Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference

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Corinna Wood, founder of Southeast Women's Herbal Conference

Location:

Black Mountain, NC

County:

Rutherford

Description:

Working capital

Total Project Costs:

$10,000

People:

Corinna Wood, president of Red Moon Herbs, founded the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference in 2005 to empower women through education and community building. The Southeast was the only region in the United States that did not have an herbal conference for women, but the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference has filled that void. Since 2005, over a thousand women have come together from the Southeast and beyond to deepen connections with the plants, the earth and each other. More than 600 participants attended the 2009 conference.Red Moon Herbs, the sponsor of the conference, makes herbal medicines from fresh plants that are harvested locally on an annual basis. Founded in 1994, the company used wild-crafted and organic herbs to produce medicines with an emphasis on women’s health. Red Moon Herbs has experienced significant growth since its inception; its mail order and wholesale businesses serve customers nationwide. Red Moon Herbs works closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new standards for Good Manufacturing Practices for herbal products.

Role of NCIF:

By 2009, the growth of the conference had outstripped Corinna’s ability to manage it alone and fund it internally. So, she sought financing for the upfront planning costs, which included advance deposits and hiring a part-time employee to manage registrations and logistics. The Natural Capital Investment Fund provided a $10,000 loan and advice on accounting and financial planning.

Impact:

The loan and assistance from NCIF helped the conference turn a profit for the first time in 2009, generating the upfront capital needed for the following year. In addition to generating modest part-time employment in Rutherford County, the conference has brought hundreds of people annually to the region, an added economic plus. As she stated in 2010, “[in] these difficult economic times, NCIF’s encouragement and financial support gave me the startup capital and confidence to keep the conference going; turns out people are hungry for this information on self-reliance, and [the] conference continues to grow!”