Going Beyond Farm to Table

Anne-Marie Hardie

Herbs for Dr. Cindy Jones opens up a world of possibilities. Fascinated by the science as much as the flower, Cindy has brought together her passion for biochemistry and gardening to develop a thriving company, Colorado Aromatics.

When asked about what brought her to horticulture, she quickly brushes it off, stating that gardening is something she’s always done. However, she’s done much more than grow a backyard garden—Cindy has transformed her passion into a business.

With a degree in biochemistry, Cindy looked at plants not just for their beauty but their benefits. She noticed the damage that the outdoor environment, primarily wind and sun, caused to skin. Her knowledge of biochemistry enabled her to identify the properties that her skin was missing. Instead of sitting passively, she looked at how the plant world could help. And so she began to create a line of botanical skin care products developed to help repair the damage created by the outdoors.

“I started out by making a few products for family and friends, and quickly realized that I was very good at this,” said Cindy.

Originally using the herbs in her backyard garden, she quickly realized that creating skin care products could be much more than a hobby. So Cindy and her husband George Wahl made the decision to buy some land to grow a variety of botanical herbs for her business. The farm, which is close to the town of Long Peak, is at 5,000 ft. elevation—a challenging elevation for some plant life to thrive. The benefit of growing plants at this higher elevation, shares Cindy, is that the plants tend to produce more active components in order to survive. These active components are exactly what she needed in order to create her line of skin care products.

The couple began by growing calendula, lavender and other aromatic herbs, including lemon balm and sage. And the farm was aptly named Colorado Aromatics after the aromatic herbs that were growing in rows on the land.

That was nine years ago. Today, Colorado Aromatics has expanded to a full skin care line, including soaps, scrubs and creams.

“There are complex antioxidants in the herbs, which is why they’re ideal for skin care products,” says Cindy. “The antioxidants help to repair the skin and the skin care products are ideal for individuals who like being outdoors.”

All botanicals used in the products are grown at the certified naturally grown farm. A farm that’s certified naturally grown is similar to organic certification in that the farm doesn’t use any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or GMOs.

“It is a grass roots alternative to organic,” said Cindy. “We use goat, chicken and horse manure to add back the nutrients into the soil.”

When asked about the first year as a farmer, Cindy laughs, saying it was much easier than it is today because they didn’t have as much to grow. Today, the farm is much more labor intensive, as both the volume and types of crops have increased. Currently, the farm is managed by Cindy, George and one part-time employee.

During the growing season, Cindy spends half of her day at the farm and the remainder in the off-site laboratory making skin care products. Colorado Aromatics harvests the herbs and extracts their properties in a number of ways, including distillations, infusions and tinctures.

In addition to a skin care line, Colorado Aromatics makes a line of hydrosol—or floral water—primarily using mint, lavender, lemon balm and cucumber for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

“Each herb also provides a different aromatherapy,” shares Cindy. “Lavender helps to relax, for example, while mint is uplifting.” The distillants are Cindy’s favorite products, which she uses to spritz her hair, face and body.

A founding member of the United States Lavender Association, Cindy is a strong advocate for growing and harvesting aromatics. The primary purpose of the association is to help promote the lavender plant, both among farmers and the public.

“One thing that we try to do is educate people that farms are important for more than just food,” says Cindy. There’s still a disconnect on the significance of aromatic herbs and the farms that grow them. Her hope is that the farm-to-table movement will expand to help increase awareness of the functionality of farms, and in particular, the value of aromatics and herbs.

“Calendula is one the best herbs for skin,” says Cindy. “It can promote skin growth, skin care and be a balm for cuts and nicks.”

When asked what she would recommend to a farmer looking to get into growing aromatics, her first advice is to determine the purpose for the farm. By knowing the purpose, the farmer can better gauge the type of land they need and the specific herbs that will be grown—whether it’s for creating skin care products, like at Colorado Aromatics, to creating an event space that could be used for weddings or family destinations.

On a more personal note, Cindy is hoping to find a bit more balance in her life. The summertime is extremely busy, including harvesting the herbs, distilling them and making products while drying herbs so that she has a reserve to create the winter products.

Currently, the skin care products are sold online, at her local farmers markets and to some wholesale accounts. Although she was intimidated at first, Cindy shares that she really enjoys the face-to-face interaction she gets at the farmers market. It’s through customer feedback that she truly learns what her customers love and what they would like to see in the future. However, it’s Cindy’s curiosity and passion that continues to find new ways aromatic herbs can be transformed into products consumers love. GT

Anne-Marie Hardie is a freelance writer/speaker from Barrie, Ontario, and part of the third generation of the family-owned garden center/wholesale business Bradford Greenhouses in Barrie/Bradford, Ontario.