Mt. Hope Farms - Oregon Grown Grape Excellence
Ryan Gaughan - September 2025
People’s Food Co-op is excited to partner with Mt. Hope Farms, growers of exquisite table grapes! Located in Molalla, Oregon–only 26 miles away from People’s–this family farm is breaking onto the agricultural scene in an innovative way producing some very high quality fruit that we want to share with you.
Mt. Hope Farms grows 1.5 acres of Thomcord, Reliance, and Jupiter grapes. The Ellis’ are a 5th generation Oregon farming family that also grows 300 acres of low intervention, low/no till wheat locally processed through Union Mills. They decided to start growing grapes several years ago to diversify their crops and have seen tremendous results.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Ellis family on the farm in late August, just as their grape varieties were entering the final stages of maturation. It’s a short window in September to harvest the 16,000 pounds of grapes they typically produce, all the while keeping an eye out for early autumn rains which can cause splitting and damage to this sensitive crop.
The Ellis family made it very clear to me that they consider themselves stewards of the land. They’ve seen first hand the impact that synthetic pesticides, chemical agents, and intensive tillage have on soil health, as well the negative physical impact on generations of their family members’ health. The Ellis’ want to be an example to other legacy farms in the area that change is possible, and profitable. The farm consistently utilizes cover crops to keep the soil below the grape trellis healthy. They also rarely use irrigation, as grape vines thrive through deep rooted access to water stores well below the surface.
I’m excited to begin this working relationship with the Ellis family on behalf of People’s. The farm received a grant to build a food processing facility on their farm, which opens up huge opportunities to produce more affordable value added products like jam and juices. Infrastructure like this contributes to food resilience in the Willamette Valley by providing small family farms with more income generating opportunities, and as a means to serve local communities struggling with the high cost of food.
