by Kimberly Johnson, Cordata Wellness

The moon melt lotion bar is a decadent moisturizer with calendula and comfrey to help restore and soothe dry skin.

The Farm

Moon Valley is a 10-acre organic farm located in Deming, Washington. Kim Denend and Aaron Otto own and operate the farm and apiary, and also run a body care production facility. Vegetable gardens supply the Otto family and Moon Valley employees with fresh produce, while herb gardens generate ingredients for salves, soaps, and other body care products. This year they planted 9,000 calendula plants, three varieties of mint, burdock, marshmallow, comfrey, fennel, anise, and yarrow, all of which are organic or wildcrafted.

As part of their commitment to sustainability, they utilize a rainwater catchment tank for watering the gardens, and compost or reuse most of their waste on-site.

The Business

Moon Valley Organics employs 12 people, plus two to four WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) volunteers who work on the farm from spring to fall. Their products are sold at 11 retail locations in Whatcom County and at 393 additional locations nationwide. Their largest account remains the Pike Place Market booth in Seattle.

WWOOFers harvest calendula on Moon Valley’s 10-acre organic farm.

The Products

With company values stating their commitment to organic and sustainable ingredients, Moon Valley’s products are both natural and effective. They produce a Moon Melt Lotion Bar, liquid foaming soaps, bar soaps, lip balm, and a line of medicinal salves that were formulated by Daniel Newman, MD, ND, DOM (Doctor of Oriental Medicine). Most of the products utilize herbs and botanicals grown or wildcrafted on the farm. Several products carry the USDA organic certification, while other products are WSDA organic. Packages are produced with 100 percent recycled paper, and are letterpress printed by hand at Bison Bookbinding, a local Bellingham company.

Why We Love Moon Valley Organics

Our wellness staff has the opportunity to sample a wide range of products from many different companies, but we have a particular fondness for Moon Valley products. A few staff favorites include:

Oatmeal Sage Cleansing Body Bar, an exfoliating bar soap made with organic sage essential oil
Grapefruit Thyme Foaming Herbal Hand Soap, made with calendula and comfrey
Herbal Lip Balm, an organic vanilla lip balm
Herbal Heal, a medicinal salve made with calendula, goldenseal, and propolis

Please ask for assistance in finding these fabulous products on our shelves, and as always, thank you for shopping local!