It’s hard to believe that this month marks 10 years since we took ownership of Lavender Hill. Back in 2015, tourism was thriving, the economy was upbeat, and our kids were in intermediate and high school — so we decided to take on a “side project” that quickly became much more than that. Along the way, we’ve:
Achieved a Qualmark certification
Installed a commercial gin still and created award-level gins and limoncello
Built a gin tasting room and a farm shop, built a network of quality retailers and restaurants that support our gin
Added a new olive grove with 60+ trees, planted 500 manuka trees for tee tree oil, fenced paddocks, introduced sheep and alpacas and produced some of the best lavender oil in NZ
Rebranded, launched an e-commerce store, developed a range of new products, grown social media channels, and established popular summer farm tours
Renovated the main house and created extensive gardens
And shared many lavender and olive harvests with friends and volunteers who’ve become part of the Lavender Hill story and made hard work fun and a social highlight.Of course, it hasn’t been all sunshine, lavender blooms and G&Ts! Running a small tourism business through Covid, enduring the weather storms of 2022 and 2023, the current economic challenges, managing good and bad harvests— has been testing to say the least.However, the rewards are immense. We live in a stunning part of Auckland, we’ve shifted from consumers to producers, welcomed thousands of visitors, created a range of gorgeous products and shared what it means to live and work the land — like a live version of Country Calendar, but with a gin tasting at the end!We’ve also raised two amazing kids who’ve seen firsthand what hard work, resilience, and a bit of Kiwi ingenuity can achieve.To everyone who’s been a customer, visited, volunteered, bought a bottle, provided goods and services or supported us — thank you, we could not have done it without you. You’ve helped make Lavender Hill what it is today.A huge thanks from Trisha and Jason...Here’s to the next 10 years of hard work, good harvests, and great gin! See below for a 10% anniversary discount