OUR HISTORY


Aether was founded by Cullen and Rick-Anne in 2017 with the intent of spreading knowledge, and expanding the use of Therapeutic herbs and Medicinal mushrooms throughout South Africa.

Inspired by the vast pharmacopoeia of botanical and fungal medicines native to South Africa, Aether began its journey making basic extracts from the kitchen of these two pioneers, trading small batches at various markets around Cape Town.

From these humble beginnings, our wonderful brand moved to a farm in the Eastern Cape, built out our laboratory, hired wonderful locals from Nyara, Soto & Haga Haga Villages, we spread out further and further across the country. Our products are now stocked at some of the nations largest retailers, such as Faithful to Nature & Pick n Pay , as well as at most small health shops around our nation. We also partner with many doctors and holistic practitioners to supply medicine directly to patients.

The Aether Team have branched out into sharing our knowledge with other brands and now help them bring new innovative products to market. Our endeavours are currently focussed on being the best bioceutical house in SA, continuing our growth overseas & lending our brains to the ever increasing knowledge acquisition of science in SA.

WHY AETHER?

  • SUPERIOR LAB-MADE PROPRIETARY EXTRACTION

    We make use of a proprietary extraction protocol - using precision ultrasound, pressure & heat to make sure every last drop of goodness is extracted from our raw material & nurtured into a powerful end product

  • SAFE & CLEAN RAW MATERIAL BACKED BY SCIENCE

    We are fully transparent about our raw material, showcasing it origin, sterility, heavy metal & pesticide levels all to ensure accountability for the medicines we make. Request COA's to get the full scoop on a product

  • THIS IS OUR PURPOSE, THIS IS OUR HEART

    This is our life's work, & because of that we are driven by passion & unwavering determination. We are here to do justice to the task we've been given, we vow to make the best medicines, for the best prices & uplift people as we do it

IT IS OUR INNATE HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY TO STEP THROUGH THIS WORLD LIGHTLY, TO ACT AS A FORCE FOR GOOD TO THOSE WE ENCOUNTER - PLANTS, FUNGI, ANIMALS & HUMANS ALIKE

BECAUSE OF THAT WE SOLIDIFIED THAT THE HEART OF OUR ORGANISATION WOULD BE COMMITED TO RESHAPING THE INDUSTRY PARADIGM, TO BRING ABOUT PROFOUND CHANGE

SUSTAINABLE & REGENERATIVE PRACTICES

Sustainability is the bedrock of everything that we do. We have already implemented some amazing measures to improve our footprint such as:

  • Community Development

    We are located in Haga Haga a pristine environment with few employment opportunities available. Through our company we've been able create dozen of jobs, uplift, & empower our staff to grow within our organisation & further their education. We've funded nursery schools & are currently putting a student through high school with our ABBY program

  • Fairwild Certification

    Our Partnership with Fairwild certification demonstrate our commitment to environmental stewardship (spreading Reishi onto invasive black wattle trees in the EC and educating locals of the importance of this species). We have also initiated fair wage practices (paying harvesters well above minimum wage to collect these mushrooms after sporulation)

  • Sustainable First

    By Localising Production & supply chains, we reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Our emphasis on sustainability is also evident in our facility which is 100% off the grid & our state-of-the-art machinery uses less energy & extracts using incredibly safe biodegradable solvents, additionally we utilise only ecological packaging in our final products as well as shipping.

THE TEAM THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN

  • RICKY ANNE
  • NIC BAIGRIE
  • CULLEN TAYLOR CLARK
  • VICTOR MATHYS
  • JORDAN JAGGA
  • NOA STRIKE-NAKAR
  • CINDY REYNDERS
  • BOMKAZI MBANGELELI
  • SIHLE MYATAZA
  • TAMARA BALENI
  • NOMULELO LAMATI
  • ZINTLE ZENZISI
  • ZOE MILNER

SOME MORE INFO ABOUT THE EXCO'S

  • 1. Ricky-Anne Wakeham

    Co-Founder & Chief Admin Officer of Aether, Owner of the GoodEarth Farm. Ricky is a Multi Accredited Master Herbalist who has formulated protocols for Thousands. Under her guidance Aether is cultivating a workplace that empowers individuals from underrepresented communities, translating our mission into tangible social impact

  • 2. Nic Baigrie

    Director & Chief of Staff with degrees in Economics, Commerce & Statistics. Nic brings deep expertise in organisational design, financial oversight, & systems architecture. He excels in building the internal frameworks that allow fast-moving, purpose-driven companies like Aether to scale with clarity & control. Nic takes vision & translates it into action

  • 3. Cullen Taylor Clark

    Co-Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of Aether, & founder of The Better World Foundry. Cullen is one of SA’s leading peer reviewed ethno-mycologist with ties / collaborations to the University of the Free-State, Stellenbosch University & Johns Hopkins University. Cullen is Pioneering African Bioceutical Innovation whilst simultaneously integrating South African indigenous cosmologies

OUR FACILITIES

Aether has found its home on the Good Earth Farm which is a 200 Hectare piece of land in the beautiful great Kei region of the Eastern Cape. This lush Eden is our home and allows us the opportunity to produce and package some of SA's best natural medicine, as well as develop new innovative subsidiary brands. 


In time the farm will also be open to the public which means you can come to walk through the indigenous forests, visit our state of the art laboratory, or even see how we harvest reishi