Farm to Treats: Trout Lake Farm

From Seed to Sift: How Trout Lake Farm Grows the Highest Quality Organic Catnip

At Shameless Pets, we believe what goes into your pet's treats matters just as much as what stays out. That's why we partner with Trout Lake Farm — a pioneer in organic agriculture and the largest organic catnip grower in North America — to source the premium upcycled catnip that goes into our Catnip N Chill Crunchy Cat Treats.
Sustainably grown, thoughtfully processed, and absolutely adored by cats. Here's the full story.

Rooted in Organic Farming Since 1973

Trout Lake Farm was founded over 50 years ago in the pristine Trout Lake Valley of Washington State, nestled at the base of Mount Adams. The location wasn't chosen by accident: the area's nutrient-rich volcanic ash soil, glacier-fed water, and natural isolation from pollutants make it one of the best environments in the world for cultivating medicinal herbs organically.

Long before "organic" became a marketing term, Trout Lake Farm was already living and farming by that principle. Trout Lake Farm’s founder identified the growing demand for domestic botanicals while working in the herbal industry and built the farm around a simple mission: leave the land healthier than you found it. Over 50 years later, that mission still drives every decision.

Two Growing Regions, One Standard of Quality

in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Trout Lake Farm expanded to Ephrata, Washington, in the heart of Eastern Washington's high desert. The two locations give the farm access to two distinct growing climates — critical for producing the variety and volume of botanicals the farm is known for.
Trout Lake, WA (Original Farm):

• Volcanic ash soil from the Mount Adams watershed
• Glacier-fed water and low-pollution isolated geography
  Ephrata, WA (High Desert):
• Hot, dry summers, perfect for field drying, which preserves oil  in catnip
• Class A irrigation water from the Columbia River
• Primary location for catnip and peppermint production at scale

Today, Trout Lake Farm spans over 1,100 acres and produces 3.5 to 4.5 million pounds of herbs annually!

Why Trout Lake Farm Grows the Best Organic Catnip

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) thrives in Ephrata's dry, hot climate, which allows for the natural preservation of essential oils, through field drying, that give catnip its potency. As a perennial crop, it also supports long-term soil health by reducing the need for replanting and tilling year after year.

Harvest season runs June through September, with two cuts available for harvest throughout the season. At the East Farm location, catnip is field-dried — a careful process that preserves the volatile oils responsible for that unmistakable aroma cats lose their minds over.

And the farming itself? Next level. Trout Lake Farm uses:

• A new AI-powered laser weeding technology to eliminate weeds without disturbing the soil…How cool is that!
• DNA seed verification & HPTLC / Microscopy testing on harvested crops, for full crop integrity and traceability
• Custom harvesting and cultivation equipment designed for their specific crops
• An advanced composting system using local organic inputs from our own farm and the surrounding community to return nutrients to the soil
• 10% of land kept in active rest and regeneration cycles at any given time

This is what regenerative agriculture looks like in practice — not just sustainable, but actively restorative.

From Field to Your Cat's Treat Bag: The Full Process

Once harvested, catnip goes through a rigorous multi-step process before it ever reaches us:

• Harvest — timed with peak oil content during June through September
• Field drying — sensitive crops like catnip are field dried  vs. bin dried to preserve essential oils
• Cleaning — processed to a strict less than 1% foreign material specification
• Milling — ground to target particle size at their WA production facility
• Steam treatment — small-batch steam sterilization, a validated pathogen kill step to preserve botanical integrity
• Packaging and shipment — to trusted partners like Shameless Pets

Every step is handled in-house. Trout Lake Farm is fully vertically integrated, meaning they control the entire process from seed to finished raw material ingredient. That's how they maintain their BRC Certified AA rating and human-grade production standards.

The Upcycled Connection: The Part Everyone Else Composted

Here's where Shameless Pets comes in, and where the story gets really good.
When catnip is milled into its standard cut-and-sift form, primarily used for cat toys, the process creates fine milling particles as a byproduct. These particles — known as tea bag cut — have limited demand in the traditional herb market and  often head straight to the compost pile.

We saw something different. Shameless Pets upcycles approximately 4,400 lbs. of this overlooked tea bag cut each year, giving it a second life as the catnip ingredient in our Catnip N Chill Crunchy Cat Treats. The fine particle size actually works beautifully in treat production — delivering a concentrated hit of aroma and flavor that cats go absolutely wild for.

"What was heading for the compost pile is now in your cat's treat bag. That's upcycling in action."

Shared Values: Better for Pets, Better for the Planet

Trout Lake Farm and Shameless Pets are aligned on something bigger than just ingredient sourcing. Both companies are working toward a food system that wastes less, gives more back to the land, and is transparent about where ingredients come from.
Trout Lake Farm achieved  Fair for Life Certification in September of 2025 and will host their first  ROC (Regenerative Organic Certification) audit in August of 2026  — credentials that go beyond basic organic to verify fair treatment of employees, strong community involvement  and genuine environmental restoration.

Meet Your Cat's New Favorite Treat

All of that — 50 years of organic farming expertise, volcanic soil, glacier-fed water, regenerative agriculture, and careful small-batch processing — goes into every bag of Catnip N Chill Crunchy Cat Treats.

Organic, Human-grade Catnip. Upcycled. And cat-approved.

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