Rooted in Nature, Built for What’s Next

Some of the best ideas don’t arrive with fanfare. They begin quietly, with a single conversation that changes what’s possible.

That’s how the Starwest Innovation Lab began.

It started with Jagat, who has always been drawn to the edge of what’s next, helping brands create what they couldn’t yet see. From baby food pouches to zero-proof cocktails, his work has always been about building the future before it arrives.

“A mentor once told me that great innovation is seeing the obvious for the first time,” Jagat often says. “That truth has guided my entire career. The patterns are always there, hiding in plain sight, it’s just a matter of slowing down enough to see them clearly.”

                                 
The Innovation Lab was born from that same belief: that the next era of wellness will be imagined, not inherited.

What started as sourcing conversations turned into creative sessions about flavor, formulation, and sensory design. Kai brought his supply chain expertise. Bassma and Mattee explored how trends and storytelling meet product innovation. Brandy began shaping how co-creation could truly come to life. Bit by bit, the Innovation Lab took form, a place not just to test and blend, but to imagine.
Today, the Starwest Innovation Lab is where herbal tradition meets forward-thinking science. It’s where we help our partners design teas, tinctures, blends, and functional products that feel as good in concept as they do in use.

Every idea here begins with intention:
• Ingredient ideation rooted in function, story, and sustainability
• Clean-label formulation guided by sensory experience
• Rapid prototyping that moves at the speed of innovation without compromising quality
• A foundation of regenerative sourcing and organic integrity, the same values that have defined Starwest for over 50 years

From Yogi to Tillamook, we’ve spent decades helping trusted brands bring natural products to life. The Innovation Lab is the next chapter of that journey, an open invitation to founders, CMOs, R&D teams, and innovators ready to co-create what’s next for natural wellness, food, and body care.
As Jagat often says, “Innovation doesn’t replace tradition, it grows from it.”

And that’s exactly what this lab was built to do.
If you’ve got an idea, something that deserves to exist, we’re here to help you bring it to life.
Rooted in nature. Built for what’s next.
Let’s innovate together.