycles.
- Lab-to-port quality control for freshness, processing standards, and traceability
How Is the Kratom Processed for Shipping?
For true ethical sourcing, processing standards for kratom requires that only highly processed, ultra-fine powders get exported. Such powders are not only the best for absorption in the form of powders and capsules, but make for the highest extraction yield. Co-ops have strict enforcement of clean indoor drying procedures to avoid dust, mold, and salmonella. For you, this means premium-quality kratom from start to finish.
Signs of True Ethical Sourcing
“Ethical sourcing’ is a buzzword that some vendors throw around as an empty promotional phrase. You need to look for these indicators that let you know the claim is legitimate:
- American Kratom Association (AKA) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification; and
- Public Certificates of Analysis (COAs) that show independent, third-party lab testing reports
Comparison Table
| Real Botanicals | Fake “Ethical Sourcing” Kratom Vendors | |
| Business structure | Trusted partners and co-ops of organized farmers | Brokers with unvetted sources and speculative spot-markets that sit on kratom storage to take advantage of price fluctuations |
| Processing methods for shipping | Highly processed, ultra-fine powder with lab-to-port standards and traceability | Bare ground drying (contamination and degradation), contaminated milling and heavy metal leeching, and unvetted, low-grade powder |
| Signs of ethical sourcing? | Yes | No |
Final Thoughts
Real Botanicals specializes in modern kratom products that respect its traditional origins, both in terms of its native environment and the people that farm and harvest it. You can rest assured that they’re a vendor that engages in truly ethical sourcing. Their kratom products are trustworthy and premium-quality from start to finish thanks to ethical sourcing and being manufacturer-direct with proprietary ChromaPure extraction and a private laboratory.
Relevant reading: Real Botanicals’ Current Kratom Lineup and How to Choose the Right Product and Kratom Processing Methods; Why They Matter