Rosemary Litz, lavender grower/entrepreneur

Story by Kathryn R. Burke

[Grand Junction, Colo. May 19. 2015] Rosemary Litz is an inspiration. A creative thinker and unique entrepreneur, Litz turned love of lavender into a thriving business. She first encountered the fragrant herb on a visit to Oregon, where there are numerous lavender growers and an active lavender association. She saw, she smelled, and she was inspired.

When she returned to her home in Grand Junction, Litz used the plant for landscaping. Before long she had over 80 plants growing at her home (and her daughter’s). She began to harvest the blooms – hanging and drying them in her closet, then separating flowers from stalks by rolling them one a screen.

This was the start of her home-based business that has grown over the last few years. Her products are now sold at various venues. She conducts in-home parties she calls ‘Lavender Sachet Salons’ and has a booth many local craft fairs and the annual Lavender Festival at Palisade Park. Litz is the owner, operator and sole employee of All About Lavender. Her lavender products are a familiar sight in numerous shops throughout the area, including Shabby Chic and the Grand Valley Magazine Retail Store in Grand Junction and Hairlines and Nail Designs in Montrose.

Litz is one of a growing number of Western Slope entrepreneurs involved in the lavender industry. She is a charter member of the Lavender Association of Western Colorado, which has over 50 members, including 20 who run farms and one with more than 6,000 plants. Lavender farms are a growing business, ranging from small, part-time home-based operations to others who combine growing lavender with grapes for wine production and food crops. Lavender farms are also a tourist attraction.

Litz uses the dried blooms she harvests to create hand-crafted products she sews herself, like Lavender-filled Neck Wraps and Pillow Case Liners, Lavender Sachets for closets and drawers, and delightful Lavender Bundles wrapped in vintage handkerchiefs. She also creates wonderful products from the distilled  essential oil including Lavender Essential Oil Bath Salts, Lavender Spritzers, and the very useful, Lavender Monster Away Spray that wards of scary critters.

Visit Rosemary on her Face Book page.

Rosemary Litz lives in Grand Junction, Colorado and operates her business, All About Lavender, from her home.

Related articles:
The Business Times. Aug. 19, 2010. ‘Lavender a blooming business opportunity‘
The Business Times. June 12, 2012. ‘Smell of success fragrant for West Slope lavender growers‘
Profitable Plains Digest. ‘Is Lavender the Perfect Cash Crop for Small Growers?‘

This article also appears on website for the Woman’s Club of Ouray County. Designed and maintained by Kathryn R. Burke