Botanical products have become another category for distributors to consider as specialty retailers look for ways to diversify their inventory. But adding botanical extracts to a wholesale catalog involves more than simply finding a new product and offering it to retail accounts.
Wholesale distributors need to consider the ingredients, product formats, labeling, testing documentation, supplier reliability, retailer demand, and the types of businesses that may be a good fit for the products they distribute.
Before adding botanical extracts to your catalog, evaluate these key factors.
What Are Botanical Extracts?
Botanical extracts are concentrated preparations derived from plants. Depending on the product and manufacturing process, botanical ingredients may be offered in tablets, powders, capsules, liquids, and other formats.
The term “botanical extract” covers a broad category, so distributors should avoid treating every botanical product as interchangeable. Ingredients, concentrations, serving information, formulations, and intended retail markets can differ considerably between products.
This makes product research especially important when deciding which botanical brands and products belong in a wholesale catalog.
Why Are Wholesale Distributors Looking at Botanical Products?
Specialty retailers increasingly carry product categories beyond the products traditionally associated with their stores. For distributors, that can create opportunities to expand a catalog with products that complement what their existing retail accounts already buy.
Botanical products may be relevant to several specialty retail channels, including smoke shops, vape shops, convenience stores, online retailers, and other specialty stores.
For distributors already serving these businesses, adding a botanical category can provide another product line to present to existing accounts rather than requiring the distributor to enter an entirely new retail market.
What Should Distributors Look for in Botanical Extract Products?
Not every botanical product suits every distributor or retail account. Before adding a product to your catalog, evaluate both the product itself and the company supplying it.
Botanical Extract Distributor Checklist
| What to Evaluate | What Wholesale Distributors Should Look For |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Clearly identified botanical ingredients and formulation information. |
| Product Strength | Easy-to-understand strength, serving size, quantity, and package details. |
| Testing & Documentation | Available product testing and supporting documentation for evaluating products before adding them to a wholesale catalog. |
| Packaging | Retail-ready packaging with clear product information that retail customers can easily display and identify. |
| Product Variety | Multiple strengths, formats, flavors, or package options that give retail accounts more choices. |
| Retail Fit | Products that make sense for the types of smoke shops, vape shops, convenience stores, and specialty retailers the distributor supplies. |
| Wholesale Availability | Reliable product availability with clearly communicated ordering requirements and restocking options. |
| Supplier Support | A wholesale supplier that provides product information and answers distributor questions about products and ordering. |
Clearly Identified Botanical Ingredients
Distributors should be able to identify the botanical ingredients used in the products they purchase. Product information should clearly communicate what the product contains rather than relying entirely on branding or broad marketing terminology.
This information also helps distributors answer retailer questions about whether a product fits their stores.
Transparent Product Strength and Serving Information
Make strength, quantity, serving size, and package information easy for wholesale buyers and retailers to understand.
If a product line includes several strengths or package formats, clearly differentiated options can also make it easier for distributors to build an assortment instead of offering only one variation.
Testing and Product Documentation
Ask potential suppliers what testing and product documentation are available for the products you are considering.
Distributors may need this information for their own product review process, and retail accounts may request documentation before placing an order.
Available documentation and appropriate testing can vary by botanical ingredient and product category.
Retail-Ready Packaging
A product may work well at the wholesale level but still be difficult for retailers to merchandise. Packaging should suit the intended retail environment and clearly communicate essential product information.
Distributors should also consider how easily individual products can be organized, displayed, identified, and restocked by their retail accounts.
Product Variety
A product line with multiple formats, strengths, or flavors can give distributors more flexibility when selling to different types of retailers.
Instead of requiring every account to buy the same product, a broader assortment lets retailers choose products that fit their store and customer base.
Consider Which Retailers You Already Serve
One of the biggest questions for a distributor is not simply whether a botanical product is available wholesale. It is whether the product makes sense for the distributor’s existing retail network.
If your company primarily supplies specialty retailers, consider where botanical products could fit within the categories those businesses already carry.
Smoke Shops
Smoke shops often carry a diverse mix of specialty products, making them one potential retail channel for botanical products. Distributors serving this market should consider how a botanical line would complement the products already being supplied to their smoke shop accounts.
Elevated Brandz provides additional information specifically for retailers interested in Homiez Botanicals wholesale for smoke shops.
Vape Shops
Vape shops may also carry products outside of traditional vape inventory. A distinct botanical category can give these retailers another product type to offer alongside their existing specialty selection.
Distributors working with vape retailers can review how Homiez Botanicals fits into vape shop inventory and the wholesale options available to qualifying vape shops.
Other Specialty Retailers
Depending on the products involved and applicable requirements, botanical products may also suit convenience stores, online retailers, and other specialty businesses.
Distributors serving several retail channels should consider whether a botanical product line has enough versatility to sell across multiple account types.
Evaluate the Botanical Brand, Not Just the Individual Product
Wholesale distributors should look beyond a single SKU when evaluating a potential supplier. Consider whether the brand offers a product family that can support a larger category within your catalog.
For example, Homiez Botanicals includes Cat’s Claw botanical products available in multiple strengths, flavors, and package formats. This gives wholesale buyers more product configurations to evaluate when deciding whether the line fits their retail network.
