Ridge Road Farms

At the heart of our business is a family farm in Southeast Iowa, but not the traditional Iowa farm that may come to mind. Our farm is situated in a narrow valley with smaller fields and winding roads, so it’s less than ideal for large-scale farming and much better suited for alternative crops and smaller equipment.

For these reasons, when we first heard about elderberry several years ago, we were very interested. The more we learned about this plant and its many health benefits, the more convinced we became that it would be a good fit for us. In 2020 our family planted our first 10 acres of American Elderberry. The following year we had our first crop and we considered that a success, but with an abundance of fresh elderberries readily available, we began to recognize another opportunity: to develop and market value-added elderberry and elderflower products. To that end, Ridge Road Farms was established in 2022. We have since planted an additional 10 acres of elderberries and a third 10-acre field is on the horizon.