Grian Herbs, owned by Iris Gage, is a family-run small-batch herbal products business and retail apothecary located on Elm Street in Montpelier. Grian Herbs was founded in 1997 by Guido Masé and his wife, Anne Douhgerty, in Middlesex. Mentored and taught by Guido for several years, Iris acquired Grian Herbs from him in 2013.

Around the same time, Iris also acquired Green Mountain Medicinals, founded by Adrienne Allison, and combined the two businesses in a shared retail space with Tulsi Tea Room for many years before moving to her own space at 34 Elm Street. Working with her mother, Carmen, who is typically found at the apothecary counter, Iris specializes in creating liquid herbal extracts, including tinctures, glycerites, syrups, as well as herbal tea blends and beauty products.

As a creative person, Iris loves the challenge of creating new herbal products or replicating existing products that customers would like to see in a local version. She’s interested in the chemistry of herbal products, which constituents are soluble in water versus alcohol, or which essential fatty acids are more easily absorbed by the skin in beauty products. This attention and focus on science make Grian Herbs unique, especially compared to name-brand products that are filled with preservatives and isolated chemicals.

“I once had a customer ask me to make her a magnesium cream. I had a lot of fun researching magnesium and the best ways for the skin to absorb it in cream form.”

Iris and her husband grow many of the medicinal herbs used in their herbal extracts in their gardens in Middlesex. What they don’t grow is purchased from other local medicinal herb farms, like Hillside Botanicals in Randolph. They also use local raw honey from Suddabee’s in Morrisville and essential oils from AroMed in Montpelier. Grian Herbs’ guiding philosophy is rooted in Iris’s love for Vermont and her upbringing in Montpelier, which drives her to serve the community’s wellness needs unconditionally.

Learn more about Grian Herbs by visiting their website or checking them out on Instagram.