Botanic Innovations founder Mark Mueller spent his childhood roaming the wild woods of Northern Wisconsin. Exploring under tree canopies and traipsing through fields, he developed a deep and lasting love for the natural world.

Mark’s passion for plants led him to study botany and natural resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduation, Mark put his master’s degree to work serving as a naturalist with the US National Park Service.

A devoted steward of the Earth, Mark soon became interested in water quality preservation and pollution abatement. In the late 1990’s he conceived the idea and developed the technology to produce seed oil as a clean, plant-based lubricant.

At that same time, the term ‘superfoods’ was becoming popular to describe foods like broccoli, salmon, and berries that are naturally loaded with nutritional benefits. As a botanist, Mark knew that seeds packed a nutritional punch that could qualify them as the ultimate superfood.

He began cold pressing locally sourced cranberry seeds. Testing revealed that the extracted cranberry oils and powders contained a wide range of antioxidant activity, with fatty acids and a whole spectrum of phytonutrients. The seeds of what would become Botanic Innovations had been planted.

Mark turned his attention to developing the best means of extracting lipids, or oil soluble compounds, from seed fiber. He soon developed what would become Botanic Innovations’ trademarked NatureFRESH Cold Press™ process. This gentle, all-natural extraction method yields pure seed oils and powders without the use of high heat, chemicals or solvents.

Before long, Mark and his growing team were working with a wide variety of fruit, vegetable, and herb seeds. The team began collaborating with more than a dozen university researchers and private labs to investigate and understand each seed’s unique properties and attributes.

In 2000, Botanic Innovations became the first US company to commercially produce small batches of Cranberry Seed, Raspberry Seed, and Black Cumin Seed, complete with assays showing broad-spectrum antioxidant activity.

Mark’s pioneering work with seeds caught the eye of two physicians from the University of Minnesota. They were impressed by his innovative work extracting the beneficial properties of seeds. Their support was instrumental in helping build Botanic Innovations’ growing body of research, including analytical chemical composition studies, patent applications, and publications in scientific technical journals.

Over the years, Botanic Innovations has grown steadily while staying rooted in its commitment to powerful seed ingredients and clean processing, all in support of helping customers achieve their objectives. Today Botanic Innovations has a portfolio of 40+ highly functional seed oils, powders, and blends. Our seed oils and powders are found in beauty and personal care products, dietary supplements, food and nutritional beverage applications, and animal nutrition products around the world.