Inviting Visitors Transitions a Culinary Farm to a Thriving Agritourism Business
Aug 24, 2024 10:03AM ● By Randee BrownAgritourism is an increasingly important aspect of the region’s agricultural business landscape. Increasing consumer demand, tourism popularity, and the need to diversify offerings to widen profit margins can all be addressed with variations of agritourism.
Good Ashe Lavender Farm Owner David Norman purchased the former Christmas tree farm from property owners who leased the land to commercial tree growers. Noticing a field full of people spraying pesticides and connecting that to their drinking water source, a conversation between Norman and the operator led to the depletion of trees as well as research for a potential cash crop that would not require such heavy pesticide application.
“We considered nut trees, hemp, and peach trees, but realized many of those options would require many years of growth before there would be a possible profit,” Norman said. “I remembered one of my trips as a professional photographer. If you know Provence and you know lavender, well, there you go.”
Being visually appealing, fast-growing, and deer resistant, it was decided that lavender would make a suitable choice to replace the tree farm. Needing few supplements for desirable growth — no soil additions, no amendments, and no fertilizer — lavender also offers a variety of uses for a variety of customers who make products including baked goods and hard ciders.
Lavender blooms only for a short period of time during the year. With about 2,000 plants blooming at once, and no other lavender farms in the area, individuals began to take notice of the dramatic display of purple.
When Norman relocated to the WNC area, his intention was not to purchase a farm; the opportunity to purchase a large property happened “quite by accident.” After he and his wife began the lavender farm, noticed public interest, and recognized they were producing more than they could handle harvesting alone, they realized opening an agritourism avenue could be beneficial.
“Our biggest users are now people who want to participate in U-pick days in late June through early July,” Norman said. “We open our farm to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. We were more of a specialty culinary farm more than anything else, but moving into our fifth season of U-pick, it’s blown me away. People have visited from areas like Charlotte and Raleigh just to come pick lavender.”
The agritourism portion of the business began somewhat spontaneously without much advertising or marketing. Gaining popularity quickly, Norman revamped an old tobacco barn into a pavilion. They’ve added a bathroom, a public kitchenette, and a space for drying lavender bundles, and have hosted small events on their property.
Using only social media to announce U-pick days, the farm attracts about 100 people daily during the season. Good Ashe is a certified naturally-grown farm, and their name and information does appear on that organization’s website. These listed farms are certified ‘naturally-grown’ by other farmers, and the majority of them are operating with similar models leveraging tourism in their business.
“Most everybody we know in our network is open to the public,” Norman said. “People we know have visited us and converted their farms into event spaces or as a place for people to come cut their own vegetables or flowers. They’re making a heck of a business out of that.”
Agritourism has become the most fun part of the business, according to Norman. Engaging with people from around the region and the state and having conversations about them, where they’re from, and how they plan to use their lavender helps diversify their work while adding a social aspect to their summer season. He said he would recommend agritourism to anyone in the industry.
“I’d encourage any farmer interested in inviting guests to their property to reach out to me,” Norman said. “I’d like to help them be successful too.”