Lavender Marketing

Introduction to Commercial
Lavender Production
Product Development & Marketing
By Dr. Curtis Beus, WSU Extension, Clallam County

Marketing & Products
• Must develop your
own markets
• There is no established
U.S. market for
lavender or lavender
oil
• Value-added products
often key to marketing
• Culinary uses are
increasing rapidly
• There are almost
endless value-added
products that can be
made from lavender
and lavender oil

Marketing Methods for Lavender
• On-farm stores
• U-Pick on the farm
• Farmers’ Markets
• Festivals (both on farm and off)
• In gift, department and other stores
• Wholesale to florists, crafters, internet businesses, etc.
• Develop your own store in town or at another location
• Street carts
• Internet sales
• To aromatherapists, naturopathic doctors, etc.
• Catalog sales
• To restaurants
• Bulk, commodity sales of oil, buds, etc.
• What else can you think of??

Pelindaba Personal Care Products
Body
Butter
And this is
just 6 of 15
products!
Lip
Balm
Bath
Salts
Body Oil
Silky Milk Bath
Shampoo

Pelindaba Therapy Products
Neck Pillows
Eye PIllows
Massage Oil
Foot Soak
Essential Oil

Pelindaba Products for the Kitchen
Culinary Lavender
Salt Pepper
Cocoa Mix
Honey
Sugar
Herbes de Prevence

Pelindaba Products for the Home
Carpet Freshener
Dryer Bags
Sachets
Hydrosol Cleaner
& Disinfectant
Fireplace
Sticks

Pelindaba Floral Décor Products

Pelindaba Products for Pets & Outdoors
Algae Inhibitor
Pet
Shampoo
Pet Pillows
Dashboard
Fresheners

Pelindaba Candles
Aroma Therapy Candles
Decorative Candles

Pelindaba Flowers
Fresh & Dried Bundles
Loose Lavender Buds

Lavender
Aromatherapy
Products

Lavender Bath &
Body Products

Lavender Skin Care Products

Dried Lavender Products

Lavender for
the Home

Lavender for
the Kitchen

Lavender Gift Sets

Agritourism: Cultivating
Tourists on the Farm
Is this for you?

Strictly speaking, “Direct Marketing” deals
with the sales of farm products, while
“Agritourism” deals with providing, and
often selling, farm experiences
How Accurate or Useful is this
Dichotomy?
What’s Wrong with this
Characterization?
Most Farms Involved in Agritourism Provide a
Variety of Items for Sale, together with Memorable
Experiences in a Way that Makes the Entire Visit to
the Farm the Ultimate Product that People Want

Important Factors to Consider
•This type of business has many special demands
Operators must have good social skills and enjoy contact with non-farm
people -- patience!
Farm location should be easy to find, and ideally near a major metro
area or major tourism destination
Farm MUST be neat, clean, safe, and aesthetically pleasing
Adequate liability insurance is essential
Sufficient family and/or skilled hired labor must be available during peak
tourist season
If you have animals, good animal welfare practices are critical
Cooperate rather than compete with other tourism attractions in the
area
Be creative; reach out to media; generate interest in your farm

Dealing with Regulations & Liability
Agritourism businesses typically involve many new regulations and risks for farmers
Liability insurance – check with carrier for existing farm policy;
may need to find a new insurance company for some exposures
Selling and serving food – WSDA, County health departments
Petting zoos – USDA APHIS
Retail sales other than food that is not for immediate
consumption
Construction, permits, etc.
Zoning
Traffic and parking
Signs & signage laws
Labor issues
Others??

How Can I Develop My Farm to its Potential?

What Type of Operation
Makes the Most Sense for Me?
YOUR INTERESTS,
TALENTS, and
PERSONALITY

•VISION
•FOCUS
•PLAN
•What do you want to be?
•Who are you trying to reach?
•How can you best get there?
Develop a Business Plan; Be Specific; Clearly Envision What You Want
Your Farm to Look Like in 5, 10, 20 years -- This will Help You to Think
Things Through Clearly, Even if You Don’t Stick to it that Closely

Marketing Your Lavender Business
Don’t Waste Money; Be Innovative and Assertive; Have Fun!
Word of Mouth!
Free publicity – cultivate local media
Collaborative marketing
Local VCBs and Chambers of Commerce
Freebies to VIPS, other businesses, etc.
Educate your community about your business!
School tours
“Rack cards” in key locations
Mailing lists
Farm maps/tourism maps
Web sites
Signage
Paid advertising in magazines, newspaper, radio, etc.

Setting Your Farm and Operation Apart
Be genuine and authentic – present a genuine, “real” experience that visitors cannot get
anyplace other than your farm.
Exceed peoples’ expectations – this is the best way to make sure they come back, and that
they tell others about their amazing experience at your farm. Pay attention to details, provide
little surprises, provide exceptional customer service, and don’t forget about basic human
needs such as water, toilet facilities, neatness & cleanliness, places to sit & relax, etc.
Provide true value – this does not mean that you should cut your prices and otherwise
economize so as to make sure people get a “bargain.” It means that you should look at all
aspects of your operation to provide many unique, high quality experiences that people are
willing to pay a fair price for, and then make sure to always be on the lookout for ways you can
optimize and improve their experiences on your farm so they go away feeling that their money
was truly well spent.
Develop your own signature event and/or focus for your farm. In other words, become
“famous” for something. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t provide many attractions,
activities, and services—you need these—but in your marketing, branding, and promotions,
tell a convincing story about what makes your farm unique, different, and some place people
“have just got to visit!”
Make the farm beautiful and aesthetically pleasing – don’t go “overboard” and spend too
much money, but make it beautiful, clean, shady where necessary, sunny where necessary, use
flowers, plants, farm memorabilia, paint, and a lot of creativity to make your farm a pleasure
to the senses for visitors.

The Connection Bwtween
Agritourism and Lavender Farms?
• There is almost no industrial lavender farming
industry in U.S.
• Therefore retail, value-added sales and
tourism are critical for most lavender farms
• What types of tourists are likely to visit
lavender farms?
• What do they want/expect to see and do
when visiting lavender farms?

Beauty/Peace/Tranquility

Beauty/Peace/Tranquility

Beauty/Peace/Tranquility

Taking Photos

Getting Photos Taken

U-Pick

Food

Talks & Demonstrations

Craft Making

Gift Shopping

Music

Weddings

Meeting the Farmers and
Seeing What they Do

Celebrate Lavender Sequim Lavender Festival
3rd Weekend in July

Good Luck! And May You Produce
Healthy, Beautiful, Bountiful Lavender!