We’re proud to be a part of the many talented and resilient craftspeople making West Virginian products and growing new plants and opportunities on our land; Appalachian Botanical Co. is West Virginian through and through. Now, we are proud to make it “official” by partnering with West Virginia Grown.
What is West Virginia Grown?
As large grocery store chains continue to pop up around the state and around the world, local farmers have to compete with cheap produce shipped in from around the world. To combat this, West Virginia Grown was created by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture as a way to unify and strengthen farmers and producers all throughout the mountain state. By joining West Virginia Grown, one assures buyers that their product was grown or processed in the Mountain State with quality ingredients. Only those who are able to prove that their product was grown and made locally are able to embellish their product with the West Virginia Grown seal – and we’re proud to be a part of this community.
West Virginians are very proud of their heritage and have proven that they won’t let their local businesses disappear! Buying a product with the West Virginia Grown seal not only guarantees that you’re getting local, high quality, and fresh ingredients, it also symbolizes that your dollars are being put right back into the communities we all live in. It means providing new jobs, diversifying our local economy, and expanding our local food systems throughout West Virginia.
West Virginia Grown has created a directory of all their certified farms and producers, and sorted it county to help you find businesses in your area. We’re looking forward to being listed in 2021’s edition alongside Estep Branch Pure Maple Syrup, Elmcrest Farm, Wilkerson Christmas Tree Farm, and the many other farms all throughout the state!
How ABCo is Invested in the Mountain State
Appalachian Botanical Co. is nestled in the heart of West Virginia, just outside of Charleston. Today, we are growing organic lavender on 32 acres of reclaimed coal mine land. And this year’s successful harvest is paving the way for us to expand to more than double our size. We made a commitment to our community, not just by planting our lavender here, but by investing in the people and businesses that surround us. If you visit our social media, you’ll get to know the many West Virginians who are working on our farm! We make it a point to invest whatever it takes, from transportation to clothing and on the job training, to help them succeed in their roles. The way we see it, they have invested their time in us, so we are investing in them too.
We’re also proud to partner with other local businesses to create a variety of lavender based aromatherapy, body care, culinary, and home products. We partnered with an essential oil distillery based right here in Charleston, WV to create our lavender essential oil which serves as the core of many of our products. We’ve also worked with local apiaries to get our own hives healthy and thriving in order to produce West Virginian wildflower honey.
Our hope is that we won’t be the last lavender farm to settle here in West Virginia. In fact, our mission is to build a thriving lavender ecosystem all throughout the state. We see lavender as an opportunity to make use of abandoned coal mine land, not just here in Ashford, but all across Appalachia to put our people and land back to work.
Now you can support our farm and encourage more farms like us to pop up by keeping an eye out for products with the West Virginia Grown logo. You can also like, share, and repost our content on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, or Twitter to help other people learn about our mission and the work that West Virginia Grown is doing!
MEET THE AUTHOR / ELIZA TALVOLA is a writer from Pittsburgh, PA who considers herself to be a conscious consumer and traveler, slow fashion advocate, and devoted foodie. She is a firm believer in creative reuse and putting people over profits, and is a long time lavender enthusiast. Her favorite product: Lavender Hand Sanitizer Spray