Ginger Wierzbanowski said lavender drew her and her husband Scott to visit the area 10 years ago, and after spending some time here, the locals’ friendliness made them feel like they belonged.
Ten years later, the couple — both retired Air Force lieutenant colonels and corporate leaders — opened Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm at 1025 Finn Hall Road in Agnew.
Operated out of a new barn building, the couple offers 30-plus handmade lavender products using nine different varieties of lavender from their 4,000-plus plants on property.
“There’s 16 acres that can be enjoyed here,” Scott said.
That includes U-cut lavender and plenty of chairs and spaces to relax.
“We were living a completely different life in Arlington, Virginia, and never had this amount of land,” he said. “Here, we’re living with cycles and seasons now.”
Through their work researching lavender, cider, grains and more, they’ve found area farms and cideries are quite collaborative. They’ve been consulting with Victor Gonzalez of Victor’s Lavender Farm for a few years; the couple ordered plants in January 2021 from him and planted them that spring and summer.
The couple jokes about the massive effort it took to plant lavender.
“We thought we could get it done in a couple weeks,” Scott said.
“It took the whole summer,” Ginger added.
With help from local experts, the couple has taken a do-it-yourself attitude by learning to drive tractors, build fences, plant and care for lavender and trees, distill lavender and enroll in courses at Peninsula College to learn about beekeeping.
Now, the couple is ready to take on visitors and locals alike for the first time as a stop on the Lavender Weekend circuit.
Cidery
East of the lavender fields and lavender barn is a cidery building where the couple hopes to begin production this fall.
Their journey to loving cider began in France as Ginger and Scott served as interpreters for the 60th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2004, in Normandy, France. Later during the trip, they tasted different apples and wines. Scott made his own cider back home and they loved it.
“We were inspired by our experiences in France and thought one day we’d open up a cidery,” Ginger said.
While considering the cidery in January 2019 they thought about adding lavender, too.
Scott said they planted the trees and lavender at the same time in 2021 and it just happened that lavender became available first.
The cidery part is waiting for a water hook up in order to clean machinery, he said, and that likely will be installed by the end of the summer.
They’ll make cider from 20 different apples on semi-dwarf trees, and the couple said they hope to produce 6,000-8,000 gallons annually in three to four years.
On Oct. 14, they’re planning to do another cider press event; last year’s event saw about 200 people visit, Scott said.
Together, the cidery and lavender meet their two goals, Scott said: “To make great cider and bring the community together.”
Ancient grains
For the second season, the couple partners with Washington State University’s Breadlab, researchers looking to develop better tasting, healthier, affordable bread.
The Wierzbanowskis planted ancient grains in front of their property last year and have about one-third rye, one-third hard wheat, and one-third soft wheat, Scott said, which can be used in different baked goods such as bread and pastries.
Last year they harvested about 500 pounds of grain, and they offer a mill inside the lavender barn.
If the grain is not milled, Scott said, it’ll last a long time and can be milled later on. This fall, they plan to plant an acre of winter wheat and rye.
About the Wierzbanowskis
The Wierzbanowskis have two adult children, ages 24 and 23. Ginger was born in Tacoma and moved full time to southeast Alaska at age 12 because her dad was a bush pilot. Scott said as a “military brat” he moved all over the country.
They met in the Republic of Korea, and married in 1997 in Denmark. They were stationed together for all but two years when he was in France and she was in Belgium.
The Wierzbanowskis later retired as lieutenant colonels with Scott a pilot, and Ginger an intelligence officer.
She later retired as vice-president, Intelligence Solutions Business Unit, for Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Scott as a program manager for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
For more about the farm, visit olympicbluffscidery.com.
Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm
Location: 1025 Finn Hall Road, Port Angeles
Regular hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday (through Labor Day Weekend)
Lavender Weekend hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, July 21-23
Wesbite: olympicbluffscidery.com
Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm in Agnew opened this summer for the first time at 1025 Finn Hall Road, Port Angeles.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm offers 30-plus homemade lavender products from the farm’s lavender fields, and it offers local artisans’ work.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Ancient grains are grown and harvested at Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm. Owners partnered with Washington State University’s Breadlab to plant various wheat and offer it for sale in the lavender barn store.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Cider trees and lavender plants run adjacent to each other at Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ In the fall, Ginger and Scott Wierzbanowski plan to plant another acre of winter wheat at Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm as part of a Washington State University Breadlab project using ancient grains.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ In the fall, Ginger and Scott Wierzbanowski plan to plant another acre of winter wheat and rye at Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm as part of a Washington State University Breadlab project using ancient grains.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ For any visitor to Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm, Ginger Wierzbankowski offers a free quote card from her Inspiration Station.
