EVERY drop of eucalyptus oil distilled by Richard Jeney tells the story of the seasons, evoking the scents of central Victoria’s famous blue eucy trees.
For almost four years, Richard has been hand-picking leaves from trees on his Kurting farm. Distilling, bottling and labelling oils, atomisers, insect repellent and even adding the good oil to make goat milk soaps.
Shops across the Loddon now stock his Blue Eucy products that are also exported to Europe and the United States.
“We have even featured in a German documentary that looked at our harvesting and distilling processes ... and how eucalyptus oil products not only have the scent of relaxation, but have many benefits for good health,” Richard said.
The custom-built distilling room on the Kurting farm , built by Richard who is also is a qualified builder - is where the good oils of Blue Eucy trees are extracted.
But as he says, ‘Blue Eucy is much more than distilling at Kurting. We’re pretty unique in Victoria, as we’re the only eucalyptus oil producer where everything happens on the one property.
“We’re proud to use only the trees that we grow ourselves in the production of Blue Eucy oils. Single origin is what makes Blue Eucy different. It means that every bottle of Blue Eucy eucalyptus oil comes from just one species of trees grown exclusively on our farm.
“We grow, harvest, distil and bottle every drop of Blue Eucy using only the trees on our property. This means we have complete control over the quality of the oil that we produce on the farm we share with native wildlife including kangaroos, wedgetail eagles and echidnas, It’s the Australian bush at its very best.”
Every leaf is hand-harvested and distilled the same day. Richard says, “When we say we are small batch, we really mean it! In fact, each distillation produces only around 15 bottles at a time.”
The average Blue Eucy leaf weighs 0.34g, with each distillation using around 6kg of leaves. “Before any harvest, we look at the density of white dots in the leaves. The more white dots, the greater the density of oil and we make sure to only harvest leaves with high density. We even select our tree’s to minimise the impact on the soil, which occurs in large plantations. At Blue Eucy we are all about quality. Not quantity. We’re very personalised and that also means hand bottling and labelling.”
Each batch of Blue Eucy contains subtle variations depending on the season, “You can enjoy a different fragrance experience with every purchase, from the fresh and vibrant nose of early spring to the more rounded aromas of late summer and autumn. We always look forward to creating a range of fragrance experiences for you.”
Blue Eucy oils are of the highest quality, as Richard states, “so whether you are using them for natural remedies, aromatherapy or simply to savour the scent of the Australian bush, you will only ever need a few drops, “We’re creating quality oils and products that tell the Blue Eucy story set in our great bushland.”
Blue Eucy has now extended its farm productivity with the introduction of a line of honey ... again produced on the property. Richard will be at the Inglewood Alive festival where you are able to sample and purchase the products and hear the stories of Eucy farm from the man himself.
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By gum! Richard and Blue Eucy will be at Inglewood Alive
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