Why Lavender?
- Herbaceous perennial that can produce viable crops for up to 20 years in the right conditions;- The flowers attract beneficial insects and bees which allows the farmer to develop subsidiary products like honey;
- Normally, it has few disease issues and thus requires minimal farm inputs;
- Normally, it doesn’t require protection from native birds and animals as it is largely unpalatable;
- There are lavender cultivars that thrive across a variety of climatic and geographic conditions, suiting most Australian regions except areas of high humidity and rainfall;
- Market acceptance and consumer understanding is high for lavender essential oil and other products;
- Low water requirements once established;
- A large range of value-added products can be made from dried lavender and distilled essential oil to satisfy all customer preferences;
- Relatively land efficient crop, doesn’t require a lot of land to grow enough plants for commercial use;
- Lavender products are a high value commodity – see below for rough guide to retail pricing.
- Normally, it has few disease issues and thus requires minimal farm inputs;
- Normally, it doesn’t require protection from native birds and animals as it is largely unpalatable;
- There are lavender cultivars that thrive across a variety of climatic and geographic conditions, suiting most Australian regions except areas of high humidity and rainfall;
- Market acceptance and consumer understanding is high for lavender essential oil and other products;
- Low water requirements once established;
- A large range of value-added products can be made from dried lavender and distilled essential oil to satisfy all customer preferences;
- Relatively land efficient crop, doesn’t require a lot of land to grow enough plants for commercial use;
- Lavender products are a high value commodity – see below for rough guide to retail pricing.
What Can You Do With Lavender?
- Grow it for the beauty – open gardens; venues; public spaces, commercial photography; weddings; accommodation attraction – prices vary widely for all these events;
- Grow it for culinary use – big market for this use, L. angustifolia only suitable variety for ingestion, harvest early when mostly are still buds but oil has begun to develop; choose cultivars for flower head size, colour and abundance of flower spikes; some dry better than others retaining their colour; sell buds alone; value-add into edible products eg. Syrups; ice cream; infused products; drinks, etc… ; price for quality L. angustifolia dried buds suitable for culinary is approximately $110/kg and is higher for smaller quantities retail (eg. $25 for 50g);
- Grow it for craft use – there is definitely a market demand for good smelling dried and stripped flower buds to use in craft goods ie. Heat packs; eye pillows; inside soft toys; etc… L. x intermedia ‘Grosso’ is a favourite as it keeps its scent for many years. Dried Lavender can lose its blue colour over time, however this is not an issue when using dried buds for filling bags etc. Approx price for bulk L. x intermedia buds ranges from $70 to $100 per kg.
- Grow it for culinary use – big market for this use, L. angustifolia only suitable variety for ingestion, harvest early when mostly are still buds but oil has begun to develop; choose cultivars for flower head size, colour and abundance of flower spikes; some dry better than others retaining their colour; sell buds alone; value-add into edible products eg. Syrups; ice cream; infused products; drinks, etc… ; price for quality L. angustifolia dried buds suitable for culinary is approximately $110/kg and is higher for smaller quantities retail (eg. $25 for 50g);
- Grow it for craft use – there is definitely a market demand for good smelling dried and stripped flower buds to use in craft goods ie. Heat packs; eye pillows; inside soft toys; etc… L. x intermedia ‘Grosso’ is a favourite as it keeps its scent for many years. Dried Lavender can lose its blue colour over time, however this is not an issue when using dried buds for filling bags etc. Approx price for bulk L. x intermedia buds ranges from $70 to $100 per kg.
- Grow it for cut bunches – if you sell freshly cut bunches of lavender you must instruct buyer how to dry so that it lasts – You don’t put a fresh cut bunch in water to preserve! Hang dry the bunches out of sunlight and store in boxes in warm dry atmosphere – no plastic. Bunches will last all year for creative dried flower use in floristry industry. Prices can range from $8-$25/bunch depending on variety and end use
- Grow it to distill for Essential Oil – this is where a large portion of the lavender market is, the uses of lavender essential oil are multiple and you can use it to differentiate your farm from the farm down the road – like wine, distillation is an artisan process that can be very highly valued if your provenance story is strong and authentic. As a rough guide, prices for 10ml of retail L. angustifolia essential oil are between $18 up to $40 or more; 10ml of L. x intermedia $15 up to $36;
- Value-add essential oil into products for sale – wholesale/retail/online/markets/hospitality/ corporate gifts/international export/aromatherapy & massage/B2B. Lots of opportunities here;
- Agritourism – open your farm for festivals, farm tours, long lunches, photography, bus groups, café on site, food offerings, local area festivals, weddings and workshops. Many pros and cons with this but must be considered as it can be very profitable. Entry fees vary widely from free to $100pp.
- Grow it to distill for Essential Oil – this is where a large portion of the lavender market is, the uses of lavender essential oil are multiple and you can use it to differentiate your farm from the farm down the road – like wine, distillation is an artisan process that can be very highly valued if your provenance story is strong and authentic. As a rough guide, prices for 10ml of retail L. angustifolia essential oil are between $18 up to $40 or more; 10ml of L. x intermedia $15 up to $36;
- Value-add essential oil into products for sale – wholesale/retail/online/markets/hospitality/ corporate gifts/international export/aromatherapy & massage/B2B. Lots of opportunities here;
- Agritourism – open your farm for festivals, farm tours, long lunches, photography, bus groups, café on site, food offerings, local area festivals, weddings and workshops. Many pros and cons with this but must be considered as it can be very profitable. Entry fees vary widely from free to $100pp.