Sonoma Lavender stuffed animals makes Oprah’s Favorite Things 2021

Sonoma Lavender Co.’s scented stuffed animals have made this year’s list of Oprah’s favorite things.

The heatable stuffed animals, from koalas to French poodles, each contain a pouch stuffed with Sonoma Valley lavender or eucalyptus.

“Pop the pouch in the microwave for a few seconds, place it into the stuffed animal, and — voila! — a soothing snuggle buddy that’s great for the young and not-so-young," Oprah Winfrey writes in the list.

The plush stuffed animals have received more attention than anticipated, Sonoma Lavender owner Scott Maddock said. Since Oprah’s list was released Monday, the Santa Rosa company’s orders have increased tenfold.

“What we don’t know is if it will die down in the next few weeks or will it continue strong through Christmas,” he said. “It’s a wonderful honor to be part of the program and be acknowledged.”

The plush stuffed animals sell for $39.95 on Sonoma Lavender’s website and also are sold on Amazon.

Sonoma Lavender was told about a month ago that the gift and spa product maker would be featured on the list, which didn’t leave much time to ramp up, Maddock said.

“We were very surprised, but she has people scout for products, and they visit trade shows and so forth,” he said. “Obviously they had picked us up somewhere along the way, so we were very pleased.”

One concern Maddock does have is how the supply-chain crisis may affect the company as orders increase.

“That’ll impact how much we can provide,” he said.

This is not the first time that Oprah has selected a North Bay product for her annual holiday shopping guide, which includes dozens of kitchen, tech, beauty, home and kid-friendly products. In 2016, packaged biscuit mix from Big Bottom Market in Guerneville was featured on the list.

The following year, English muffins from Napa’s Model Bakery, preserves from St. Helena’s Clif Family Preserves and candles and K+M Extravirgin Chocolate from The French Laundry chef Thomas Keller also were included.

For Sonoma Lavender, the shout out from Oprah is giving the 20-year-old brand national recognition that it may have not received otherwise.

“That’s what’s important for us,” Maddock said.