Connecting Community, Conservation, and Local Food: Our Partnership with Oxbow Orchard

What if a visit to Cuyahoga Valley National Park included the opportunity to connect directly with local farmers and access fresh, locally grown food?

Through Oxbow Orchard, that vision is already a reality.

For the past 10 years, Kyla and Beth Werlin have farmed leased land within Cuyahoga Valley National Park — a rare arrangement that places working agriculture at the heart of a national park landscape. Their farm store, named Oxbow Market, has become a gathering place for the community, and a place to buy organic produce that is grown on-site as well as carefully selected locally sourced products. All it takes is one visit to notice who the duo’s commitment to locally grown and responsibly raised food is central to everything they do.

Kyla’s path to farming wasn't a conventional one. Growing up in Boston, she didn't think much about food systems until college brought her to Asheville, NC, where she fell in love with the local food scene and began working on several farms around the country. Beth, on the other hand, grew up in Southern Ohio, but the landscape was dominated by corn and soy fields. It wasn’t until she started working on diverse organic farms while she was in college that she fell in love with farming. Kyla and Beth eventually both found their way to Northeast Ohio, where they built Oxbow together.

What makes Oxbow stand out in our regional food landscape is what you will find on the market shelves. Kyla and Beth have chosen to focus on the things most grocery stores don't provide: local crafts, locally grown produce, and an honest desire to promote the people behind the products. Customers to the Orchard are welcome to learn how the farm’s animals are raised, how the land is managed, and how sustainable practices look in action. It's the kind of direct, educational connection that inspires people to eat more thoughtfully and to support the neighbors growing the food they buy.

Oxbow also plays a meaningful role in strengthening the local food economy. Very few grocery stores in the area stock local produce, and even fewer are transparent about their products’ origins. In this sense, Oxbow fills a critical gap. They distribute food from small farms in a way that allows every purchase to keep money circulating within the community.

The care and love Kyla and Beth pour into their farm is one of the reasons Forest City Food Collective has partnered with Oxbow Orchard.

Together, we are working to:

• Expand access to locally produced food and goods

• Support educational farm experiences that focus on sustainable land stewardship

• Build a more resilient and interconnected local food economy by offering local farmers and creators a place to sell their goods

Through our collaboration, Oxbow Market has been able to add offerings from our other partners to their shelves, expanding their vendor list and helping more people shop small while supporting regional growers.

Forest City Food Collective is proud to stand alongside partners who are building meaningful connections between land, food, and community — and we're glad to have found each other.

To learn more about Oxbow Orchard, visit their website today!