THE HISTORY

"The universal powers of plants are man's reward

for preserving the purity of Mother Nature."

In 1865, near the end of the U.S. Civil War, five Bayliss brothers purchased land together in Northern California and began organically farming. The brothers planted most of their 20,000 acres to wheat. However widespread flooding and crop failures in Northern California promoted the Lincoln administration to build levees in hopes of saving Sacramento valley agriculture.

During this time, many Chinese immigrants were coming to America in search of fortune.  They helped build the Transcontinental Railroad and worked in the gold mining around Butte County. At this same time the government offered some of the first agricultural subsidies in history to farmers who would replace wheat with rice growing.  One could say the rice conveniently arrived with our Chinese immigrants. It was during this transition the Bayliss family moved from Glenn to Butte County and transitioned to rice farming.

Fast-forward one hundred years, and we meet Donna Bayliss, who has run the family business since 1983. Alone with her 6-year old son, a motherly instinct to protect him and  the family business drove her to take on the challenge. Over time she retired the ranch debt and replaced an exhausted walnut orchard with botanicals. Her intuition said that farming organic botanicals was a new opportunity for a struggling agricultural economy. While improving the environment, these botanicals could become alternatives to synthetic cosmetic ingredients. 

Nearly three decades would lapse before this dream would become reality.  "This vision had come to me shortly after moving to Bayliss Ranch.  One morning I sat watching the morning sunrise.  My mind followed it east along our same latitude to the other side of the earth.  Imagining the beauty and aroma of botanicals growing in the Mediterranean, I wondered why we couldn't farm these beautiful crops." All we needed was the ability to transform the essence of nature into liquid.  Old world alembic processes at first seemed daunting but with time and expertise we learned some modern day technology that would ultimately simplify our quest.

It was Donna's conviction and determination that led her to select organic botanicals. "I wanted to provide the alternative of pure ingredients for synthetic cosmetic products," states Donna. She didn't want to pollute the land with agro-chemicals, and found her way back to the family's original farming methods. "I felt it was a great place to claim organic. When synthetics can so easily replicate botanicals, it was a natural place to use the validating process of certified organic standards to distinguish between "man-made" and "Mother Nature."

Donna described a time when she used lavender oil on a smashed finger.  Within 30 minutes the blackened nail returned to its' natural clear color. "Organic botanicals are more powerful than any man-made synthetics. We should honor and respect their strength." Donna has also found pleasure in researching and studying native plants in the area traditionally used by Native Americans.

Today, we distill organic botanicals using a newly developed extraction process to produce certified organic AllPlant Essence®. Protected as Trade Secret.

Bayliss Ranch is certified 100% organic by Quality Assurance International and California Certified Organic Farmers, under the USDA - National Organic Program. From USDA's March 9, 2005 letter [in part]"...USDA recognizes that Bayliss Ranch ALLPLANT ESSENCE® are 100% certified organic agricultural products..."

This certificate verifies our commitment to the environment to restore and protect our lands. We increase soil fertility through naturally derived composting and other methods. Our diverse planting of herbs and other crops provides a rich habitat for wildlife.

What is "organic"?  Organic by definition means "simple, basic, and in harmony with nature."

Bayliss Ranch was the first to create a state law to regulate and protect the purity of real botanicals in personal care product.

"Organic" products are also grown and processed in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program and the California Organic Products Act of 2003 (COPA).

Labeling: Organic labeling claims on multi-ingredient products must be made by the manufacturer that places the label on the consumer packaging under federal law appearing at 7 C.F.R. Part 205.  Because each final product formulation is different, Bayliss Ranch makes no representation regarding ultimate labeling claims made by the user of its products nor warrants any labeling claim arising from the use of this product in a multi-ingredient product.