(South Bend, IN) - Christmas season treats like candy canes could be flavored with the oil from mint raised by a longtime grower in South Bend.
Randy Matthys, a third generation mint grower, said he’s not sure if any of his mint oil winds up in the goodies that come out during the holidays, but one of his major customers is a well- known maker of chewing gum and candy. “I don’t really know where it all goes,” he said.
Matthys also raises corn, soybeans and wheat on a few thousand more acres in northeast La Porte County. A slight percentage of his oil is used in homemade treats this time of year by people who sometimes come to his house wanting a 16 ounce or sample size bottle of mint oil for their holiday baking.
Matthys, 71, raises peppermint and spearmint on about 1,100 acres at his main farm on the western edge of South Bend where his grandfather began raising the aromatic leafy herb in the early 1930’s. One of the largest users of his mint oil is the Wrigley Company, the world’s largest maker of chewing gum. The Chicago based firm established in 1891 also produces candy such as Lifesavers and the breath freshener, Altoids.
Another good sized percentage of his mint oil winds up in the hands of Colgate, a leading worldwide maker of oral hygiene products like toothpaste and mouth wash. Matthys said he sells the mint oil under contract to companies who are suppliers to the actual users.
His mint is planted in early spring and harvested beginning in July. The crop is placed into wagons and hauled to a distillery at the farm that uses steam to extract the oil from the leaves.
Matthys said up to 12 wagon loads at a time can be placed into the distillery, which processes as much as 40 to 50 acres of mint each day. He still enjoys the strong aroma of fresh mint that escapes during the distillation process and carries for a good distance. “The neighborhood usually knows when we’re harvesting,” he said.
He places the mint oil into 55 gallon drums his major customers give him and later pick-up once full. “The mint oil is the crop,” he said. Matthys said there used to be as many as 30 mint growers in northern Indiana but the number is now in the single digits. “Right now, we’re one of seven,” he said.
Matthys said he continues to raise mint because contracts to provide it keep coming his way and he makes a good enough profit. “Historically, it’s been a great specialty crop,” he said. Matthys also said he still enjoys the work. “You have to have the passion. We seem to have that, I guess,” he said.
