Harvesting the crop

Harvesting of the oil occurs once a year during the hottest season to ensure the highest yield is obtained. The trees are mechanically harvested when they are an average height of 2 metres. The leaves and stems are cut and then blown up a chute and
	into large stainless steel bins ready for distillation, a process that also occurs on the property. During the harvesting the leaf is collected and distilled for approximately two hours in stainless steel bins to ensure the oil extracted is of the highest
quality. Once the leaf has been distilled it is emptied out of the bins and is then returned to the soil in the form of mulch or composted with other components to create a natural fertilizer for the trees. To maintain quality control a sample
	of each harvest is sent away for scientific analysis. To ensure optimum life of the oil it is stored in stainless steel drums, kept out of direct sunlight and in a consistent temperature. The result is a high quality pure and natural Australian essential oil.

The whole process occurs on the property at Lake Cathie from the growing to harvesting, distilling and finally the bottling and labeling. After the harvest the next 3 weeks are spent hand pruning each tree into a compact shape. Within 2-3 months healthy new red shoots appear on the trees again. Left: Leptospermum petersonii seedlings surrounded by the more common Melaleuca alternifolia variety.