Jardin du Soleil,
one
of 7 farms on the renowned
Heritage Lavender Farm
Tour, is under new ownership this year by a
couple who just may hold the record as Sequim’s youngest lavender farmers ever! An adventure of a lifetime led them to Sequim –
and they are working hard and loving a new life that they never before imagined!
.jpg) |
| Summer Bloom |
What would possibly motivate a thirty-something pre-school teacher and her insurance agent husband to pack-up their two small kids (ages 5 and 2) and the dog and chuck their comfortable urban life in Santa Barbara, Calif. -- to become lavender farmers? Particularly when neither had any kind of farming experience whatsoever – in fact, they never even had a yard!
According to Jordan and Paul Schiefen, it all began with a search for a more simple, stable life that involved selling the family business, buying a small trailer and setting off on a cross country journey with destination unknown. Their only requirements – wherever they landed must have ocean, mountains, and be within 3 hours of a major city.
After
traveling from California to Maine and back to the west coast -- still
searching – the Schiefen’s happened to roll into Sequim during an
uncharacteristically rainy 2011 Lavender Weekend celebration. They visited all
of the destination farms on the Lavender Farm Tour, and noted that the
last one, Jardin du Soleil, was up for sale.
After touring
the farm and speaking with owners Pam and Randy Nicholson, the stars aligned!
This was what the Schiefen’s had been looking for! They made an offer the
Monday after Lavender Weekend, and because harvest was imminent, got a 15-day
Escrow!.jpg) |
| Jardin du Soleil |
A flight back
to California to tie-up loose ends, then back to Sequim to undergo 3 intensive
days of training with the former owners, and the Schiefen’s were on their own
with a lot of lavender to harvest and lavender oil to distill!
“I had no
idea one year ago how much work running the farm would be – growing, distilling
oil, and running the on-site gift shop,” says Jordan Schiefen. “We’ve taken it
step-by-step and the Lavender Farmers Association has been a big help along the
way. We’ve loved every second of it! This is the life that we were looking for.”
“As we
approach our initial year on the Heritage Farm Tour, Schiefen continues, “we
welcome visitors to what is not just a business, but our family home – complete
with playhouses, sandboxes and chickens! Our 5-year-old son will most likely be
mingling with visitors selling the basket full of lavender bundles that he
clipped. Oh – and there is no longer a ‘please hold your child’s hand’ sign on
the gift shop door!
The Schiefen Family and Jardin du
Soleil will be featured on King 5’s Evening
Magazine on Wednesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. Be sure to tune in!
About
Sequim Lavender WeekendSequim Lavender Weekend is comprised of two separate events – the Lavender Farm Faire, which features the renowned Heritage Tour of 7 destination lavender farms, each a festival unto itself, plus “Lavender in the Park” at Carrie Blake Park/Reuse Demonstration Park, a free family-friendly central source for all things lavender – food, music, cooking demonstrations, crafts, family programs and more.
The second event, Lavender Festival, features a self-guided “U-Tour" of more of Sequim’s many lavender farms, plus
the annual Street Fair on Fir Street in downtown Sequim.
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