“Lack of fresh air and exercise, improper food and hastily snatched meals help to sap the vitality of large numbers of people engaged in sedentary occupations… That is where Herbs come into the picture. Grown in the fresh air and sunshine, they are full of vital properties which can be turned to good account by the human body.”

1895

The business, Ryder’s Seeds, began from the garden shed at Samuel Ryder’s home in Folly Lane. With his wife they produced a catalogue which was sent out every Friday night, to be in the hands of working men by Saturday afternoon when they would be enjoying their half day holiday.

1903

The Ryder’s opened a new Head Office on Holywell Hill, employing up to ninety girls to pack the seeds.

Samuel was a passionate liberal; becoming a Councillor in 1903, he continued to climb in social standing and eventually became Mayor of St Albans in 1905. He was outspoken for a “new boy” and often shocked people with bold statements about the Council’s financial situation, describing it as “humiliating”. He always expressed great sympathy for the poor and often invested his own money in projects for the local community.

1906

The Ryder family moved into Marlborough House, now part of St Alban’s Loreto College.

Faith became very important to Samuel. He was not a very strong man, with a tall and slender build, and his busy life as a businessman, politician and family man, all started to take its toll on his wellbeing. His good friend, Reverend Frank Wheeler, suggested he take up golf as exercise…

1909

Samuel Ryder joined Verulam Golf Club as his interest and skill for the sport continued to grow.

1911

The Ryder Seeds Office was replaced with a grand new building designed by local architect, Percival Blow.

Messrs. Ryder & Son Ltd. quickly became regarded as one of the most remarkable seed businesses of the world – true pioneers of the horticultural market. Samuel was a caring employer and, unusually for the time, even paid wages when workers were off sick.

Samuel was elected Club Captain at Verulam Golf Club for the first time in 1911, and then again in 1926 and 1927.

James Ryder had also studied at Owen’s College in Manchester, successfully completing his studies and working as a schoolmaster, mainly in London. He then retired to study herbs and their medicinal value, eventually investing the capital required to setup Heath & Heather with its first premises on Albert Street, almost next door to the Ryder Seeds office. As the herbal remedy business continued to expand, they later moved to a large warehouse near St Alban’s Railway Station.

Eventually Ryder Seeds was taken over by Suttons Seeds and the Ryder family concentrated on their new Heath & Heather ventures.

Mid-1920s

Samuel retires and leaves the Heath & Heather business to his daughter Joan, to concentrate more on his golfing.

The Ryder brothers sponsored the Heath & Heather Tournament; the first golf event to be restricted to professionals only.

Samuel would holiday with his family in Dorset, becoming friends with three brothers, Ernest, Charles and Reg Whitcombe, who proved to be top quality golfers. When enquiring why they never competed in the Open Championship, Samuel learnt that amateur British golfers most often could not afford to compete with Americans who dominate the sport, receiving financial backing from wealthy supporters. Samuel was spurred on by this, determined to engage amateur golf clubs in encouraging talented young British players to take up golf professionally.

1926

Samuel proposed a challenge match between US, Great Britain and Ireland on 26th June at Wentworth. Unfortunately, this first challenge was deemed an unofficial tournament when it was later realised that half of the American Team were not truly American-born (although having lived and played in the United States).

1927

The first official competition was held in Massachusetts USA, the beginnings of a biennial tournament now known as The Ryder Cup.

The trophy, worth £250, was designed by Mappin & Webb Company. Samuel insisted there be a golfing figure on top of the Cup to represent his personal golf tutor and British Team player, Abe Mitchell. A keen gardener himself, Mitchell was considered one of the finest players in Great Britain to have never won an Open Championship.

1931

The Ryder family opened an Exhibition Hall in St. Albans displaying beautiful flower beds, with plants grown from their seeds.

1946

The Heath & Heather herbal remedy business grew to include 46 shops, as well as supplying various health food retailers and chemists. The Ryder brothers sold this retail business to Associated Health Foods in 1968, changing hands again, to Booker McConnell in 1970.

1971

The Heath & Heather stores were renamed ‘Holland & Barrett’ and became the recognised high street store.

Still in partnership with Holland & Barrett today, our Heath & Heather teas are stocked across the UK on their shop shelves.

2005-2025

Heath & Heather was owned under Typhoo Tea management alongside tea brands such as Lift, Glengettie, Herbalistas, Mel Rose and London Fruit & Herb

Under Supreme’s ownership since 2024, all Heath & Heather products are finished to a high quality and packed with care. With our manufacturing and distribution expertise, Supreme ensures products are available for customers across the UK and globally.