Purple passion in Rakaia

A ardour for lavender oil’s therapeutic and well being advantages has seen two Chinese language drugs practitioners turn into hands-on house owners of New Zealand’s largest natural lavender farm in Rakaia.

Dr John Yi Jiang and Qing Wang bought the NZ Lavender farm in 2019 after Jiang skilled the well being advantages of lavender first-hand.

The earlier proprietor of the lavender farm gave Jiang a bottle of oil to strive. He used the oil to deal with his persistent mouth ulcers and was impressed with the outcomes.

“I had ulcers in my mouth for almost forty years as a result of we had been working very arduous in China, and I used to be very burdened.

“I had tried Chinese language and Western drugs; I attempted every thing.

“However then I rubbed the lavender oil on my ulcers, and it relieved the ache inside 5 seconds.

“It was wonderful.”

NZ Lavender Farm was available on the market, and after two years of deliberating, Jiang and Wang bought the 50-acre property with no prior data of farming however a ardour for creating high-quality, pharmaceutical-grade lavender oil.

“We did not know methods to drive a tractor; we did not know methods to farm. We solely knew drugs.”

After buying the farm, Jiang and Wang initially continued to work full-time of their Chinese language Healthcare clinic, AcuCentre, which has branches in Christchurch and Ashburton.

Jiang rapidly realised that for the lavender farm to succeed, he would should be on-farm, a minimum of part-time, to maintain a watchful eye on the operations.

“At first, I relied on individuals to handle the farm whereas I labored within the clinic full-time, however the first two years have been a catastrophe.”

The farm has over 110,000 Lavendula Augustafolia ‘Avice Hill’ vegetation, that are hand-weeded and grown utilizing natural strategies.

The Avice Hill cultivar, named after the Christchurch herbalist who found the species, is exclusive as a result of it is likely one of the lowest allergen varieties, making the oil good for medicinal use.

Cautious consideration to element all through all phases of development and manufacturing ensures a high-quality oil, with round 600 litres produced every harvest.

Weeding is a fragile course of, with care wanted by a workers of round 15 to keep away from damaging the plant’s fragile flowers.

Jiang stated that discovering workers to work within the fields has been difficult.

“It’s extremely arduous to get individuals to work right here, even after we pay $28 per hour for pulling weeds.

“Folks would come for an interview however not flip up for the job.”

This 12 months, Jiang stated workers have been simpler to supply, with guests to the district wanting a “working vacation”.

Harvest takes place sometimes in early to mid-January over a interval of round two weeks.

Three workers are accountable for the harvest, with the farm utilizing a specialised Clier harvester imported from France.

As soon as harvested, time is of the essence to make sure the best high quality lavender oil.

All flowers go from the sector to the farm’s distillery inside an hour of harvest.

Oil is extracted utilizing a computerised steam distillation course of earlier than being decanted into glass bottles.

Throughout flowering, the farm opens its gates to guests who can have their images taken within the picturesque purple fields.

A farm store carries lavender merchandise guests should purchase to expertise the advantages of lavender at house.

Export of the oil was a big focus of the enterprise by the earlier house owners, however Jiang has expanded into a spread of magnificence and family merchandise aimed on the native market.

NZLavender advertising and marketing director Leonie Paloma says the merchandise are designed for New Zealand households who’ve robust ethics about what merchandise they select.

“We endeavour to supply inexpensive pro-active alternate options to make use of in on a regular basis life.

“We attempt to open the door to individuals who wish to go down a extra pure path.”

The product vary, which incorporates face lotions, sleep balms, lavender tea and honey, is offered on the NZ Lavender web site, on the farm and in native shops.

By Claire Inkson