Insight on Business

September 2015

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42 | I NSIGH T • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 15 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m W hen people think of Wisconsin, the image of a dairy farm oen comes to mind. But if you go to Washington Island, there is a farm that looks — and smells — a bit different. For the past four years, Fragrant Isle on Washington Island has been growing its own lavender for sale and use in the creation of other products. e scent of inspiration came from doing some early retirement flower gardening. "I planted lavender around my house here on Washington Island and fell in love with it," says Martine Anderson, vice president of retail and wholesale for Fragrant Isle. "I told my husband that we should plant lavender for a business, and at first he told me I was crazy." Anderson, originally from southern France, moved to the states when she was 28 to work for Saks 5th Avenue. Before coming to Washington Island, she and her husband Edgar, also an owner of Fragrant Isle, worked in the everyday hustle and bustle of Chicago. e couple moved to Washington Island to begin enjoying an early retirement, but a new plan soon blossomed. "We wanted to create a place on Washington Island that will attract more people and make them stay," Martine Anderson says. "What sets us apart in terms of a smaller business is we wanted to create jobs for the residents here and to strengthen tourism all year round." Currently, the lavender farm is 21 acres, seven of which are cultivated with 14,000 Budding Washington Island business shows life through a purple lens A fragrant farm in focus { s m a l l b u s i n e s s } B y A n d r e w S c h a i c k plants. e plan for the next few years is to increase the farm's size to 75,000 plants. e business, much like its cash crop, has taken to the soil quite well; revenues increased 80 percent this year. "It's a very viable business, but the key is to do accurate planning and to do everything right the first time," Anderson says. She and her husband conducted a year of research and planning before opening the farm. Anderson says soil for lavender must be porous so water can drain easily and not get the roots too wet. Another distinguishing aspect of the farm is that all the cultivation is currently done by hand. A difficulty they run into is trying to find manual labor, Anderson says, but as the business grows, they are prepared to mechanize some of the operations to keep up with the plants. "When we reach our goal of planting 75,000 plants, we will plan to mechanize the farm and buy machines to help maintain and harvest the lavender," Anderson says. e business relies heavily on the help of volunteers. Anderson says the support local residents and visitors show by rolling up their sleeves and volunteering to help weed, cultivate and harvest the lavender is an aspect they love the most about the island. Fragrant Isle lavender farm currently cultivates 14,000 plants on seven of its 21 acres. Owners Martine and Edgar Anderson plan to expand to 75,000 plants. P H O T O S B Y M A R G A R E T L E B R U N

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