Mickle Farms

05/08/2025

Have you ever heard of a “flavor house?” I toured Mickle Farms mint farm last week and mint is harvested for its oil.

Behind us is the first part of that process. The wagons full of mint are distilled down to make 60-80 pounds of oil and one acre can produce 1.5 wagons… so around 80-120 pounds of oil per acre.

This means that one acre of mint (oil) can make over 100,000 tubes of Colgate toothpaste! Nearly 2 MILLION sticks of gum, or 5 million mint candies. Mmmm 😋

Mint oil is distilled more, tested for menthol & uniformity, quality, stability and safety where it is then stored in 400 pounds (181.4 kilos) drums. Flavor and fragrance houses may purchase the oil for all sorts of different products… even some local ice cream makers! (Don’t you LOVE mint chocolate chip??)

Mint oil is potent. Just ONE DROP can make 31 sticks of gum or 2.5 tubes of toothpaste.

Nowadays, a lot of companies source mint as a synthetic chemical made overseas, leaving the farmer behind. 🙁 Colgate is one of the only brands left that sources mint direct from USA grown family farms like this one, so support them if you can!

And if you brushed your teeth today…thank a farmer 😊

05/06/2025

A MINT farm! I know what you’re thinking…how do they get it to stop totally taking over!? Well in this part of Washington, they have somewhat of a desert type climate and can control growth and vigor via irrigation - which means they have a little more control over how it grows. These mint plants will be about hip height when it’s harvested this fall!

Here at Mickle Farms, they grow 600 acres of it with 3 main varieties- Scotch spearmint, Native spearmint, and Peppermint. It’s primarily grown for oil which is used in everyday products like ice cream, lotions, soaps, liquor, toothpaste, mouthwash, candy and more :)

05/01/2025

Had a GREAT morning with Farm Babe and talking about our area and mint farming

I forgot to change my shoes before going on the mint farm tour today 🤦‍♀️ My casual “hotel shoes” will have to do.

But that’s okay. Here in the Columbia basin region of Washington, they have very sandy black soil. This Florida girl will fit right in in sand and flip flops 🙃🤣

These is baby peppermint! With a wheat cover crop. Soon they’ll spray to kill the wheat so the mint can thrive and grow. These baby peppermint broadleaf plants will grow to be harvested after 3-5 months depending on the age of the plant.

This mint will eventually be turned into oil that goes into Colgate toothpaste!

Support Colgate - they’re one of the only toothpaste brands left that actually purchase their mint direct from USA grown family farms like this one. Mickle Farms