VLOG: You’ll never believe what you can do at the Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm in Lompoc California!

We are crazy about lavender and we know some many of you are too! So, today, we’re going to take you on a tour of Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm in Lompoc California where we’ll show you how it’s grown, harvested, distilled and turned into a variety of amazing products. We’ll also give you a little insight into all the big things this boutique, family-owned farm can do with lavender! So, let’s get going.

After arriving, our first activity was to join Lucas for a class on lavender essential oil distillation. Lucas Neuman is the Vice President and co-owner of the lavender farm. He was so helpful and walked us through every part of the distillation process.

The first step to pick the lavender from the field where over 3,000 plants are grown. Here’s a little secret, we didn’t actually do that part because Lucas had already done it for us!

So, the next step was to separate the lavender buds from the stalks. This was the most time-consuming part of the process for us, but the lovely scent of lavender and Lucas’ explanation of the process kept us totally entertained. Lucas educated us on each step of the distillation process, answering our questions and even told a couple of stories about how he got started growing cannabis and then moved onto lavender. The lavender left a sticky, lavender fragrance on our hands. It was lovely!

After the buds were separated, Lucas headed over and grabbed the still pot. The buds are dropped into the still pot (show shot of him putting buds in the pot) and then he pressed them down as tight as he could. We even helped…a little. The compression ensures that the buds produce the richest oil possible during the distillation process. Lucas pressed and pressed and pressed until it was finally time to head over to the still. Once the pot was secured to the still and the lid went on, it was time to wait.

While we were waited, we explored the farm and learn a little bit more about how it began. Lucas and his mom Denise started the farm during the pandemic in 2020. They officially opened the Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm on July 4, 2022 . They grow over 3,000 lavender plants, as well as seasonal specialty cut flowers and produce and create many lavender products onsite. They attribute the success of the farm to Denise’s training as a master gardener and Lompoc’s Mediterranean climate and sandy soil that create the ideal conditions to grow a variety of crops including grapes for wine, flowers, and lavender!

After a picturesque lunch overlooking the fields, and a little visit with some farm friends, we headed to the farm store that sells everything from lavender bunches to essential oils and salt infused with lavender oil made on the farm.

In addition to classes on lavender distillation, we also discovered that the farm offers a class in wreath making, which we couldn’t pass up! And here are our wreaths.
We had an absolutely wonderful time on the farm and walked away feeling like we could go home and whip up a batch of lavender essential oil or create a wreath all by ourselves…well, almost! We really encourage you to check out this lovely farm in Lompoc California on your next visit!