Lavender farming in Ontario has turned a pandemic-era experiment into an award-winning, woman-led agribusiness making natural, locally made skincare, clean home products and culinary lavender. Julie Thurgood-Burnett, founder of Hereward Farms on a 250-acre property in East Garafraxa, began in 2020 with a plot of 40 plants, and the farm has grown to 8,000 plants. Her journey from marketing and cosmetology into agriculture shows how skills from other careers, patient research and a family farm’s existing resources can combine into a rural enterprise that earns recognition, supports local causes and offers aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly women, a practical example to follow.
How a lockdown question about growing lavender turned into a thriving Ontario skincare business
According to the Orangeville Citizen, Thurgood-Burnett was at home during the coronavirus lockdowns when she wondered whether lavender would grow on her land. The first harvest was a success, and the plot became a hobby she enjoyed. Drawing on her cosmetology training, she pulled out her old textbooks to research what the plants could be turned into. Her lavender cosmetics sold out quickly, and her husband, Stephen Burnett, encouraged her to expand the plot to 3,000 plants. Thurgood-Burnett told the publication she saw little harm in trying, since she would at least have beautiful plants in her yard, and the venture then took off.
Click here to see more...