At Ontario’s largest lavender farm, you can eat lavender gelato, take a fragrance workshop — or work out with an Olympian

More than a decade ago, just as former tech exec Ian Baird was contemplating a change in career direction, the fates sent a sign (a literal one), and the detour (also literal) proved pivotal.

“My wife and I were vacationing in Magog, Que., and as we were driving one day, saw a small touristy sign that said, ‘Lavender farm,’ We thought, ‘Wow, interesting. Let’s go have a look,’” recalls Baird. “I was blown away by the serenity of the environment.”

A second sign followed a few years later, in the form of a for-sale ad for a farm — or rather, an undeveloped expanse of mostly hay — out in Milton, Ont. “We ended up buying the property with no real plans,” says Baird. Except he and his wife, Olympic triathlete and physiotherapist Isabelle Turcotte Baird, hadn’t forgotten those lavender fields they’d seen.

Today, the 200-acre destination they’ve built, Terre Bleu, is Ontario’s largest lavender farm. Pre-pandemic, summer day-trippers would flock to admire the fragrant purple blooms (65,000 plants and counting) as well as Insta-bait sunflowers (half a million). They’d stroll the cedar forest trail, and shop culinary, bath and body products made with organic lavender, all of it hand-harvested with scissors.

Now, with the goal of offering more exclusive access and special events, the founders are launching a membership plan called Beyond the Yellow Door, named after an actual sunny-coloured entryway/art installation that stands amid the lavender.

While à la carte tickets to Terre Bleu will be available, those who opt into the new club will receive invites to a varied slate of additional experiential programming. For the kickoff, Lindsay of The Flour Girl will lead a virtual cakemaking workshop using lavender and flowers from the farm.

Other partnerships in the works include the Breath of Bleu day with Toronto meditation studio Hoame and Power Yoga Canada, a natural perfumery workshop with candlemaker Lohn, custom lavender gelato by Death in Venice, and a fashion show in the fields with a noted label (still hush-hush at press time).

The whole Baird family lives right on-site, and Baird says he hopes others feel Terre Bleu’s cosy homeyness, too. “What we’ve found is that people will come on the farm and spend hours just sitting around to sort of clear their mind,” he says. It’s an antidote for the ages that couldn’t be more timely.

The Star understands the restrictions on travel during the coronavirus pandemic. But like you, we dream of travelling again, and we’re publishing this story with future trips in mind.