ISYV Magazine: Mr. Mosebar Goes to Washington

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By K. Reka Badger

Connie Cody photos

Boasting five acres of floral fragrance, Clairmont Lavender Farms forms a living tapestry of purple flowers and gray-green leaves. Symmetrical and elegant, the farm's lavender plants grow with certainty, displaying an innate vigor that belies the love and labor that sustain them.

"We work 14 hours a day," declares Meryl Tanz, the driving force behind Clairmont Lavender Farms, in Los Olivos. "We go to bed at eight-thirty and kind of die, and get up at five the next morning. Between five and ten every morning, we make all the oils, sachets and lotions that we sell.

"We imported a machine that harvests six rows an hour," she continues, "which took us two weeks to do before, but we still have to lay out the lavender, turn it with pitch forks and then bang it with sticks to separate the buds. Then we box and date the buds and put them in the barn."

A family operation, Clairmont Lavender Farms features a boutique stocked with all things lavender, including essential oils, scented candles and honey infused with fragrant buds.
Visitors, both online and in person, also find a selection of skin-hair-and pet-care products redolent with the aroma of the farm's signature flower. "Our most expensive thing is a big bottle of lavender oil," Tanz says. "We try to keep it that everybody, whatever walk of life, can afford something. We give every child a free sachet and I tell them, 'when you get married, squeeze it, because that's how long the fragrance lives."

Meryl Tanz clips stalks from lavender in glorious full bloom.

Tanz, an engaging woman with an open manner, didn't always fancy herself a farmer."I grew up in South Africa," she says, "and in 1965, I came to the U.S. I modeled, did secretarial work, wrote stories for fashion magazines and got my picture on billboards, because I was quite a pretty young thing.

"When I started the farm, it was a mystery to me how to do these things," she admits. "For three years, I worked the field, rototilled and got really strong. I loved that instant gratification you get at seeing what you've done at the end of the day."

An avid horsewoman, Tanz purchased her property, then a 30-acre parcel, in 1976, just 20 minutes after first seeing it."Horses are the passion of my life," she reveals. "In the early '80s, I was married to David Cassidy and we kept most of our brood mares in Kentucky, but as the foals were weaned, we brought them home to the Valley."

Several years later, divorced and faced with mounting debt, Tanz took the advice of a friend and turned to farming lavender.

The 2006 harvest at Clairmont Farms was easier this year thanks to an imported machine originally made for harvesting tea leaves. In previous years Marcos Garcia, left, and Glen Thalheimer cut the entire lavender field by hand. In-person visitors find a boutique stocked with all things lavender, including skin- hair-and pet-care products.

"It was very hard to pull up the horse paddocks," she says, "but I had to pay the mortgage and survive. I had a son, he's 18 now, and it was about paying bills and putting food on the table."

"In 2002," she remembers, "my son and I sat out at the stand and made thirty-eight dollars! We were so happy, we were jumping up and down."

With the success of her farm, Tanz has gotten back into the thoroughbred horse business. "For the first time in ten years," she says happily, "I have two horses over at Flag Is Up Farms and one at Santa Anita, Devon's Dreamer. He's doing well, he'll start in a couple of months, but all you can do is wait and hope."

Today, Glenn Thalheimer, Tanz's fiance, helps with the multitude of tasks inherent in running a farm and retail business. "Glenn has been a godsend," Tanz declares. "He does everything from mucking up horse poop to harvesting and distilling oil."

"I met him five years ago, when he drove up the driveway to photograph some paintings I had," she explains with a snort of laughter, "so I could sell 'em at Christie's and keep the farm."

In addition to eye-catching flowers and aromatic products, Clairmont Lavender Farms offers visitors a lovely destination for family outings, picnics and even weddings.

"Everyone wants to get married when the lavender is blooming," Tanz laughs. "We've enlisted a wedding planner, because if I tried to do it all, I'd be sewing bra straps and looking for extra nylons, or fretting when the ex-mother-in-law shows up I really just want to provide a beautiful place. I love what I'm doing," she declares. "I love that I can support my son and keep my home. It's really mom and pop, but it's done well."

Clairmont Lavender Farms is located at 2480 Roblar Street, Los Olivos. Visitors may stroll through the fields, enjoy a picnic lunch and shop in the outdoor boutique. For information call 805.688.7505 or check www.clairmontfarms.com.