WEST
SIDE

FARM
STORY

We’re a dynamic farm in Garfield Park that
puts community and sustainability at
the forefront of everything we do.

what we do

Wholesale

We started our farm journey by only selling direct to restaurants, and while that isn’t the only thing we do now, it is still a big part of what we do here at Herban.

Chicago is a food city, and we are proud to be a part of that throughout some of the cities best restaurants.

Retail

As we grew we wanted to be able to reach more mouths so we began the Market Box program! It has evolved to be a year round way to service families and individuals around the city with fresh farm veggies and a rotating selection of pantry goods from small producers here in the city.

Events

It is our ultimate goal to bring people together using food, art, and music. Come to a curated event at The Coop!

The Coop is our indoor/outdoor space on the farm. It is also available for rent for your next intimate gathering. It is perfect for chef pop up dinners, or hosted workshops!

how we got here

Dream

In 2013 Core Spaces, a Chicago-based developer, set out to leverage their real estate background to launch a social enterprise in Chicago. Core Spaces Principal Barry Howard led the effort to with goals of environmental stewardship, sustainability, local food and entrepreneurship. Herban Produce was born out of this vision to providing local employment and education opportunities, as well as healthy food options, for the East Garfield Park neighborhood and beyond.

Build

We built our first growing space, the hydroponic greenhouse, in 2016. Fast-forward to 2018 when Alicia Nesbary-Moore brought her STEM background to the table, joining Barry as CEO and co-owner. The team of two established partnerships with top restaurants across the city. Seeing the farm’s potential for impact, Alicia and Barry set up Herban Produce as a for-profit business so that the farm could be self-sustaining while maintaining focus on the local community it was founded to support.

Grow

With growth in mind, Herban Produce expanded its footprint to two acres in 2020 to include an outdoor production farm, event space, and community space. Herban Produce has also brought on new team members, allowing us to pursue several, diverse initiatives that will grow the business while scaling impact. Already in the works are the CSA Farm Share Program, and Corporate Wellness Program—to name just a few. With both the space and team growing, we’re more excited than ever to see what we can pull off for our customers and our community.