GARY T. KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM Cathleen Goo-Toda will be selling her lavender-based products at the Made in Hawaii Festival this weekend.

Maui’s purple revolution

Lavender takes fortuitous
root at Ulupalakua

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By Keiko Kiele Akana-Gooch
kakana-gooch@starbulletin.com

Maui resident Cathleen Goo-Toda is proof positive that there is power in plants.

The course of her life took a 180-degree turn after a walk in a Napa Valley lavender field.

"It's just breathtaking," Goo-Toda said about the field, especially when the wind blows through the flowers, causing a ripple effect. "It stops you in your tracks." Literally.

Goo-Toda returned to college and graduated with a master's degree in real estate development from the University of Southern California. But she wasn't sure development was her calling. "I wanted to do something that was a little more giving," she said.

Thanks to Goo-Toda, Maui is home to a new realm in Hawaii agriculture-tourism -- lavender farms and products under her newly renamed business, Maui Lavender and Botanicals. (Her products will be one of many featured at this weekend's Made in Hawaii Festival.)

Besides being born and raised there, Goo-Toda chose Maui as the setting for her business because it "affords a lot of opportunities," she said. "It has niches that are yet unfulfilled."

For about the past five years, Goo-Toda has been growing and testing lavender plants on Ulupalakua Ranch. She now has two 2-acre plots, one along Crater Road at Haleakala Ranch and the other at the entrance to Tedeschi Vineyards.

"I thought the marriage between lavender and wine would be a perfect marriage," Goo-Toda said. While the winery would tickle the taste buds, her gardens would allow visitors to smell and feel lavender plants. "People want to have their senses touched," she said.

And her products do the same. Maui Lavender and Botanicals (formerly Maui Lavender Company) caters to the body, the home and the senses; from scented soaps, body lotions, lip balms, hair spritzers and after-sun gels, to dishwashing liquid, carpet powder and linen wash, and to potpourri sachets, lavender mists and candles. Almost all of her products are lavender-based, with some using other botanicals in the mix. Goo-Toda's product line even stretches to the taste buds with lavender ice cream, cookies and tea.

For non-lavender enthusiasts, Goo-Toda has a eucalyptus-tea line.

Besides pleasing the senses, Goo-Toda found through her research of lavender that the plant really is powerful. It was used to disinfect wounds during wartime. In pillows, like Goo-Toda's eye pillows, lavender serves to induce sleep and relaxation and to alleviate insomnia, headache and travel nausea. The mint family plant is used as an antidepressant. Native mostly to the Mediterranean region, lavender was used in Greek and Roman herbal baths and considered an herb of love in the Middle Ages. It was voted Herb of the Year for 1999 and is the best known of the fragrant herbs.

For those preferring fragrance-free products, Goo-Toda has several upcoming lines, one featuring non-scented items and others incorporating Hawaiian plants and focusing on pets. She also plans to open a lavender center at Ulupalakua for both education and retail, showcasing the distillation process and her products.

Most recently, Goo-Toda has been working day and night, making products in preparation for this weekend's festival. She will debut a teddy bear line, filled with lavender sachet.

While she hopes the festival will help spread the word about her products, she has already gotten calls from interested parties on the mainland and Japan.

But Goo-Toda remains cautious, aiming for smart, healthy growth for her company. "If it grows, it grows. If not, I'll still be happy," she said.

And she has much higher stakes than personal business success, hoping her lavender business will help diversify the island's economy. "As long as it does good for Maui, I'll be satisfied," she said.

First Hawaiian Bank's Made in Hawaii Festival Where: Neal Blaisdell Arena and Exhibition Hall When: Noon to 9 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Admission: $2, with children under 6 free (50 percent-off coupons available at all Oahu First Hawaiian Bank branches while supplies last)

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