Shawn Donnille

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Shawn Donnille (born June 25, 1973) is a longtime environmental activist and the owner and CEO of Mountain Rose Herbs.

Located in Eugene, Oregon, Mountain Rose Herbs is an American grower, processor, distributor, and retailer of sustainably sourced herbs, spices, teas, essential oils and DIY ingredients used in herbalism. Founded in 1987, it is now the second-largest distributor of organic dried herbs in the United States.

Early Activism

Donnille grew up in Orange County, California. His love of the natural world was established in early childhood on family trips to Nevada City, California, where he connected with plants and wildlife. Although his family was apolitical, Donnille was increasingly drawn to environmental activism. At age 15, he started an environmental club at his Villa Park High School. “We planted trees on campus and organized monthly debates,” he said.

After high school, he moved to Nevada City and took part in Earth First! campaigns to save redwood forests and ban sport hunting of cougars. As an activist, Donnille fought for issues like mandatory labeling on genetically modified food crops and advocated for the protection of endangered and threatened species and the enhancement of riparian areas.

Mountain Rose Herbs

In 1999, Donnille was hired to oversee shipping for Mountain Rose Herbs. At that time, the business was a small mail order company run from a garage in nearby North San Juan. “There were two employees and me,” said Donnille. He was soon promoted to management and became a partial owner of the company in 2001.

Donnille saw Mountain Rose Herbs as an opportunity to instill his principles regarding environmental activism into a business model. "All of our environmental issues can be connected to the embarrassing way that business abuses this planet,” he said. “My objective is to stop this destructive pattern by offering an alternative modality and sharing that modality with others so we can all lead the change necessary to heal the planet." He is credited with much of the vision behind Mountain Rose Herb's success. Under Donnille’s direction, Mountain Rose Herbs instituted a strictly organic policy, and became a certified organic processor through Oregon Tilth in 2002. The company also created a full-time in house laboratory and quality control department that remains unparalleled in the industry today. Mountain Rose Herbs introduced the first line of fair trade certified medicinal herbs in the United States, became the first herbal company to sell products online, and launched a robust charitable giving program. In 2017, Mountain Rose Herbs was the first Oregon company to receive Zero Waste certification. Companies that are awarded the Zero Waste Facility Certification must meet all local, state, and federal waste regulations and divert at least 90% of all non-hazardous waste from landfills and incineration. Mountain Rose Herbs holds the highest level of certification: Platinum.

Professor Mike Russo, of the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon in Eugene credits these principles for Mountain Rose Herbs’ success. “Customers are looking for companies with which they can identify morally and philosophically," he said, "and I think that that's drawn a lot of customers to Mountain Rose."

Between 2001 and 2010, Mountain Rose Herbs experienced steady growth, averaging between 25% and 45% each year, and soon grew out of their Pleasant Hill location. In July 2010, the retailer moved to their current facility, the former Burley Design bicycle trailer factory in west Eugene. This 60,600-square-foot factory and the lease of a separate 10,000-square-foot building next door, tripled the retailer's space.

In January 2017, Shawn Donnille became an equal partner 50/50 in the business. He led the company’s opening of a new milling facility in West Eugene, which give them full control over the milling process of their products for the first time.

In 2020, Mountain Rose Herbs, like so many businesses around the world, was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To put the company back on a growth trajectory, CEO Donnille restructured the business and leadership team. On September 30, 2020, co-owner Julie Bailey retired and passed full ownership of Mountain Rose Herbs to Shawn Donnille.

In December 2020, Donnille purchased the Phoenix Industrial Park in Eugene. This purchase will allow the company to consolidate their six separate facilities into one 12-acre campus and will provide 205,000 square feet of operational space. Bringing the separate facilities together into one campus will streamline operations and communications, significantly reducing the business's carbon footprint. “We are continually striving for a carbon-neutral business model,”

Mountain Rose Herbs has been recognized many times for the business practices put in place by Shawn Donnille. In 2010, the company was a finalist for the Oregon Ethics in Business Award. In 2011, it was honored with the Oregon Organic Coalition of Excellence award. The Oregon Sustainability Board selected Mountain Rose Herbs as the 2012 Grand Champion for the Governor's Sustainability Award, recognizing the company as a leader in socially and environmentally responsible business practices. In 2013, Shawn Donnille was a recipient of a 20 under 40 Award, for helping to "foster growth from an ‘out of the garage’ operation into one of Eugene's largest and most dynamic employers.

Shawn Donnille

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