B&B Family Farm

One day about 11 years ago, Bruce McCloskey was looking for a farm that he could work, along with his wife Bonnie, daughter Kristy, and son-in-law Zion  He and Bonnie had just finished up their time living on a boat and exploring the Alaska coastline, and had fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest in the process.  So after deciding that farming was their next adventure, and with Kristy and Zion moving up from San Diego to join them, Bruce set off on his search. There was this one farm with a great barn that he admired, Angel Lavender Farm, but it wasn’t for sale, so he kept searching, found a vegetable farm he thought could work, and put in his offer.  But one day driving down Old Olympic Highway, and while he was under contract on that vegetable farm, he saw a for sale sign at that lavender farm with the great barn.  He  stopped, slowly backed up, and knew in that instant that he wouldn’t be farming vegetables but would instead be farming lavender.

The farm had some history.  About 23 years ago, folks in the Sequim area noticed that they had the same latitude as Provence, France, and they also noticed that while Seattle got 50 inches of rain per year, they only got about 15.  This, they realized, just might be the perfect weather for growing lavender. So a few farms in the area decided to give it a try and throw a few plants in the ground. The rest is history. Angel Lavender Farm, now B&B Lavender Farm was one of those early lavender farms.  By the time Bruce arrived the farm had about 3000 plants. Once Bruce and his family arrived on the scene, they added another 11,000 plants for a total of 14,000 plants and 17 varieties in their fields. But those original plants are still thriving on the farm, 25+ years later.

Recently, Bruce and Bonnie have passed the torch, with Kristy and Zion taking over operation of the farm that they have all loved and grown together.  Here’s a little more about this wonderful family and their lavender adventure.

What did they do before they were lavender farmers? 

Before their Alaska adventure, Bonnie was a kindergarten teacher for 12 years and Bruce worked for the Fish and Game Department for 35 years.  They met at Colorado State University where they were both pursuing degrees in Wildlife Management. Kristy taught high school art and Zion was an account executive. 

What are their best lavender growing tips?  

1. Trim/prune 3 inches above the brown.  Trimming will keep your plants healthy and prevent them from getting too woody.  
2. If you are distilling to make oil, use copper because there will be no sulfur in your oil.  If you distill in stainless steel there will be sulfur which you will have to age out. 
3. If you get stung by a bee, crush some lavender buds in your hand and jam it in where the bee sting is.  It will draw out the poison and you’ll never know it was there.  

Who helps them with their lavender farming? 

Although daughter Kristy and son-in-law Zion have taken over operations, I have a feeling that Bruce and Bonnie will still be part of the process, with grandchildren Harper and Sawyer in the wings.  Kristy, an interior designer, has taken her design and art skills and applied them to product design and creation. Zion is a master gardener and the resident distiller, and has won several awards for his oil. In addition, the previous owners of the farm come up and visit during harvest time to help out, along with hired seasonal workers.

Anything else to share?  

Make something you love or want to use yourself because you will create something wonderful.