The Herb Farm, in Ashhurst, is celebrating 30 years of anything herb and remedies for skin trouble, headaches, wounds and a myriad of other issues, with a party and a book telling the story and offering helpful hints.
A visit to the Herb Farm is an experience with good food, a wander through the garden and perusing the products in the shop. For children there is a playground as well as an adventure with gnomes and elves in the nearby forest.
There is lots to see in the garden/forest behind the Herb Farm.
A throne for whoever wants to take it.
Lynn said she tried to be a herbalist 30 or so years ago and growing unease of the need for her 6-year-old son to be prescribed antibiotics whenever he had a cough, made sure she embarked on a journey trying to find a way to boost his immunity naturally, focusing on herbs.
She took on a correspondence course working towards a diploma, which required her to record a case history of anyone who used her remedies. " Everyone I treated wanted more, for next time.”
A trained teacher, she gave up her career to raise a family and daughter Sarah Cowan, and her family now owns the business, while Lynn still contributes through product development.
Lynn Kirkland and Sarah Cowan make affordable and safe skincare products at the Herb farm in Ashhurst.
“When it was time for me to return to work I decided it would have to do with herbs. I wanted to create a place where people can not only buy herbs and products made from herbs, but also learn about herbs and what they can do.”
Sarah reckons she and her brother were mum’s guinea pigs. “I grew up with herbs and developed a line of products for use on animals.”
Now the herb farm employs 30 people, from sales staff, to cafe staff and those in manufacturing. Around 200 retail outlets in the country carry the Herb Farm range and they also export to Hong Kong and Australia.
In The Herb farm, A Family Journey, Lynn talks about how she started, from visiting other herb growers to battles with bureaucrats.
A winner of the Manawatū business awards, a big shock came when Palmerston North, when picking new sites for a rubbish dump, chose her neighbourhood for no less than three of the four proposed sites. Community protest averted this environmental disaster, during which 14-year-old Sarah gave councillors an impassioned speech against the whole idea.
Lynn's herb adventure books for children, explaining what each herb can be used for.
In 2006 a new law threatening to severely restrict the use of therapeutic products also came to nothing but caused great anxiety. Again the herb farm did not sit back, but jumped in writing letters, filing submissions and inviting politicians to come and have a look. And of course, then there was Covid-19.
Over the years Lynn’s orignal vision for a herb-based business has expanded. “We grow most of the herbs we use ourselves, and we also use extracts. You need to keep innovating.” And that is where Sarah comes in as she has studied business after a career as a model.
During the Covid pandemic ownership of the business was handed to her and her husband. She has experienced the business first-hand and also worked in the cafe and managed the business. Now she’s making big plans for the future.
“We will be updating our brand look later this year and start a line of facial serums with proprietary blends of herbs we grow,” she said.
The Herb Farm brand has been growing steadily for 30 years. The Herb Farm started life as a paddock, then became paddocks, which have been turned into gardens, herbs gardens for the business and a forest over the years.
“Herbs have been used for generations, but more and more people are conscious about the products they buy. They want them to be healthy and locally made,” said Lynn.
“For me it is really special that we now have multiple generations here. My granddaughter is already knowledgeable about herbs and knows that calendula can help stop bleeding, for example. When I started my mother was a great supporter and now I get help from my grandkids.”
The book documents the journey she has taken and also offers knowledge, from how to do a chamomile compress to ease migraines, to recipes for food and drinks.
This is Lynn’s eleventh book. She previously wrote twice about her connection to Italy and did eight picture books about herbs for kids, illustrated by her son Craig. They cost $16.95 each, with three for $45.
Herbs on the roof and by the door of this gnome's house.
“We have many loyal customers, who keep coming back because what we make is safe and affordable.”
The addition of the cafe, where they use a lot of their herb too, is an attraction in itself. “We also have a seminar room that groups can hire, as well as the shop.”
At the Herb Farm you can have a meal looking at nature, hear the birds and you can walk through part of the garden where lots of interest for children has been created, such as a gnome island and an elf forest. The herbs mentioned in the children’s books have been a guide to developing the forest track.
“We’d like to thank the locals for supporting us.”