A recognizable product family can also make it easier to organize related products within wholesale catalogs and present multiple options to retail buyers.
What Is Cat’s Claw?
Cat’s Claw, also known as Uncaria tomentosa, is a botanical plant native to tropical regions of Central and South America. It is used as a botanical ingredient in a variety of product formulations.
As with any botanical ingredient, distributors should evaluate the specific formulation rather than assume based solely on the plant name. Review ingredient information, product strength, serving information, packaging, and available documentation for each product under consideration.
Homiez Botanicals offers products featuring Cat’s Claw and proprietary botanical formulations, giving distributors and retailers another botanical category to evaluate for their inventory.
Understand the Difference Between Retail and Distributor Wholesale Programs
A retailer purchasing products for a single store has different needs from a distributor supplying multiple retail accounts.
Retail buyers may focus primarily on product selection, wholesale pricing, and stocking their individual location. Distributors may also need to consider larger-volume purchasing, product assortment, ongoing availability, restocking, and whether products fit the different types of businesses in their network.
Companies interested in supplying Homiez products to retail accounts can learn more about Homiez Botanicals’ wholesale distributor opportunities.
Ask About Wholesale Availability and Supplier Reliability
Adding a product to a catalog can create an ongoing relationship between the distributor and supplier. Before committing to a new botanical line, consider how the supplier handles wholesale accounts and product availability.
Questions worth asking include:
- Which products are currently available for wholesale?
- What product strengths and formats are available?
- Are multiple flavors or variations offered?
- What are the ordering requirements?
- How is current product availability communicated?
- What product information or documentation is available?
- Who should distributors contact with wholesale questions?
These questions can help determine whether a supplier is a practical fit for your business beyond the initial order.
Review Applicable Requirements Before Adding Products
Botanical products can contain different ingredients and formulations, and requirements may vary by product and location. Wholesale distributors should review applicable federal, state, and local requirements before purchasing or distributing a botanical product.
The same consideration applies to the retailers you supply. A product offered through one retail channel or location should not automatically be assumed to have identical requirements everywhere else.
Distributors should perform their own compliance review and obtain appropriate professional guidance when necessary.
Build a Botanical Product Assortment, Not Just a Single SKU
When a distributor decides a botanical category fits its business, it may be worth evaluating the product line as a whole rather than selecting a single item.
Different strengths, flavors, package sizes, and formats can give retail accounts more flexibility. A smoke shop may want a broader assortment, while another retailer may prefer to begin with only a few products.
A varied catalog allows the distributor to accommodate those differences while continuing to source products through the same wholesale relationship.
Where Can Distributors Buy Botanical Extracts Wholesale?
Distributors looking for botanical extracts should work with suppliers that can provide clear product information and explain their wholesale opportunities.
Elevated Brandz wholesale provides qualifying businesses with access to wholesale opportunities across its product portfolio. Businesses interested in distributing Homiez products can explore the dedicated Homiez Botanicals wholesale distributor program to learn more about available products and distribution opportunities.
You can also learn more about Elevated Brandz and the brands and product categories available through the company.
Is Your Wholesale Catalog Ready for Botanical Extracts?
Adding botanical extracts to a wholesale catalog should be a strategic product decision. Consider the ingredients, product documentation, packaging, available assortment, supplier relationship, applicable requirements, and—most importantly—whether the products make sense for the retailers you already serve.
For distributors serving smoke shops, vape shops, and other specialty retailers, botanical products may provide an opportunity to expand the types of products available to existing accounts.
If Homiez Botanicals fits your distribution network, explore wholesale opportunities for Homiez Botanicals distributors and learn more about the products available through Elevated Brandz.
Botanical Extracts for Wholesale Distributors FAQs
What should distributors look for when buying botanical extracts wholesale?
Distributors should evaluate botanical ingredients, product strength, serving information, packaging, available testing documentation, product assortment, wholesale availability, supplier reliability, and applicable requirements before adding products to their catalogs.
What types of retailers can distributors sell botanical products to?
Depending on the product and applicable requirements, botanical products may be relevant to specialty retailers such as smoke shops, vape shops, convenience stores, online retailers, and other specialty stores. Distributors should evaluate each product and retail market individually.
Should distributors carry multiple botanical product strengths?
Offering multiple strengths or formats can give retail accounts more options when choosing products for their stores. The right assortment will depend on the products available and the needs of the distributor’s retail network.
Can wholesale distributors carry Cat’s Claw products?
Wholesale distributors interested in Cat’s Claw products can inquire with botanical suppliers about available wholesale and distribution opportunities. Product availability and requirements can vary by supplier and location.
Where can distributors buy Homiez Botanicals wholesale?
Qualifying businesses can inquire about Homiez Botanicals distribution opportunities through Elevated Brandz. Distributors can review available products and submit their business information to learn more about wholesale options.
Are botanical extracts the same as kratom products?
No. Botanical extracts are a broad category of plant-derived preparations and are not automatically kratom products. Distributors should review each product’s botanical ingredients and formulation rather than assuming products in the broader botanical category are the same.