Nestled among the rolling hills of North Yorkshire sits a workshop stacked high with luxurious and fragrant products.
Although these gifts may not be wrapped by a jolly old man in a red suit, the delivery of the products brings just as much joy – both to those who purchase and receive them and to the farmer who planted, nurtured, and harvested 60 miles of lavender to create them.
Fergus Corrigan is a first-generation farmer who was determined to break new ground in the sector.
“I had been doing vegetables and farming around the world and then I wanted to do something more niche,” explains Fergus while he pours lavender infused wax into his branded candle jars. “I heard about lavender farming while working in America and thought that it sounded like a great idea.”
Originally brought over from Provence, Fergus’ lavender now thrives in the heart of Yorkshire, braving its unique elements. Oil is carefully extracted in the summer months to create a range of high-end products that adorn his workshop shelves, all marketed under Fergus’ Northern Lavender brand.
As the largest organic lavender farm in the country, it’s no mean feat to keep the fields under control from the weeds. The mild and wet weather forces daily hand weeding and despite the ambition to grow the tourism side of the business, this year the fields have largely remained closed due to the inclement weather.
Fergus first started his business in 2021 and is now growing 20 different herbs and colourful flowers. All his products are certified vegan, apart from those using his beeswax, and he is determined to be carbon neutral by 2025.
He’s passionate about the provenance of his products and the fact that they are made using ingredients grown only a short walk away from his workshop.
“I get to walk around and pick flowers and herbs all day,” says Fergus while cutting bunches of lavender that he’ll hang to dry. “It’s basically doing something yourself, making a story with your farm and giving provenance and credence to your product. It’s not the same with spuds or carrots. I get to show people this and I love doing that.”
Before Fergus can focus on crafting his luxury cosmetics, food, and flowers for sale, the essential task of harvesting his crops comes first – an area of the business that required significant investment.
“I’d literally put the groundwork in of planting lavender in the fields but I needed a piece of kit that is super specialised so I could harvest it,” explains Fergus.
The lavender harvester, made by French company CLIER, cuts and collects blooming lavender, depositing it into a trailer, much like a traditional silage system. The trailer doubles as a distillation unit, and through a series of pipes and boilers, separates the lavender oil and water.
Fergus needed a loan to buy the machine, confident that his numbers added up. However, he worried that his limited farming experience might hinder his chances of securing the funding.
“I’m a first-generation farmer, born and brought up in London. I have absolutely no backing with a pretty crazy idea!
“This is basically a diversification opportunity, so it was having the right mindset of going, ‘well this is completely weird in terms of agriculture but there’s definitely a market.’ Oxbury completely understood the concept of it.”
Oxbury supported Fergus with developing his business and financial plans as part of its Oxbury New Gen product, which supports new farmers.
Oxbury’s Agricultural Relationship Manager Tom Powell says it was a no-brainer to offer an Oxbury Farm Loan once they understood the potential Fergus could achieve.
“From the very first conversation, we understood that Fergus’ proposal was unique, quite far from the more conventional farming that Oxbury do on a daily basis but certainly well within Oxbury’s lending policy,” explains Tom who enjoys visiting the farm and learning more about the product development processes. “It’s quite typical of Oxbury New Gen applicants. We see them having to think outside of the box, using less conventional methods to create a viable business. Ultimately Fergus had a very unique enterprise, a very unique end market but a very viable business.”
Fergus managed his first full harvest this year, thanks to the new machine. With Christmas orders rushing in for lavender bags, bath salts and candles, Fergus is set for a successful festive season.
“It’s game on now,” says Fergus who is now setting his sights on welcoming visitors to enjoy the lavender fields and launching his own farm shop over the next year.
“Oxbury really listened to me. Without them, there’s not going to be many people entering farming.”