About Us
Mountain Gem Botanicals began with a copper still that's older than I am.
When I first ran lavender through it, something happened that I didn't expect.
The smell was different.
Softer. Sweeter. None of that sharp, medicinal edge you get from the lavender oil at the store. It smelled like an actual lavender field on a summer evening.
That's when I learned the secret:
Copper binds with sulfur compounds.
Those harsh notes that make cheap lavender oil smell medicinal? Copper pulls them out during distillation. Stainless steel (the material used in most commercial extraction) doesn't do this. It's faster, cheaper, and the results show it.
What's left after copper distillation is the true essence of the plant: floral, honeyed, calm. The way lavender is supposed to smell.
That first batch changed everything.
The first
distillation takes six hours.
That's not a typo.
Six hours to extract the oil from a single batch of English lavender (Lavanda angustifolia). Modern stainless steel equipment could do it in a fraction of the time. But faster doesn't mean better. It means cutting corners on temperature, rushing the extraction, losing the delicate top notes that make copper-distilled lavender smell like something you want to breathe in rather than something you
tolerate.
I tried the fast way once.
Never again.
Every batch of Mountain Gem balm starts with lavender I grew myself, in fields I can see from my kitchen window. I harvest it by hand. I distill it slowly, in copper, the way it's been done for centuries. And then I blend it with grass-fed tallow, jojoba or almond oil, and arrowroot powder until it reaches that perfect silk-touch texture.
It may be a slow process, but it's worth it every single time.
Let me guess: you've tried tallow before.
Maybe someone told you it was amazing for your skin (which it is). Maybe you read about how its fatty acid profile mimics human sebum (which it
does). Maybe you got excited and ordered a jar.
And then you tried it. And it sat on top of your skin like a coat of butter. Heavy. Greasy. You wondered if your pillowcase would ever recover.
I had the exact same experience.
That's why I spent months perfecting the formula. The secret is arrowroot powder, a natural absorbent that transforms the texture from "coating" to "melting." Our balm glides on, sinks in, and leaves behind nothing but soft, hydrated skin.
No shine. No residue. No wondering if your face is going to leave a mark on everything you touch.
You can apply it at 7 am and forget about it by 7:05.
That's the freedom I wanted. And now it's yours.
Let me guess: you've tried tallow before.
I should probably tell you about my background.
I spent 01ver 12 years in commercial agricultural production and commodity sourcing. Time that taught me exactly how products are made, what goes into
them, and what companies hope you'll never ask about. I've read the safety studies. I've sat in the meetings. I've seen what happens when "good enough" becomes the standard.
That experience is why Mountain Gem exists.
Not because I wanted to start a business, but because I wanted skincare I could actually trust. For myself. For my family. For anyone who's tired of wondering what's really in the jar.
These days, you'll find me on a small farm in West Virginia, in one of those quiet towns where the mountains are older than memory and "slow" isn't an insult, it's a way of life. If you've ever felt the pull of simpler things, of making
something with your hands, of knowing exactly where it comes from, of choosing quality over convenience; you understand why I'm here.
What We Stand For
Ingredient Absolutism
If I wouldn't eat it, I won't put it on your skin. No seed oils. No synthetic fragrances. No ingredients that require a footnote. Our full ingredient list: grass-fed beef tallow, jojoba/almond oil, Vitamin E, arrowroot
powder, copper-distilled lavender essential oil. That's it.
Radical Transparency
Ask me anything. Where does the tallow come from? We source it from our neighbor who owns a cattle ranch.
How long is the distillation? Six hours, minimum. I have nothing to hide because there's nothing to hide.
Slow Beauty
We don't mass-produce. We can't. Every batch is small, intentional, and made fresh. That means sometimes we sell out. That means you might have to wait. But it also means you're getting something made with attention, not automation.
Supply Chain Sovereignty
From lavender plant to sealed jar, every step happens on our farm or under our direct supervision. No mystery suppliers. No ingredients from the other side of the world. No hoping the "organic" label actually means something. Just a direct line from our land to your skin.
If you're still reading, you're probably my kind of person.
The kind who reads ingredient labels even when it's exhausting. The kind who asks "but where does it actually come from?" even when the answer is hard to
find. The kind who's willing to pay a little more for something made with intention rather than efficiency.
You've been searching for a while, haven't you?
Welcome to Mountain Gem Botanicals.
I'm glad you found us.