At the edge of Warner sits a quaint, cool gray house. A few yards away is a warm, well-loved barn surrounded by fields of purple bushes. In the middle of the field, an old pastel yellow truck glows in the early morning light. The delicate, sweet aroma of lavender instills a sense of calm in all who visit the Pumpkin Blossom Farm.
Although calm and peaceful now, by 10 a.m. the farm will buzz with the excitement of a full day ahead.
Pumpkin Blossom Farm, owned by Missy and Mike Biagiotti, had its grand opening July 10. After moving more than 1,500 miles four years ago, the Biagiottis finally made their dream of opening a lavender farm a reality.
Whether it was sipping their morning coffee on the porch or watching the sunset, they always daydreamed of creating a family business that made a positive impact on the world.
“It’s been a decade-plus of dreaming and a couple years of hard work to get to this point, but it’s about experience,” Mike said.
Originally serving as a vacation home for the Biagiottis, Pumpkin Blossom Farm was always a respite for their family.
“This was such a way for us to decompress and to find some peace and we wanted to share that with people,” Missy said.
Wanting to spread this joy, Missy searched for ways to share the beauty of their home with the world. It wasn’t until Missy’s sister was diagnosed with cancer that Missy discovered the perfect solution.
“When my sister was diagnosed with cancer, we searched around for cancer respites for women, and they came with such a huge price tag,” Missy said. With enormous medical bills, millions of ill men and women can’t afford to travel to Europe or California for a retreat.
So, the Biagiottis came up with a solution: lavender fields for everyone. Pumpkin Blossom Farm gives everyone the trip to Southern France that they have always dreamed of without the price tag.
“I sort of always envisioned a place where people could come and just enjoy the fields,” Missy said. And lavender was “a natural solution” with so many incredible benefits mentally, physically and spiritually, there was no competition.
Lavender is so much more than a smell, Missy said. “There’s something about the peace and tranquility that it brings, and trying to create a sort of a lifestyle that is very simplistic and just peaceful. And that is what people are longing for right now. They’re just longing for just a little bit of peace in the chaos. And hopefully we can bring that to people,” Missy continued.
Because of her family experience with cancer, the Pumpkin Blossom Farm works hard to create a safe space for cancer patients. Because of the pandemic, the Biagiottis have expanded their hours to every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Additionally, if anyone is ill or immunocompromised, Mike and Missy open up after hours to give everyone the ability to experience the wonders of their farm.
“We actually have a gal coming with two of her friends after hours this weekend. She is going through undergoing some treatment for cancer right now, and she’s had a horrible five years. I mean she’s lost her husband to cancer, and she’s really struggling… [So,] her and her two friends are going to bring some drinks and sit in a lawn chair, and sit back and just relax,” Mike said.
Even if these women were their only customers, “that would still make me happy.” Just being able to help one person makes all of their work worth it, Missy said.
Reflecting on their opening weekend, Mike said “it just couldn’t have gone any better.”
Only expecting five or 10 people a day, the Biagiottis were blown away recently when they had hundreds of customers. To meet the needs of their customers, they opened up their entire farm to the public.
“There really truly is something about lavender that makes people flock to it […] This is the next pumpkin spice,” Missy said chuckling.
The Pumpkin Blossom Farm is unique in many ways. For the short time that lavender is in bloom, the Biagiottis have opened up a “U-Pick” feature to their farm. For $10, customers can graze the endless purple fields, and pick their own lavender bundles to take home. Not only do customers get the experience of the lavender farm, but they can bring it home.
“A lot of guests tell us, ‘I’m rolling up the windows on the way home so that my car is filled with [the lavender smell].’ So, guests take the experience with them,” replicating the same “calming benefits when they’re at home,” Mike said.
However, this U-Pick feature doesn’t last all year. Lavender has a short harvest window to ensure the oils and smells are captured. Once that time is up, the public won’t be able to pick lavender until the next harvesting season.
But, this doesn’t mean that Pumpkin Blossom Farm will close for the season. With a whole range of lavender flavored and scented products, the Biagiottis will spend the rest of the year making their host of other features available to the public. With lavender cupcakes, ice cream, macaroons and lemonade, maple-lavender cotton candy, lavender honey and maple syrup, soaps and bath products, the Pumpkin Blossom Farm has endless products, features and future events planned.
With these products, Missy and Mike highlight the importance of Warner for Pumpkin Blossom Farm.
“We love our town. So, [we use] all local partners. That’s very important to us.” So, to be able to share this amazing experience with the town of Warner has been a dream. “Our vision is now becoming a reality,” Mike said. u
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