It smells like paradise.
But when Julie Thurgood-Burnett first began to grow lavender on her farm in East Garafraxa, she knew next to nothing about the beautiful and fragrant plant.
Now, it's her livelihood at Hereward Farms, which sits on a serene 250 acres that's been in the family for over five generations. During the pandemic, Thurgood-Burnett's husband Stephen thought, why not give lavender a try?
"I had never been to a lavender farm before. This was all new to me," Thurgood-Burnett said.
"And then we made some lavender products and we sold out. My husband said, 'Maybe you've got something here.' And I thought this is ridiculous. I already own a company. I don't need to do this."
After a career in marketing, Thurgood-Burnett dove in.
"I sold my agency. We planted 3,000 lavender plants, and then, it just took off from there," Thurgood-Burnett said.
"I am now doing this full-time. My husband said do it, and now here I am. I remember sitting on the couch thinking, come on! We're not doing 3,000 lavender plants. He said, 'Why not? What's the harm?' And I thought, OK!"
Soon after, 3,000 more were planted.
After officially launching their business in 2020, the farm flourished and is currently home to over 6,000 lavender plants and 400,000 sunflower plants.
Lavender has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for aromatherapy, relaxation and stress relief. The essential oil of lavender is known to possess calming properties that can soothe the mind and body, and promote relaxation.
Thurgood-Burnett and her husband Stephen have become passionate about growing, harvesting, and crafting their own 'farm-to-skin experience' with a line of all-natural, lavender-infused skincare and home products directly from their farm.
And last month,Thurgood-Burnett was thrilled to celebrate the launch of Hereward Farms new Lavender Lounge & Cafe.
"The lounge and cafe is a great space for people to come and hang out. On our grand opening day, some people stayed for four hours. It was supposed to be a soft opening. It was so amazing because is shows that connection we have with the community," Thurgood-Burnett said.
"What we thought would be a gentle opening, all of a sudden, everybody was here."
The Lavender Lounge & Cafe is open year-round, Wednesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For anyone who would like a taste of lavender, the Lavender Lounge & Cafe offers beverages and treats infused with the essence of lavender.
"We have lattes, cold drinks, and hot chocolate. Each one we have made our own, and at a price point that affordable. It's nice because people can come in, get a coffee, they can shop and hang out," Thurgood-Burnett said.
"It kind of replicates the farm fields. It's nice to just have that peaceful time and enjoy."
Hereward Farms is dedicated to working together as a community and supporting local.
"Our big focus is working with other local or Canadian businesses. There is one that provides us with lavender macarons, Belwood General store makes us lavender butter tarts. They are so good," Thurgood-Burnett said.
"There's a pastry place in Creemore too where we get some of our prepacked products. And then there's a coffee roaster, Nomad. We carry their Dahlia brand, which is from Brazil and it's a woman-grown, woman-picked and woman-roasted company."
And everything is sustainable.
"All our takeout cups, our lids, it's all compostable. It was important to me to know that we aren't adding a bunch of stuff into the landfills," Thurgood-Burnett said.
Thurgood-Burnett looks forward to what the summer months will bring to the new lounge and cafe.
"Our hours might change with the cafe now officially open. We will base it on demand. Summer is busier. We might expand it to include a charcuterie," she said.
"We'll just see how it goes."
More and more farms focus on agritourism, but Thurgood-Burnett says, this is just a small part of all that Hereward Farms has to offer.
"I want to focus more on our skin care and home products. We have been in Vogue and Vanity Fair. We are in Terra Green Houses and Home Hardware and so that's where I really want this to go,"
The goal is also to offer a peaceful escape.
"With the cafe, I am so thankful. I have some amazing clients," Thurgood-Burnett said.
"It's not busy and loud. If someone wanted to bring a book, sit here or in the lavender fields, they can go at it. It's not about coming in and getting out, with an hour time limit."
When entering the Lavender Lounge & Cafe, a sign, in memory of a special friend, hangs above the fireplace mantel.
"The Lavender Lounge and Cafe is dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor, a close family friend. She used to be councillor in Grand Valley. She passed away in 2021. She was one of my very first big supporters of my products. She was supposed to have her birthday party here, and then she passed away," Thurgood-Burnett said.
"Our lavender fields are dedicated to my parents and dog that passed away. And we lost a friend who passed away last summer in a motorcycle accident. Sunflowers and yellow were his thing, and so we dedicated the sunflowers to him."
For Thurgood-Burnett, lavender really is magical.
"The way that we infuse the lavender in our products, you get all of the healing products of lavender. It heals skin, has anti-inflammatory agents, it's good for bites, burns, and rashes. It's a natural alternative," she said.
When thinking back to her husband's initial idea, Thurgood-Burnett said she's thankful for a new venture filled with fragrant violet-blue flowers.
"I had a couple here who said they really enjoyed just being alone in the lavender field. And that's what we want the experience to be like. That's what I love about our property. It really is a hidden gem," she said.
"Maybe one day, we will even have lavender beer. Who knows?"
For further details, visit herewardfarm.com.
