Nidderdale Lavender launches First Origins collection

Just months after announcing Nidderdale's first lavender farm, Melanie and Chris Baxter have launched their first luxury collection crafted using lavender grown and distilled on their Yorkshire Dales hillside.

Earlier this year, Nidderdale Lavender announced the establishment of the area's first dedicated lavender farm, planting 5,000 English and French plants on a hillside overlooking Pateley Bridge.

Today, founders Melanie and Chris Baxter are celebrating another major milestone: the launch of their first signature product range, the Origins Collection.

The collection represents the completion of the business's first journey from field to fragrance.

Over the summer, the couple harvested their first lavender crop and undertook an intensive distillation season, transforming flowers grown in Nidderdale into pure lavender essential oil.

Following independent testing, the oil demonstrated a high level of purity, providing the foundation for a growing range of botanical products designed and produced by the family business.

At the heart of every product lies what the founders affectionately call their ‘drops of gold’:  lavender essential oil organically grown, harvested and distilled on their Nidderdale smallholding.

Every home fragrance and wellbeing product in the new Origins Collection reflects the business's commitment to provenance, small-batch production and the distinctive character of the dale.

"For us, this is the moment the vision starts to become real," said co-founder Melanie Baxter, who grew up in Nidderdale.

"When we announced the lavender field earlier this year, the products were still just an idea.

"To now hold a collection that contains lavender we have grown ourselves, harvested ourselves and distilled ourselves is incredibly rewarding."

"What's made the journey even more special has been the support we've received from the local community.

"More than 430 people have joined our Friends of Nidderdale Lavender group and we've received so many messages of encouragement along the way.

"At the local ‘Meet the Farmer’ event, visitors even helped us test some of our early fragrance prototypes.

"In a very real sense, the community has helped shape the collection we're launching today."

Melanie added: "From the beginning, we wanted Nidderdale Lavender to be about more than growing lavender.

"We wanted to create products genuinely connected to this landscape and to the people who care about it.

"Every bottle of essential oil represents hours of harvesting, distilling and careful craftsmanship. That's why we call it our drops of gold.”

The launch also marks the opening of the company's online shop, allowing customers across the UK to experience limited-edition products created from lavender grown in Nidderdale.

Visitors will also be able to discover the collection in person at Harewood Christmas Market on 6– 8 November and at Fountains Abbey Christmas Market 28/29 November, where the business will be showcasing its first season of products alongside the story of the field from which they began.

While the Origins Collection marks a significant milestone, Nidderdale Lavender has further plans to expand its range in 2027 as the farm matures, while remaining focused on locally crafted botanical products rooted in the Yorkshire landscape.

The founders hope the collection will allow customers to experience something increasingly rare: a product whose story can be traced all the way back to the field in which its ingredients were grown.

The Origins Collection is now available through the Nidderdale Lavender website at www.nidderdalelavender.com.