Foglight Farms: Crafting Value-Added Products Rooted in Ecology and Culture
Tucked into the Oregon landscape, Foglight Farms is cultivating far more than produce. During our recent visit, it became clear that every part of the farm - from the crops they grow to the value-added products they create - is rooted in experimentation, cultural tradition, and a deep desire to help people connect more meaningfully with food.
Foglight began exploring value-added products several years ago as a practical response to the realities of small-scale farming. Like many farmers, they were navigating narrow margins, seasonal abundance, and the constant challenge of making full use of what they grow. But their process quickly evolved into something more creative and expansive.
One of their earliest successes came almost by accident. Founder, Prentice Onayemi, was making apple butter with apples grown on their Hillsboro, OR farm.
The batch burned slightly, but instead of discarding it, the team had the idea to spread the mixture into a dehydrator tray. The result became Foglight’ s now-beloved fruit leather—a richly flavored product that transforms peak-season fruit into something shelf-stable, portable, and deeply satisfying.
Today, Foglight produces fruit leathers all year long using fresh and preserved fruit from the season, selling around 1,000 bags annually. Their value-added offerings also includes pickles, baked goods, freeze-dried produce, and an evolving lineup of products inspired by food traditions from around the world.
Their newest project—a line of non-alcoholic botanical tonics launching this summer— captures the farm’s unique approach especially well. Using hydrosols distilled from farm-grown herbs and botanicals, the drinks are designed to create layered aromatic experiences that highlight the farm’s produce in an entirely new way. Carbonation lifts the botanical aromas across the palate, creating something complex, refreshing, and intentionally connected to the land.
“ VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS ARE A GREAT WAY TO MAKE FARM PRODUCTS ACCESSIBLE”- Prentice Onayemi.
For Prentice, whose background includes the study of naturopathic and Chinese medicine, the tonics are part of a broader exploration of how plants nourish both body and experience. Through these botanical drinks, Foglight hopes to create deeper connections between people, the flavors and medicines rooted in the land, and the farmers who carefully cultivate them.
At the heart of all this experimentation is a larger question: how can small farms survive —and thrive—without sacrificing their values?
“Scaling up is often presented as the only path to sustainability,” Prentice explained. “But we’re more interested in diving deeper into the artistry and sharing the sensory experience of farming with people.”
That mindset shapes everything at Foglight. They are planting perennial crops that may not produce for years. They are investing in processing techniques that preserve nutrition and flavor. And they are building a business model rooted not just in production, but in storytelling, collaboration, and community connection. Foglight’ swork is a reminder that value-added products can do more than diversify farm income. They can help farmers meet customers where they are, create deeper connections to agriculture, and expand the ways people experience organic food.
Photos by Shawn Linehan