Edgar and Martine Anderson, Owners.
Born in France, Martine lived in the south of France and long dreamed of one day having a large, lush, lavender garden of her own. When she and her husband Edgar moved to Washington Island as young retirees, they looked for a business in which to invest, but nothing seemed to suit. Martine kept thinking that the Island was a lot like the area around Provence, so Edgar did longitudinal weather studies, took soil samples and planted a test garden at their home, and at the home of friends Gene and Helene Meyer. The gardens grew, as did the friendship, and the dreams of creating a lavender business.
How it all began...
Our Company is the embodiment of a dream held by one of our founders, Martine Anderson. Born in France, Martine lived in the south of France and long dreamed of one day having a large, lush, lavender garden of her own. When she and her husband Edgar moved to
Washington Island as young retirees, they quickly thought of starting a business venture to help stimulate the island’s struggling economy. Edgar did weather studies, took soil samples and
planted a test garden at their home. The gardens grew as did the dream of creating a lavender business.
In 2012 business plans were developed and plants were cultivated in 2013. In May, almost 9,000 lavender plants were installed in four fields. We opened our doors for a “sneak peak” on May 9,
and as the saying goes, the rest is history. We were truly gratified by the acceptance we received from our Island community and our customers. We have since grown our fields to include over 14 varieties of lavender and they’re home to 20,000 plants. Fragrant Isle is proud to support on average a staff of 25 – 30 individuals during peak season, most of these are positions are proudly filled by members of our Island community. Our management team is made up of:
Martine had a long career in the world of haute couture
for both Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus and owned several businesses both in France
and the U.S. Martine’s depth of experience in retailing gives us a substantial advantage in our
product selection, development and merchandising.
Edgar graduated from the University of Miami School of Architecture and has an extensive background in International Development.
He led McDonald’s corporation’s global construction, engineering, planning, and sourcing and was an integral part of the rapid expansion of the company in the global markets during the last
20 years.
Our friendly staff of sales associates, farm technicians, and operations specialists joins our management team in inviting you to:
Watch Us Grow