My favourite time has come; time flies once again. At this time of the year, I would normally have a chance to catch up with some long time clients turned friends, as you have accompanied me on my Aromatherapy journey for the last 20 years in existence. I always look forward to having a little meet up: some would bring children, grandchildren, photos, stories, even have a little tea with me, as I enjoy preparing the orders and we get a few quick words in. It gives me great joy that I am able to celebrate 20 years in the business with such loyal-client-turned-aromatherapy-friends, and I look forward to seeing everyone again.
As we prepare for the oil sale this year, it just seems to get tougher. Due to lack of my German supply lines, this year I joined an aromatherapy education group to Provence to make contacts and find a new supply line. It was the most lovely trip during the summer harvest; Provence is definitely so beautiful. I have never learned so much about Lavender, and just that alone was the topic of discussions for a couple of days and the focus of our field trips and learning.
All plants co-exist to support each other. The Lavenders in the wild often seem to be found with the Thymes; they seem to support each other in nature's ecosystem of survival. The anti-infection properties of Thyme appear to be protecting the Lavenders. In the middle of the Lavenders, and amongst them, the St John's Wort flowers (the healing plant) and the Carrot plant flowers provide a nesting space for the insects. How amazing that the insects are distracted by the Carrot Flowers while the Lavender stems and ground are protected by Thyme! It is simply God's work of art. As Lavender are found in so many cultivation methods, in different locations and altitudes, there's natural variation in Lavender smell, in species names, and also in the crossing of species. Nature is truly marvelous.
This year we have tried our best to keep the price as close to the old price as possible, but it is proving to be more and more difficult. For the oils and products marked with "nett pricing", we have decided that they are so expensive, and that in order to hold the regular price down, we have no space for discounts. Otherwise you would be surprised at the price jump of the oils! However, we can't compromise on quality, and hence we have to make a hard decision in order to publish the new prices.
Our aromatherapy market and resources continue to be depleted by big companies and multinational corporations that have deep pockets, and so are able to form exclusive deals with the farms. This cuts off supplies to smaller outfits like ourselves. So, due to the limited resources—that seem to be getting smaller with each passing year—we unfortunately do not really know how long can we keep up with our annual sale event. With every opportunity we continue to strive to bring the world's best sources to you, and we hope you enjoy them nevertheless.
Thank you all for your precious love, support, loyalty, friendship, and most of all encouragement. I am humbled, for I exist because of each of you.
Love and blessings, Veron xoxo