Clairmont Kitchens is driven to create the highest quality lavender products in the world. Lavender is to tea, as grapes are to wine - there are hundreds of varieties and they all have unique characteristics. The differences in lavender play a large role in whether or not the lavender is fit for the culinary arts, or strictly for its fragrance purposes and used in soaps or lotions.
"The Tea Guy."
Aaron Foleen, Founder and CEO of Clairmont Kitchens in Athens has a small lavender field just 20 minutes from the Athens Farmers Market. "As a family we've been growing lavender for about 10 years," he said. "We had two fields we grew in Oregon, then we moved out here to Athens about three years ago, and now we're rebuilding our lavender field here in Texas."
It's been a little bit of a challenge in Texas, he says.
"We're using all the knowledge the family gained from growing in Oregon, and transplanted it here, so we're picking varieties of lavender that we know will grow here, and tending the soil," he explained. "It's going really well so far."
The weather in Oregon is really good for growing lavender because it rains a lot out there, says Foleen.
"You really have to be careful about the soil, though - it's a really big problem in Oregon because the lavender roots like to grow very deep and wide, so if you have clay, then those roots are going to drown because of all the water there," he explained.
“The humidity of East Texas can be a problem for some lavender varieties; however, there are so many botanists out there specifically making varieties for all over the county," he said. "There are varieties to grow now that thrive here in East Texas."
"Most of the products that you see which are made from lavender are beauty products or products known for their good scent," he said. "You have soaps and lotions, perfumes and sachets, and things like that. The essential oils are great for aromatherapy. But what I'm doing is using English lavender to make food products, because the English lavenders don't have any camphor scents like French lavenders do, which makes for a sweet, floral quality to taste."
— Athens Magazine