Otter Oaks Farm was launched in 2021 by Soraya Alem with the intention of growing food with regenerative and closed-loop farming practices, feeding the community while passing on knowledge, creating connections, and sharing resources.

After two successful years cultivating on a half acre at Windy City Harvest, Soraya and spouse/head grower Jarvi Schneider have found success growing diversified vegetables and distributing them through a CSA model, wholesale aggregator, and at two local farmerʼs markets.

In pursuit of long-term land security, Otter Oaks became a partner of The Conservation Fund's Working Farms Fund in 2024, signing a lease for a 40-acre property in Woodstock, Illinois. Over the next five years, TCF and Otter Oaks will work to have a conservation easement placed on the property, at which time Otter Oaks will have the opportunity to purchase the farm property at a reduced price.

Otter Oaks has planned a thoughtful transition to the new land, which includes continuing cultivation at their urban farm site during the 2025 season while subletting the 40 acres to an established tenant. A low-interest loan from Foodshed Capital will provide Otter Oaks working capital to improve soil health and cover maintenance costs before they fully transition to living and farming on the property in 2026.