Our History
2016
July: Two of our kindhearted volunteers harvesting by hand for our bouquets of the Lavender.
Our Lavender that is harvested for oil extraction is done using a tea cutter from China. It is then processed on premises in our still generally within minutes of harvesting.
March: New Schoolhouse on Jacobs Field
A new schoolhouse was constructed on Jacobs Field this Spring for the use of the children from Dr. South’s School. Classes can be held in the one-room schoolhouse or the outside seating area as weather permits.
2015
February: Dedication of Lin Cooper Practical Skills Building at Dr. South’s Primary School
The new building is now up and running for the children of Dr South’s School, Islip: the Lin Cooper Practical Skills Building in memory of our late friend who helped set up this wonderful venture is already serving the community. It is a fantastic building and the children are benefiting from it enormously. Further profits from Jacobs Field Lavender will be going to Project Hope in South Africa, Home-Start Oxford and Vale House, Sandford-on-Thames, Oxford.
There are now thirty 50m rows of lavender (seven different varieties) growing in the field. Two varieties are used for producing toiletries and dried flowers, one for selling as fresh bunches in the summer and five rows are for a mix of all. The new rows take a few years to start producing significant quantities of lavender flowers and oil, but we aim to roll out the process each year to expand the lavender growing.
It was a very hard decision not to have an open weekend in 2015, but we felt our trusty team of volunteers needed a break and with more lavender coming on stream to be harvested, the days grew ever longer. We hope to run open weekends for the public to see what we do and how we do it in alternate years. So watch out for 2016.
2014
On the shelves at Wimbledon!
The Jacobs Field range made it to The All England Championships at Wimbledon in 2014 – what a coup for this little not-for-profit venture! We were thrilled that the Wimbledon merchandising company loved the range as much as all our local customers – please keep supporting us, it helps so many good causes.
New Products Added
However this year’s crop was FANTASTIC and Naturally Thinking, who produce all our lavender products, are very impressed with the quality of the Jacobs Field lavender oil. They are currently making up our new order of the standard range plus a few new items, such as Body Butter and phials of JFL Essential Oil. These should come on stream in October, just in time for Christmas – get planning!
And the bunched lavender is currently drying in our cool dark barn ready for weddings, craft fairs and any amount of uses for dried lavender which we sell loose.
March: New Schoolhouse on Jacobs Field
A new schoolhouse was constructed on Jacobs Field this Spring for the use of the children from Dr. South’s School. Classes can be held in the one-room schoolhouse or the outside seating area as weather permits.
2013
Open Weekend
In July 2013, the team at Jacob Field Lavender staged a first ‘Open Weekend’, albeit fairly low key, at which the public could experience first hand all the processes involved in lavender farming, from harvesting to drying and distilling. It was a great success with sales of the JF range proving very popular and great interest being shown by everyone who watched the demonstrations. We hope to continue this in 2016.
2012
New Barn
In 2012, the new Jacobs Field Barn was built so that all lavender processing can take place on site. A still was commissioned, installed and all the oil from the crop of lavender was distilled and extracted within 10 metres of where it grew. 2015 has been a bumper year for the lavender which has grown really well, produced wonderful oil and the honey and bumble bees have flocked to it. The glorious summer weather made life so much easier for the wonderful team of volunteer workers. Let’s hope 2016 is as good!
March: New Schoolhouse on Jacobs Field
A new schoolhouse was constructed on Jacobs Field this Spring for the use of the children from Dr. South’s School. Classes can be held in the one-room schoolhouse or the outside seating area as weather permits.