We recently connected with Anne Bunn & Jill Forney and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Anne and Jill thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Naming a business is no small task—it has to capture who you are, what you stand for, and what you hope to bring into the world. We had a lot of fun brainstorming (one of our husbands actually threw Urban Pharm into the mix!), and the name ultimately emerged from the intersection of place, purpose, and philosophy.

Urban reflects where we come from—our city roots, vibrant communities, and the deep connections we build through our business.

Pharm nods to food as medicine and the power of the natural world, linking what we eat to how we feel. It also gestures toward “farm,” reinforcing our commitment to real, high-quality ingredients that nourish and sustain. While “good for you” isn’t in our name, it’s central to our philosophy—not as a rule or restriction, but as a celebration of what makes you feel alive.

And then there’s our radish logo. Though it has nothing to do with our product (and is often mistaken for a beet!), it perfectly represents what we stand for:

Vibrancy & Beauty – Bold, colorful, and full of life.
The Everyday Unexpected – Like a watermelon radish, ordinary outside but bright and spicy within.
Texture & Connection – Rooted in the earth, reaching for the sun.
A Thriving Farm, A Thriving You – A well-nourished farm, like a well-nourished person, flourishes.

At our core, Urban Pharm is about care, abundance, interconnectedness, seasonality, and integrity. We celebrate food that nourishes, delights, and connects—because what’s good for you should feel good, too.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

We started Urban Pharm to share something we’ve been lucky enough to experience in our own lives—beautiful, vibrant, good-for-you food and drink made with care and shared generously.

Our specialty is raw apple cider vinegar-based shrubs, crafted in a variety of creative and unexpected flavors. We believe that what’s good for you should also be delicious, and that what’s delicious can also be good for you.

In addition to offering delicious and good-for-you products, we also hope to contribute to the conversation around wellness. To us, being well is about feeling enlivened, engaged, and connected. Too often, wellness feels restrictive—full of rules about what to avoid rather than an invitation to explore what nourishes you. We offer a more generous, individualized approach—one that encourages curiosity, creativity, and the freedom to define well-being on your own terms.

What we’re most proud of is the role that relationships play in our business—between the two of us, with our fellow small businesses, our suppliers, and our collaborators. Community and care are woven into everything we do.

At the heart of it all, we want people to know that our shrubs are crafted with intention, joy, and the belief that what’s good for you should be as delicious and inviting as it is nourishing.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

At Urban Pharm, keeping in touch with our customers goes beyond sales—it’s about fostering real connections.

Most important are in-person connections. Farmers’ markets, pop-ups, and in-store tastings let us meet people face-to-face, offer samples, and hear how people are using our shrubs. We’re also dreaming up workshops and events to bring our community together in real life.

We stay engaged with our customers through weekly email newsletters, sharing new flavors, promotions, and things that we love (like Love Lists!). On Instagram, we keep the conversation going—responding to comments and DMs, supporting other brands, and hosting giveaways to introduce our followers to products we love. We’re also creating downloadable guides (think recipes, templates, and inspiration) that offer value beyond just buying shrub.

Collaborations keep things fresh—like our limited-edition flavors with Curio Spice and partnership with Land’s Sake Farm. And because we believe in a personal touch, we’re big on small gestures—handwritten thank-you notes, direct feedback requests, and sharing the story behind our brand, from ingredient sourcing to production.

At the heart of Urban Pharm is human touch. We’re a small, independent brand that does things our way, trusting that our customers appreciate the honesty, beauty, and care in every bottle.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building our reputation has been all about showing up—consistently and authentically.

From the start, we’ve prioritized human touch—whether through our handcrafted shrubs, our presence at markets and events, or our relationships with wholesale partners. Our branding and aesthetic reflect that same thoughtfulness, making Urban Pharm visually distinct and instantly recognizable.

But our brand is more than a look—it’s a story. We share our values, ethos, and ingredient choices openly, reinforcing our commitment to creating products that are beautiful and healthy in lots of ways. We source the best ingredients, as close to Cambridge as possible, and have fun coming up with offbeat and delicious flavor combinations.

One of our favorite parts of creating Urban Pharm is the relationships & friendships that have developed. It’s all about the people. Farmers’ markets, pop-ups, and collaborations help us build real connections with customers who then offer word-of-mouth referrals that fuel our organic growth. We love the people who provide our ingredients, and we love our collaborative partners, and we love the store buyers who take the chance on Urban Pharm. The relationships are the most rewarding part of our work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.urban-pharm.com
• Instagram: @urbanpharmshrub
• Facebook: @urbanpharmshrub

Image Credits
Photos by Basha Burwell