Rio Grande Herb Company

Charlie Sanchez Jr. started Rio Grande Herb Company in 1989 from an extra bedroom and a garage in Tome, New Mexico. The knowledge behind it wasn't something he learned in a course — it came from his parents, Trini and Charlie Sanchez Sr., who passed down generations of New Mexican herbal tradition rooted in the plants that grow across the state's deserts, valleys, and mountains.

Today, the company operates out of Albuquerque under Phil Sanchez Jr., keeping the business within the family and the mission unchanged: produce herbal remedies using locally wildcrafted plants from New Mexico's deserts, valleys, and mountains. Most of the herbs Rio Grande carries are gathered from the wild, not grown in rows. The difference matters. Wildcrafted herbs grow where they want to grow, in the soil and climate conditions that produce the strongest plant medicine.

Their flagship product is Osha Syrup, a respiratory and dietary supplement made from osha root — a plant native to the Rocky Mountains that's been used in traditional Southwest healing for centuries. It's the kind of product that exists because a family understood what grew around them and how to use it, not because a product development team identified a market gap.

The full line spans loose herbs and spices, herbal tinctures, and personal care products like their Negrita & Amole Strengthening Shampoo and Revitalizing Conditioner. They sell through their own retail location in Albuquerque and distribute to stores across New Mexico. Southwest Traditions, their branded herb and spice line, covers culinary and medicinal use.

Rio Grande Herb Company has operated for over 35 years without outside investment, acquisition offers, or a rebrand. The Sanchez family sells herbs. They've always sold herbs. The consistency itself is a kind of proof.

Products

• Osha syrup (respiratory and dietary supplement)
• Loose herbs and spices
• Herbal tinctures and remedies
• Southwest Traditions herb and spice blends
• Negrita & Amole hair care (shampoo, conditioner, treatment)
• Bulk wildcrafted herbs

Why We List Them

• Family owned and operated since 1989, now led by Phil Sanchez Jr.
• Founded by Charlie Sanchez Jr. with knowledge passed from his parents
• No outside investors, no corporate parent, no acquisitions
• Most herbs locally wildcrafted from New Mexico's wild terrain
• Over 35 years of continuous family operation
• Deep roots in traditional Southwest herbal medicine