From our gardeners and horticulturists to our distillers, technicians and quality controllers and everyone in between, there are many people involved in the success of Highcroft Hills. But none of it would be possible without the vision of our founder, Lloyd Smith. 

“Highcroft Hills began as a personal passion. But it has now grown into a pursuit of exceptional rose extracts.”

At the heart of Lloyd’s approach is a simple belief that our mission is our craft. “I find joy in tending carefully curated rose varieties, guiding them from soil to oil, extract and hydrosol, seeking perfection in every step.” The work at Highcroft Hills – like Lloyd’s other businesses – is grounded in nature and in this way it imbues satisfaction that’s both personal and profound. 

Nature has always been Lloyd’s true north and mindful business is his compass. Together they’ve helped him forge a path bound by integrity, transparency and passion. 

This path began in Australia’s Northern Territory. A place deeply connected to land and a sense of place. But it was when Lloyd moved to Shepparton in Victoria as a teen that business, farming and product started to become interesting. Shepparton is surrounded by sprawling farmland and is famed for its fruit orchards and dairy herds. So much so that it’s known as Australia’s ‘food bowl’. These years left a lasting imprint on Lloyd and his approach to business. 

But for university, he left farmed fields and open country for the bright lights of Melbourne. While studying Business of Commerce at Deakin University, Lloyd developed a passion for small businesses. Which isn’t surprising: Melbourne boasts a thriving community of independent retailers, restaurants and cafes. 

Despite graduating in the wake of the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, Lloyd opened a chain of cafés in Melbourne with a focus on serving exceptional coffee. And this is some feat: Melbourne is regarded as one of the world’s best places to sip the black brew. Competition was fierce. But that was part of the drive. It wasn’t long before Lloyd had expanded to Sydney and onwards to Tokyo. 

However, Lloyd’s longed to reconnect to nature and a product’s origins. So in 2016 he headed to Indonesia to source bold, rich, low-acidity coffee directly from growers. The fact that his parents had taught high-school-level Indonesian came in pretty handy, as Lloyd was proficient in the language, meaning he could build relationships that many of his competitors could not. 

This journey instigated further developments. Lloyd expanded from roasting and brewing to include sourcing and selling. He had oversight over the entire chain, from source to customer. Provenance had always been important to Lloyd; now he could ensure full traceability, too. 

But being the coffee connoisseur that he was, Lloyd wasn’t satisfied with the plant-based milks that were being served in his cafés. They were affecting the flavour and consistency of the coffee. Rather than simply sourcing from elsewhere, Lloyd being Lloyd decided to create his own brand of soy milk. After intensive research, Happy Happy Soy Boy was born, delivering a creamy, milk-like consistency that perfectly balances the acidity of the espresso in every flat white, latte and cappuccino.

But then, in 2020, Lloyd took, what on the face of it looked like, a radical change in direction. He started Highcroft Hills. Far from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne, Sydney and Tokyo, Highcroft Hills was seven acres of beautiful, undulating farmland in the Tasmanian archipelago. And he was going to swap coffee and soy beans for 10,000 rose plants. But coffee and roses have more in common than you may think. If you boil it all down, they’re both about using heat and pressure to extract the best out of a natural product. 

And part of this decision wasn’t rational. It was personal. It was born from Lloyd’s unwavering passion for provenance, for honoring nature, for wanting to know not just how things are made, but where they’re from and how they’re grown. All to create the highest quality products. In Highcroft Hills’ case, this is pure and potent rose botanicals from petals rich in bioactive compounds. 

“Roses command a quiet power – their complexity, their fragrance, the delicate care they demand. My goal is to grow a fully traceable, natural ingredient that invites a return to the sensory richness of the natural world, offering a mindful alternative to synthetic formulations.”

Everything Lloyd does carries this same sense of care, responsibility and connection. It is about respect for process and outcome, and about creating something meaningful with patience and integrity, for today and for generations to come.