Our Story
Hello & Welcome to Lavish Hill Farms!
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| Our first harvest of 2019 at Lavish Hill Farms |
First, let’s start with introductions. My name is Beth Walrich. For me, the perfect day consists of beautiful surroundings, having a wonderfully prepared meal with my husband Tim, friends and family…lots and lots of friends and family, and with an enormous amount of laughter. This has always come with the smells of not only great food but also fresh herbs and fragrant flowers in the air, which I have planted all around our home and freshly cut in vases. Traveling is something we both have a lust for as it introduces us to different cultures and foods. We enjoy bringing those experiences back to the table to share with our loved ones. I’m always inspired when I discover something new, which brings me to how we got into lavender farming. After watching a little movie called “It’s Complicated”, with Meryl Streep, I discovered that you can season food with lavender and the rest is history.
Though our paths have been different, Tim and I’s experiences have led us both to the same place.
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| Our wildlife at Lavish Hill Farms |
Me:
I’m a southern through and through. I’m a native of Atlanta Ga. (a true Georgia peach). I have a very large family with a deep heritage rooted in the south. I developed a love for gardening and cooking from the women in my family. After getting a Master’s degree in business, I built a career in medical sales which moved me around to several other cities in the south. I actually considered my move to Nashville moving north (insert laugh here) and this is where I meet my husband, Tim.
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| Beth in the snowy field |
Tim’s story:
My husband Tim has been a gifted musician since his teenage years playing saxophone and jazz, and then picking up stringed instruments specializing in the 5-string banjo. His love for music exposed him to many outdoor festivals and jamborees in the Northeast which further connected him to outdoor activities. Earlier in Tim’s professional life he was in the hotel construction / operations business which is what initially brought him to Nashville, along with his love for music. It is here where we initially met.
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| Our kitties are part of the team |
Growing up in the Midwest and then relocating with his family to upstate New York, Tim grew up working in family businesses. In addition to their main business of boat building, they also had substantial maple syrup and commercial Xmas tree farming businesses which required a lot of outdoor work. In addition to being an outdoor sportsman, the love for the outdoors became engrained in him at an early age. He learned early what hard work was and the values of doing a job well done. Tim is a passionate outdoorsman and a top notch businessman; both of these qualities lend themselves well to Lavender farming.
The fact that lavender can be utilized in so many varying ways makes it ideal for our lifestyle and ambitions.
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| Freshly bloomed lavender | Drying our harvest |
Since getting married in 2000 and living in several areas in Tennessee, we settled on a 12-acre property northeast of Gallatin Tennessee. This was a big change for me since I was mainly a “suburb girl” with some intercity experience… but this was true country. Tim was in love; having a home that truly represented being outdoors. During this time we had also built a home care business together which we still own. The property was a labor of love which meant a lot of upkeep and mowing / landscaping and it is beautiful. After years of loving this property, I decided to try and find a way to make money for us rather than becoming a lawn mower widow. I would find myself watching an orange dot moving in the distance (Tim’s Kubota tracker) for hours every weekend. We first thought of livestock; I was always drawn to Alpacas, but, in the end, we settled on raising cats. Our fuzzy little munchkins are named Cleo and Oscar. You will definitely hear a lot about them over time.
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| Our kitty Oscar |
What's next:
I have always loved the smell of lavender in my products and appreciated its relaxing qualities and with my new found love for cooking with lavender a light bulb went off in my head. The first thing I made with lavender was Lavender honey ice cream (from “It’s Complicated”) and I was hooked . It was seriously out of this world. The best ice cream I have ever had! So in 2015 we started our lavender farm!! Major score, I found out that deer and rabbits hate it! Whoopie!