| 7 RURAL PEOPLE » Ben Annand Farm Skincare products showcase benefits of lanolin Ben Annand Farm in South Otago runs 4600 Perendale ewes. Selected fleeces are washed and used as packing material around Morven Road Skincare products. Karen Phelps Looking for innovative ways to promote wool has seen Amy and her sister-in-law Frances Blaikie come up with a new range of skincare products showcasing the benefits of lanolin. Morven Road Skin Care was launched about a year ago online, lovingly made on the family’s Ben Annand farm in South Otago. “We wanted to do something with wool that was different but still promotes the great attributes of wool. We’ve had really positive feedback since launching, it’s been great,” says Amy. It’s taken the women about two years to bring their product to market after trying out numerous samples on family and friends to come up with their range. They are proud to source most ingredients locally. Lanolin, which is secreted by sheep to condition wool and skin, has moisturising, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties making it a great option for those looking for a gentle and eco-friendly way to relieve the symptoms of dry skin. Other hero ingredients include hemp oil, sourced from South Island growers and infused with raspberry leaves from Ben Annand’s berry orchard and horopito leaves collected from native bush on the farm. “It’s been amazing even ourselves doing the research what lanolin can do. It can heal small cuts and wounds and it moisturises,” says Amy citing just two of the benefits. Products include body butters, body balms, body creams, lip balms and moisturiser bars with tantalising fragrances such as tea tree and sweet Covering Otago & Southland 0800 227 226 www.advance-agriculture.co.nz Proud to support Ben Annand Specialist Suppliers of Agricultural Chemical, Seed, Spray Equipment & GPS Precision Ag orange and bergamot with pineapple and mango alongside traditional favourites such as lavender. While developing the products was a challenge, selling them has been another. They are currently selling through their website morvenroad.nz and looking for selected retailers that fit with their brand. It’s a passion project for the pair utilising the skills of Frances, who grew up on Ben Annand, and had a career in science for many years in Europe. They are confidant sales will increase as they tackle the challenges of marketing their new product and getting word out. With wool being a hot topic for farmers the family has no plans to move away from producing it despite the fact that shearing costs exceeded profit this year. They are still hopeful that the public will soon catch onto the many benefits of wool over synthetic fibres. They know wool has many possible markets; for example their wool has been recently made into prayer mats. Ben Annand is a 1468ha farm with 970ha effectively grazed and the remaining 498ha being native forest/bush or exotic forestry. The farm is characterised by rolling to steep hill country with sharp gullies and natural waterways. Ben Annand has been in the Blaikie family since 1960. Amy’s husband Victor grew up on the farm and returned in 1993 and they now farm the land together. They run 4600 Perendale ewes with fleece around 37 microns. All lambs get shorn in January and their fleece is between 28-30 microns. Bales of wool get sold through a broker, selected fleeces are washed and used as packing material around Morven Road Skin Care orders and dags are used as mulch and compost. They have a small cattle operation with predominately Hereford but also some Angus cross bred. Calves are weaned from the mothers at six months of age and are either sold to other farms for them to grow or we grown them to 18 months of age before they are sent to the food processors. Around 40 replacement heifer calves are kept annually. There is also a small raspberry operation – one of Amy’s deal breakers (she grew up on a horticultural farm) for moving to Ben Annand in the first place years ago. Five different varieties are grown and all are hand picked by the family rounding out the diverse farming operation.
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