New lavender farm launches in Mansfield-et-Pontefract

New lavender farm launches in Mansfield-et-Pontefract

If you’re taking a trip up chemin du Bois Franc in Mansfield-et-Pontefract this summer, you may notice a growing crop of purple bushes dotting the landscape, part of a new lavender farm set to ramp up production this summer.

Vicki Benoit and her husband Ben Graveline, the owners of the new business Les Belles Lavandes, planted a “pilot project” of 82 plants last year, but are preparing to put in another 1,800 this summer. A recently retired health care worker, Benoit said that she wanted a farming-related challenge that could involve her husband (as well as her grandchildren in the future).

Beyond its pleasant fragrance and visual appeal, lavender has a variety of uses, from cosmetics and soaps to food items. Benoit explained that the plants take around three years to reach maturity, so their farm will take some time to scale up its production.

Right now, Benoit said she’s manufacturing some soaps, sachets, bath salts and other items, to be sold in local markets, with the goal of adding candles and lotions. She hoped that once their plants have matured, visitors might be able to stop by and take pictures when they’re blooming.

Benoit said that she will be a vendor at Village-en-Fete in Fort-Coulonge on June 14. More information can be found on Les Belles Lavandes’ social media.