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| About Us... | |||
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Working together on a cottage industry farm on the ocean, home schooling our 2 young children, and living in close community with our Church friends, extended family and neighbors is "really living" for us as a couple here in River John, Nova Scotia. We (David & Anita) met at Capernwray Bible School on Thetis Island, B.C, before getting married in Williams Lake, B.C. After having 2 wonderful children we began feeling consumed by the fast paced "business-life" out west, and decided to return to David's Nova Scotia roots and buy a portion of his parents' farm overlooking the Northumberland Strait. |
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As the land we purchased was part of David's childhood home, he has enjoyed seeing his own children grow up in this same peaceful, gorgeous, rural area. After building our home we began investigating cottage industry ideas for our farmland that would also incorporate our interests and skills in art, graphic & web design, writing, landscaping, and people. David worked full-time with his surveying and computer graphics skills for the first few years to support our lavender business habit. Our | ||
| vision
was to use and develop our skills, in a home-based business that
would sustain our family and help our rural economy. Eventually, we
envision it to enable us to take seasonal time-off whereby we could
go on missionary adventures as a family; serving, helping and
blessing others in various parts of the world, on a voluntary basis.
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Lavender became our choice of crops, and we began our business
slowly…by organic seed, in fact…so that we could experiment over
time with the best ways to make lavender thrive, on mass, in our
zone & climate. Beach Lane Lavender Farm was born at that point and
each year our vision is coming more clearly into view. Honestly,
it's nothing short of a miracle of God for us! We are slowly seeing
our product lines develop; our fields increase in size and our
marketing strategies actually producing fruit! It's such a
blessing working together as a couple and as a family. Each of our
skills is a vital complement of the overall vision & purpose. Our
children constantly see their value and are able to develop
unlimited skills as they discover creative, fun ways to participate
in the family business. |
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Becoming members of the Halifax Farmer's Market and attending
specialty craft shows across the Maritimes, has been a huge part of
our growth. This weekly, year-round connection with local people who
regularly purchase and utilize our products has enabled us to refine
those products, formulate new requested products and most of all -
build a huge client base of charming people, uniquely interested in
lavender. We often attend the markets as a family with our children.
We all thoroughly enjoy meeting so many people on a regular basis
and being able to interact with them about lavender and life in
general. |
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| Gaining our certified organic status with N.S.O.G.A (Nova Scotia Organic Growers Association) has also been a stepping stone well worth the work, time and resource investment. Again, we have been able to create relationships with a variety of folks seeking to be more accountable with their growing, processing and farming practices. It has also stretched our ability to learn a multitude of new "stuff" in an arena we were not very familiar with at all. | |||
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Our Lavender Festivals have been the latest epic adventure of our lavender farm vision. Opening our farm so people may come to us, rather than traveling to meet them at markets, has proven to require an extreme amount of coordination, stretching our managing skills to the max! But, it is the exact thing we want to be able to provide for people! It has proven to be the most rewarding experience of all. This year we will be expanding the event to 3 days and then opening a small outlet for a few days a week throughout the entire bloom season of July - August. This will be another "adventure" for our family as we work together at being apt farmers AND hosts! Those who know the ONE to talk to, please pray for us! | ||
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