Who we are
Prairie Fruits Farm, LLC is your source for locally-produced, organic, fresh and flavorful fruit and sustainably produced cheese. We are the first farmstead cheese facility in Illinois. We raise our Nubian and La Mancha goats on locally produced high quality hay and pasture. Only their milk goes into our cheeses. On just seven acres of rich prairie soil in the heart of Central Illinois, we have begun to transform the landscape from cash grain agriculture to diversified perennial fruit trees and berries and goat pastures.
Besides producing and selling our products, our goals are to promote and build locally based food systems. We strive to educate our community about organic and sustainable agriculture and the connections between food production and consumption.
We sell our products through local markets in Central Illinois including the Urbana Farmers' Market and some restaurant and retail locations in Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal. We also have cheese available for sale in select Chicago locations including the Green City Market, several restaurants, and cheese shops.
How we got here and where we're going
Wes Jarrell and Leslie Cooperband are the proud owners of Prairie Fruit Farm, LLC. We moved to the Champaign-Urbana area from Madison Wisconsin a little over three years ago. In 2003, we planted all of our cropped land (about 5 acres) in a lush cover crop of buckwheat to begin restoring our prairie soil. In 2004, we planted over 350 fruit trees and 600 berry plants AND purchased our first four Nubian goats (three does and one buck).
Our dream for our farmstead is to be diverse (fruit and goats), sustainable (environmentally, socially and economically) and to serve as a model for others interested in small-scale diversified farming systems.
Where to Purchase our Products
During farmers' market season (May through mid November), we sell at the Urbana Market at the Square (Lincoln Square Mall in downtown Urbana) every Saturdays and Chicago's Green City Market every other Saturday. In 2007, we will be selling cheese and fruits at the new Mahomet Market on Main Street every Wednesday afternoon. We also sell our cheeses at several retail stores in the Champaign Urbana area (Strawberry Fields, World Harvest, The Common Ground Food Coop), Bloomington-Normal (The Garlic Press) and Chicago (Pastoral, Fox and Obel and Marion Street Cheese Market).
