Behold, the purple capital
Pictou County lavender farm offers aromatic destination
There’s a sea of purple lavender on a farm on Highway 6 along Nova Scotia’s Northumberland Shore. Across the road is the Northumberland Strait; you can see the shores of P.E.I in the distance on a clear day.
Lavender is not native to Nova Scotia, but Dave and Suzy Belt started growing it here in Pictou County in 2009 from an acreage overgrown with weeds. And the Seafoam Lavender Farm has been growing ever since.
Suzy Belt had long loved lavender skincare products and they recognized a demand in the market.
“I saw there was potential there,” said Dave Belt. “No one else was doing it, not on a commercial scale.”
The Belts came to Nova Scotia in 2004. They both had successful careers in the U.S. Air Force, where they met. They previously ran an alpaca farm in Colorado, making and selling products from the animal’s hair. The farm belonged to Suzy’s grandmother, who gave them the property. They also wanted to live in Nova Scotia because Suzy says they are addicted to beautiful places.
After trying several varieties of lavender, they discovered English lavender grows best in Nova Scotia’s climate. The acreage also has a slope, which Dave Belt says helps with drainage and lavender needs drainage to flourish.
Now, they have 3,000 plants that produce about four to five million buds and blossoms, all of which are hand harvested. And because they don’t use machine harvesting, they get at least two crops, but usually three, each season.
This year’s blossoms were slow to appear, after a cold and wet spring. The blossoms last about three weeks, usually starting in mid-July.
The Belts make the most of the colour in their branding. Much of the outdoor furniture, signage, and a short bridge next to a koi pond, is painted in purple. The Belts and staff members wear lavender shirts.
Dave Belt does the marketing while Suzy Belt makes all the products. In the early days of the farm, Dave was giving guests personal tours, explaining the history and uses of lavender. While researching they learned the Egyptians used lavender for cooking and for the mummification process. Ancient Greeks used it in food and Romans used lavender plant parts in public baths.
They now have 20 employees and Suzy Belt produces 67 products with lavender, selling them at their shop at the farm, at the Seaport Market in Halifax, and at 42 retail locations across Canada and the U.S. But the farm is the biggest attraction.
“We earn half of our annual income right here,” said Dave Belt. “We have 25,000 visitors in four months. It’s wonderful, we’re very blessed and grateful so many seek us out.”
And the lavender seems to have caught on across the Northumberland Shore. There are highlights of it everywhere; on the trim on houses and picnic tables in River John. Guests at the Seafoam Bed and Breakfast and the Seafoam Campground visit during the lavender festival. And Dave Belt says they promote other attractions and businesses, including the Balmoral Grist Mill Museum and author Sheree Fitch’s Mabel Murple’s Book Shoppe and Dreamery in River John, whose shop is painted in several bright colours, including purple.
In September, the lavender farm takes part in Open Farm Day, a provincewide event during which people have a chance to explore farms and meet the farmers.
The Belts have big plans for the lavender farm, including a new greenhouse where they can grow the tender varieties of lavender and extend their shoulder season. But they say the farm is not just about lavender; it’s about the experience.
“Our vision is for this to be an oasis,” said Dave Belt. “We want people to come here, park their cars, sit in the chairs and breathe the air. Take a respite from the life. I think that’s part of the formula of why people come here.”