Tour of the Young Living Farm in Guayaquil Ecuador
By Claudia Looi
Nothing beats a real life experience…
Our driver Johnny took us to the front of a huge closed gate. The guard came out and instantly recognized him and let us in. He drove through dirt road for over 10 minutes and I saw the vastness and lush tropical trees as far as the eyes could see.
I didn’t grasp the full concept of Seed to Seal until I saw it with my own eyes at the Young Living Farm or Finca Botanica Aromatica in Guayaquil Ecuador. As Jose showed us the Worm House and the processes of preparing the soil for plantation I began to think about the term ‘organic’.
What does it mean to be organically grown without any chemicals or artificial fertilizers? What is organic gardening?
For answers I went to Burpee’s website:
Organic gardening is more than simply avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. It is about observing nature’s processes, and emulating them in your garden as best you can. And the most important way to do that is to understand the makeup of your soil and to give it what it needs. If anything could be called a ‘rule’ in organic gardening, it’s this: feed the soil, not the plant.
The Worm House is extremely important in the process of cultivating plants to produce Therapeutic Grade A essential oils. The processes that had to take place before seeds were planted into the soil blew me away.
What exactly is the Worm House for in Young Living’s Farm in Guayaquil?
To produce organic liquid fertilizer!
The worm population is well-maintained in the worm house in Finca Botanica Aromatica. It could double every 2-3 months and adult worms can produce up to 12 offspring per week. This worm house in the farm produces organic liquid fertilizer.
This part of the tour showed that Young Living’s plants are produced in exceptional quality soil and organically without chemicals.
Looking around the farm
During our visit, oregano was being harvested. Workers hand picked the leaves and were replanting them in the green house. Another group of workers were handpicking the leaves at exactly the right time for distillation. There is no cloning or hybrid seeds found.
Ecuador’s tropical climate and fertile land allows year-round growing season.
There were ylang ylang trees with flowers, peppermint, lemongrass, palo santo trees with oils coming out from the tree trunk.
We were given a few pieces of peppermint leaves and rubbed them in our palms. Instantly we had could smell the soothing peppermint essential oil.
The ylang ylang trees grow very fast in Ecuador. They only take two years to mature and produce fragrant ylang ylang flowers where the oils are extracted.
Close to the Worm House is a brick building. The walls were made entirely by the students from Young Living Academy. These students are taught a new method of making bricks by using local dirt and cement.
Distillery and Laboratory
We saw three stainless steel distillation equipment on site in Guayaquil. Low pressure and low temperature were used in the steam distillation process to ensure the plant compounds remained uncompromised during the extraction process.
There was a sweet fragrance in the room with the aroma of Ylang Ylang. Ylang Ylang essential oil was being distilled during our visit. The water extracted from the plant was being channeled to Nova Vita spa.
Finca Botanica Aromatica Guayaquil has its own internal lab to test and ensure the purity of the essential oils.
The Tree House
Dr. Gary and Mary Young’s son Joseph was with his friends going to the tree house when we visited. The tree house is a great place to find solace and get away from it all. You can reserve a night there for $70 per person per night including all meals and transportation to and from the city of Guayaquil.
The tree house has two rooms, one bathroom, a kitchen area and sitting area. It has the best view of the farm, pool and a lake.
Nova Vita Health and Spa Center
Not far from the Distillery and Laboratory is the Nova Vita Health and Spa Center. It was filled with patients during our visit. There is a spa room that gets water from the distillery. Nova Vita provides therapies and treatments using therapeutic grade essential oils.
Their services include blood analysis, raindrop techniques, colon hydrotherapy, chiropractic treatment, body synergy treatment, infrared sauna and floral waters Jacuzzi.
The center sells selected Young Living products to patients. I saw OmegaGize, Multigreens, Longevity, Juva Cleanse, Super B and Comfortone.
Patients and guests can choose an overnight stay at the center either in the four bedrooms below the treatment center or at the tree house.
Dining Room
Close to the center is the dining room and kitchen by the lake. The dining room has a kitchen where all meals are provided for patients and guests who stay at the center. We spoke with the cook from Peru. He said all meals and drinks on site are prepared without sugar, normal salt or white flour.
Across the lake from the dining room is the first ‘house’ in the 2,000 acre farm. Adolfo pointed it out to us and said it was Mary Young’s “first house” according to Dr. Young.
Our tour to the Young Living Farm in Guayaquil was informal but informative. It opened my eyes to the purity of the oil, the professionalism of the company, the happiness of the workers and the benefits that Ecuador is receiving from a man who had the vision and tenacity to make a dream come true.
As I left the farm with the driver to the city of Guayaquil, I saw the school bus waiting for workers in the farm. Transportation is provided daily to the farm’s workers by Young Living’s Finca Botanica Aromatica to the nearby villages.
Young Living Farm is a working farm that supports the community of Chongon by providing jobs and an opportunity for students to learn about agriculture and the use of local materials for building and making the place a more environmentally friendly and safe.
Each essential oil we promote, purchase or use is made with integrity, purity and quality.
Claudia Looi is an Online Copywriter and Web Content Writer. She is currently traveling in South America with her husband and two teens. You can find her at www.travelwritingpro.com
Disclaimer: This information is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat or cure any illness or disease. It’s strictly for informational, educational, or entertainment purposes ONLY. The products I talk about are not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat or cure any illness or disease. Any information I give you about them is for informational or entertainment purposes only. They have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. Please seek the qualified health professional of your choice when making health decisions for yourself, your family and your pets.
Great article! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing experience with us.