Penn Cove Ranch

Penn Cove Ranch on Whidbey Island, Washington cultivates some of the finest organic lavender. Our family cares for over 40,000 plants representing many different varieties of this colorful, fragrant and useful herb. Lavender is planted by hand and harvested with care to provide you with the most natural products available.

	From the beginning, Bill and Susan envisioned a family effort in the growth of the lavender farm.

When Bill and Susan Cornelius purchased the property in 2000, it had seen better days as a working ranch. To most, the old house, ageing barns and 18 acres of neglected soil seemed desperate. But, for Bill and Susan, the spot was ideal. They had a passion for restoration and a love of flowers. Penn Cove Ranch offered commanding views of Penn Cove and the Cascade Mountain Range and this was enough for Bill and Susan. With a vision of an active, sustainable farm and a central gathering place for family and friends, they quickly got to work.

The transformation into a robust, beautiful lavender farm began with just 400 plants. Bill and Susan chose lavender because of the inherent therapeutic properties, landscape appeal, and potential agriculture benefits. The first growing season was a success and this generated much excitement for expansion and growth.

To maintain proper soil characteristics and to ensure an organic eco-system, Bill and Susan engaged an agronomist and nationally renowned soil scientist. Subsequently, they added a sub-surface irrigation system to minimize water usage and to jump-start the plants’ growth. To increase the alkalinity, they enriched the soil with crushed seashells. Annually, they spray organic compost tea to strengthen the plants and to improve resistance to disease.

At the same time, Bill and Susan made significant improvements to the buildings on the farm. They sought out the finest and most efficient machinery in the world to support the harvest and lavender distillation process. Within a few years, the ranch had become a working farm of 40,000 lavender plants. Today, Penn Cove Ranch is one of the largest lavender farms in North America.

Penn Cove and the Cascade Mountain Range provide a spectular backdrop for the harvest.

From the beginning, Bill and Susan envisioned a family effort in the growth of the lavender farm. While they manage the day to day affairs of Penn Cove Ranch, several members of the Cornelius family play prominent roles in its success: product creation, scientific analysis, marketing, business planning and development.

While the family works the farm year-round, it is during the Harvest, beginning in May and concluding in August, that Penn Cove Ranch teems with people. The farm is a community where neighborhood teenagers earn money for college and local farm laborers make a living wage and provide additional support to families of their own. Some are dedicated to cutting and transporting the flowers to the barns. Others’ roles are to hang flowers to be dried, or trim cuttings for oil processing. The farm also engages local artisans to design beautiful floral arrangements.

As the Ranch continues to produce oils, buds, bundles, and assorted lavender products, it enjoys the benefits derived from both scale and thoughtful development. Bill and Susan are dedicated to maintaining their core values of environmentally safe, family-centric, innovative, labor friendly and creative production in both the agricultural and business processes.