Our Journey So Far

20 years ago, a former company executive chose to leave the corporate world and become a lavender farmer…

Where it all began

Mayfield Lavender was founded by Brendan Maye. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Brendan was Managing Director of the Fine Fragrance Division at Wella UK, which owned the heritage English lavender brand, Yardley. At the time, Yardley was struggling in an increasingly competitive market, and Brendan believed growing lavender would help restore its authenticity and bring the brand’s story to life.

Although Wella’s board rejected the idea of buying a farm, Brendan remained determined. In 2000, he partnered with local environmental charity BioRegional, using his marketing budget to sponsor the planting of lavender while personally guaranteeing the land lease. With the board’s support, he secured the lease in 2002 for a field in Banstead – one of the original Victorian lavender-growing areas.

Planting and Purchase of the Farm

The field was originally planted with help from BioRegional, but in the first year disaster struck when crows and magpies pulled up all 70,000 newly planted plugs. Undeterred, Brendan replanted the following year with great success, and by 2004 the second half of the field was established with two additional varieties.

In 2005, when Procter & Gamble acquired Wella and later sold Yardley, sponsorship for the project ended and BioRegional could no longer support the farm. Determined to see it succeed, Brendan stepped in and agreed to purchase the lavender himself. Inspired by his family name, he founded Mayfield Lavender Ltd to manage the farm’s future.

As Brendan’s role with Procter & Gamble expanded internationally, his wife Lorna took over running the farm while caring for their two young daughters. She quickly became the heart of the business, working tirelessly to turn the family’s vision into the thriving lavender farm it is today.

From Strength to Strength

In 2008, Brendan left the corporate world to focus on a more local life, and together with Lorna they opened the farm to visitors. Its natural beauty and growing word-of-mouth reputation soon attracted guests from across the UK and around the world.

In 2010, they purchased a neglected 12-acre plant nursery in Epsom overlooking Central London. After nearly four years of hard work, they cleared the land, restored the orchard, and fully renovated the buildings and glasshouses. Once forgotten, the site was brought back to life – marking the beginning of the next chapter of the Mayfield Lavender story.

Introducing:

Mayfield Glasshouse Café & Giftshop, Home to The Secret Garden

Café & Gift Shop

We look forward to welcoming you to our café and gift shop, a relaxing space to enjoy fair trade premium coffee and our signature selection of lavender teas. Our menu also includes fresh pastries from our bakery, toasted ciabattas, crunchy salads, and homemade soup, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon treat.

You can also browse our gift shop, where you’ll find a range of lavender products, gifts, and seasonal favourites to take home or share with others.

The Secret Garden & Experiences

The Secret Garden is also located here, a beautiful space where nature thrives, with rows of organic lavender and organic plum and apple orchards. It’s a peaceful setting to explore and enjoy throughout the year.

We host a range of special experiences, including Summer in The Secret Garden (View HERE), Malice in Lavenderland (Halloween) Bluebell in Lavenderland (Easter), offering fun and memorable family experiences in a unique setting.