I have been in love with Jurlique products for the past 2 decades! Even though it's been a decadent obsession of mine for so long, the visit to the Jurlique farm in January 2022 was my first. I learned so much!
Firstly, even though Mount Barker (in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia) has the factory, the plants, herbs and flowers are all grown at the farm in Biggs Flat (also in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia). Rather than a 5 minute drive, we had to travel 30 minutes and discover new places!
Thankfully we were a very small tour group so everything went smoothly and we could ask loads of questions. We saw plants growing naturally, had a peek inside greenhouses, and had the benefits of each plant or flower fully explained. I saw the flowers growing which are used in my favourite moisturiser...Spilanthes...which are native to Brazil and only grow in a hot house in Adelaide's dry climate. They have no petals and are quite unusual plants (flowers) actually.
Another discovery is that the Jurlique Farm is only about 100 hectares in area and they sold off 50 hectares to the neighbour, so you can grow a lot in a small space. There was a bushfire not far away, so now they are planting fire retardant bushes and being a bit more careful to protect the area. They also said that kangaroos enjoy eating the flowers, hence the electric fence around the perimeter of the farm. The Farm has 10 full-time staff members and seems to be pretty labour intensive as they have to pick flowers by hand. As one small violet weighs next to nothing, it must take them ages to get the 100 kilos they need!
The biodynamic methods of farming are pretty intense but produce the best flowers possible. Meanwhile everything in Jurlique is organic and they have to maintain strict protocols to gain and keep the certification. Mother was pretty chuffed to learn that they also follow the rhythm of the moon when they plant or pick as she'd been trying to convince me that this was a good way to plan out the annual gardening cycle.
It seems that the Jurlique business is now owned by a Japanese company after the original owners sold up. They both live in Mount Barker (separately) and have moved on to do more of their passion. So after starting out as a small family business they sold out for millions. Adelaide has reduced to 3 stores, whereas Japan and China have 30+. That tells you something about marketing and customer demand, now doesn't it!
Cyprus has one Jurlique shop in Limassol and I was so excited to see that they can import the original products from Australia, even if they are more expensive. Yes, I actually called them up and asked, "Are you original, real, Jurlique?" and when they said they were, I pumped the air with my fist and did a happy dance! Yay!
When I want to treat myself, I go to Limassol for a facial and soak in the wonderful smells. I enjoy the smooth texture of the Jurlique beauty products everyday!