Area residents flocked to the fragrant farm at W181 Ramsie Ln. No. 50 in Bark River this weekend for what owners Chad and Bethany Leiter call a U-Pick Lavender event. During two-hour sessions on Friday and Saturday, visitors were invited to cut their own lavender bundles.

Admission was free, and each bundle was sold for a flat fee, allowing guests to pick as much lavender as they could comfortably fit in one hand. Families were also encouraged to bring a picnic and a blanket to relax among the blooming fields.

This season marked the first year the farm offered a public U-Pick event, as the experience was previously available by appointment only. Bethany decided to advertise the event on social media this year and quickly saw overwhelming community interest.

She said, “I boosted it for a day and I shut (the ad) down after I saw about 230 people interested.”

The lavender plants at Purple Lavender Farms, located at W181 Ramsie Ln. No. 50 in Bark River, was in peak season for the farm's first public U-Pick event this past weekend. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

Purple Lavender Farm grows multiple varieties of lavender, including Munstead, a variety of English lavender, as well as Grosso and Hidcote. Each variety differs in fragrance and appearance.

The Leiters initially purchased lavender plugs from a company in North Carolina but now propagate many of their own plants, allowing the farm to become more self-sustaining unless they decide to introduce a new variety.

Bethany said the farm also grows Phenomenal Lavender, a hardy hybrid lavender planted near the property’s tree line that is known for its aromatic, long-lasting blooms and long stems.

According to Bethany, the lavender typically begins blooming around the beginning of July, making this time of year the peak season. Although the plants continue blooming throughout the summer, the earliest blooms are generally the most vibrant. Some areas of the farm have yet to reach their peak.

The couple will now begin harvesting the remaining blooms and place the majority of them in a 30-gallon still to distill oils, a process that takes approximately four to six hours. Those oils are then used in products sold throughout the year.

Purple Lavender Farms, based in Bark River, offers beauty products such as bath oils, tonics and mists, culinary products and home items, such as room sprays and diffuser blends. (Sophie Vogelmann)

The Leiters’ journey began in 2019 when they packed up their two children, three pets, 11 chickens and one fish to move to the Upper Peninsula from Cadillac, Michigan.

The family purchased an abandoned home on 40 acres that had sat vacant for nearly 12 years and transformed both the house and surrounding land into a place full of opportunity.

Both Chad and Bethany maintain full-time careers outside the lavender business. Chad has an extensive background in business, while Bethany has an established career in graphic design and marketing. Their professional experience is reflected throughout their lavender business, which they call a labor of love.

The couple creates all of Purple Lavender Farm’s products in their home studio, where their offerings include beauty bath oils, tonics, mists and more in their popular beauty collection; culinary products, including lavender cocktail picks; and home items, such as room sprays and diffuser blends.

Each product is thoughtfully curated, from its intentional packaging to its ingredients.

Those who attended Purple Lavender Farm's first public U-Pick event this past weekend in Bark River got the chance to cut their own lavender and pay a flat fee for however much lavender they could fit in one hand. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

“I pride myself on the fact that we use all natural ingredients – no synthetic preservatives,” Bethany said.

Because the products contain natural ingredients, they have a shorter shelf life than many commercially manufactured alternatives. Bethany believes customers appreciate that difference.

“I always tell people it’s not something you can keep on a shelf like you can from Walmart where it lasts three, five, ten years. You have to use it,” Bethany added. “But I think that nowadays people appreciate that because they don’t want all the chemicals and things on their faces, hands, body and even in their home.”

Looking ahead, the Leiters hope to expand the farm from its current 6,000 plants to as many as 22,000 by developing the remaining half of the property. One field would be dedicated primarily to lavender grown for oil production to support the business’ beauty collection.

The couple also hopes to offer educational classes and eventually open the property as a venue for celebrations and special events, though they plan to expand gradually. The farm has already secured a grant from the Central U.P. Small Business Support Hub, and Bethany also applied for a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to support future growth.

“We’re really starting slow, and we’re trying to see what the reaction from the community is and see if there’d even be an interest in (events),” Bethany said.

The Leiters are also expanding their reach through local partnerships, working with Lake Effect Distillery in Escanaba to produce a lavender gin and hoping to collaborate with Upper Hand Brewery on a specialty lavender beer this year.

Another U-Pick event may be held in the coming weeks, although it will likely be offered by appointment only to preserve some of the lavender reserved for dried bundles. Updates will be posted on the Purple Lavender Farm’s Facebook page.

Purple Lavender Farm products are available at farmers markets throughout the region, including those in Marquette and Iron Mountain. Customers can also purchase products through the farm’s Etsy shop and website.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.