Ingredient · Mint

Organic mint flakes,
dried without hot air.

We supply freeze-dried organic mint as chopped flakes, grown on our own farms at Lake Naivasha and frozen the day it is picked. It is certified USDA and EU Organic by Ecocert, goes into herbal teas, drinks, greens powders and confectionery, and keeps 3 years in sealed metalized pouches.

01 — Mint by the lake

A fast-growing herb that wants to be dried quickly.

Mint (Mentha) is a spreading perennial with soft, aromatic leaves: spearmint sweet and gentle, peppermint sharper and cooler from its menthol. It goes into tea from Morocco to Asia, into raita and mint sauce, and into chocolate.

Soft leaves wilt within hours of cutting, so time to the dryer matters. We grow mint on our own farms and with contracted growers around Lake Naivasha; it is picked, washed and frozen the same day, all year. It is certified USDA Organic and EU Organic by Ecocert. Powders, other cuts and blends are made to your specification, with no minimum order.

02 — What the research says

In a published spearmint trial, freeze drying beat hot air.

Mint's value is in its essential oil. In a study of spearmint dried by different methods, the oil of freeze-dried leaves rated below fresh but above hot-air-dried leaves. A review of herb drying adds that hot air often causes a substantial loss of volatile compounds.

Fresh spearmint is about 86 % water (USDA). Freeze drying removes nearly all of it while the leaf stays frozen, so the flakes are light and need no cold chain. Results vary by variety, so brew and taste our samples against your current supply.

03 — Mint in product

Which form of mint goes where, and when.

Mint's main homes are teas and functional drinks and greens and smoothie powders, with a share going into chocolate, bars and other inclusions.

Product	Form	When it goes in	Why it works
Loose-leaf and bagged herbal tea	Chopped flakes	Blended dry; steeped by the drinker	Flakes keep their cut and color, so the blend looks like leaf, not dust.
Greens and smoothie powders	Powder milled to your spec	Dry blended with the other powders	A cool, fresh note over the grassy taste of greens.
Chocolate, bars and confectionery	Fine flakes or powder	Into the mass or coating	Adds no water, which would make chocolate seize.
Yogurt dips and sauces	Chopped flakes	Stirred in, then left to stand	Rehydrates in the wet base; agree micro limits for a no-cook product.

Mint is strong. Start low on the bench and adjust; there is no fixed conversion from fresh.

04 — Storage and samples

Keeping mint as it left the dryer.

Aroma is the reason to buy mint, and moisture, oxygen and light are what take it away.

Metalized pouches, bulk or retail-ready, each with a lot number traced to farm, plot, harvest date, dryer run and packing date.
3 years in sealed packaging. Store cool, dry and dark; reseal an opened pouch.
In a finished tea blend, keep a moisture barrier too: dry flakes take up water from humid air.
Lots micro-tested in our own lab. Free samples with a spec sheet, no minimum order, supply by sea or air.

Questions

Questions buyers ask about freeze-dried mint.

Can freeze-dried mint be used for herbal tea?

Yes. FD Harvest's chopped mint flakes are blended dry into loose-leaf or bagged tea and steep in hot water; the flakes keep their cut and color in the blend.

Is FD Harvest's freeze-dried mint organic?

Yes. Our mint is certified organic to USDA Organic and EU Organic standards by Ecocert, grown on our own farms and by contracted growers at Lake Naivasha. The certificate is available on request.

Does freeze-dried mint keep its aroma?

In a published trial on spearmint, freeze-dried leaves kept a better essential oil than hot-air-dried leaves, though below fresh. Results vary by herb and lot, so we send free samples for you to test.

Can you supply mint powder for a greens or smoothie blend?

Yes. Mint powder is milled to the particle size you specify, piloted small at the plant and then scaled, with no minimum order. We never powder mint unless you ask.

Can freeze-dried mint go into chocolate?

Yes. Fine flakes or powder can be mixed into the chocolate mass or a coating. Freeze-dried mint is dry, so it does not bring the water that makes chocolate seize.

How long does freeze-dried mint keep?

Three years in sealed packaging. Keep it cool, dry and out of light, and reseal the metalized pouch once it is opened.

Contact us to discuss your product requirements.

Tell us whether the mint goes into a tea, a powder or a confection, and we will send samples with a spec sheet.

Organic mint flakes,dried without hot air.