July 5, 2007

The scent of success
Jeff and Carey Cornelius cultivate front-yard lavender crop for gift items.
By BARBARA GIASONE STAFF WRITER

Jeff Cornelius got his first whiff of marketing success at the Downtown Fullerton Thursday Market.

While strolling through the aisles with his two sons, Cornelius overheard a woman tell a vendor she wished there were more lavender for sale.

“My wife and I were growing lavender on our front bank, so I drove home, put 10 bundles in bags and went back with the flowers dangling by safety pins from the stroller,” Cornelius recalled.

Two ladies noticed the fresh blooms, started following the little family, then offered to buy all the bags.

Cornelius immediately sensed a flourishing side business.

Banking on the sure-fire sales, he took the children home and bundled more.

When his wife, Carey, returned home from her photo stylist job, he reported the popularity of their crop. Both decided there was probably a larger market for other products.

So, the junior high school biology teacher bought a kitchen hydro-distiller, and began producing the essence of lavender oils. The results would eventually be used for soaps, lotions, bath oils, scrubs and other aromatherapy products.

This spring, the Corneliuses introduced their product at the Fullerton Arboretum Green Scene. Plans are in the works to lease a booth at the downtown market.

“People love the medicinal and tranquil effects from the herb,” said Carey Cornelius, calling the packaging element the most creative.

It was the seemingly lavender fields forever at the Curtis Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley that first attracted the couple to their favorite aroma. They purchased the winery picture book, ordered 200 Grosso and Provence lavender plants and made room on the front bank of their home in the La Entrada tract to start their “crop.”

Bees start humming during the “high season” between June and August. Bundles are hung upside down in the garage to enhance the purple coloration, and the hot afternoon sun sweetens the aroma.

Looking onto their yard, the Corneliuses surmise their rose blooms may be next for their cottage industry.

“It’s homey, and that’s what we’re about,” Carey Cornelius said.