Have you ever wondered what goes into making the products that you use every day? Well, you’ve come to the right place! At Baby Bear Farm we connect with the product at every step of the process. Since starting Baby Bear Farm our amazing founder, Amy, has spent countless hours researching, developing, learning, and finding the perfect combination of essential oils to bring out the best properties of the lavender and peppermint plants grown here on the farm. Let’s take a look into the process!
Varieties of Lavender
Did you know that there are over 450 lavender varieties and cultivars (a plant variety that has been produced in cultivation by selective breeding) out there? Neither did we when we first started our farm! This brings us to the first step when planting lavender: learn and experiment to find the perfect variety for our specific climate, growing conditions, region, and the products we want to create. This step is critical for the lavender to grow to its full potential.
It may take multiple rounds of experiments and trials to find the perfect variety for you. Today, our farm grows four types of English lavender and three French lavender varieties. One top tip from Amy is to continue to research the growing conditions needed for certain lavender varieties and continue to learn before, during, and after harvest.
Harvesting and Distilling
Fast forward to the Spring and Summer months you will begin to see the beautiful lavender plants blooming. While many lavender varieties grow slowly in their first year, by the second year they grow more blooms, which is a sign of maturity and an indication they are ready for harvesting. After harvesting the lavender in the morning, we start the distilling process that same afternoon. Starting the distilling process, the same day is important in order to extract the freshest nutrients and aroma of the lavender oils. During the distillation process, the steam causes the plant’s oil glands to erupt, releasing the essential oils that we will then use in our products. Depending on the variety of lavender, it takes about 100-120 pounds of harvested lavender plants to steam distill into 1 pound of essential oils.
Formulate the Right Harmony & Balance of Oils:
After extracting the oils, the journey is far from over. Amy, who has a certification in Aromatherapy, spends her efforts working and reworking the combination of lavender and essential oils from other plants to find the perfect marriage for our all-natural, clean products. It requires a perfect mix of nature and science to bring out just the right combination of therapeutic properties and aromas.
The End Product
After the process of finding the ideal mix between science and artisan craft, it is finally time to package the body butter, gel, or spray into our 100% recyclable glass bottles. The process might be long and tedious, but the final product and the smiling faces of our customers make it all worth it!
