Emma Nelson

HGC Owner  #663 - Emma has grown up and lived in the Hudson and River Falls area for the past 32 years. She has an extensive background in food and a passion for local agriculture and providing the community with fresh, local, sustainable foods and products. She was raised on her family’s small organic farm (Rising Sun Farm) just 5 miles east of River Falls. Growing up on the farm she learned about the importance of organic agriculture, sustainability, and nutrient dense food. Her time there also gave her experience as a vendor working with co-ops in the surrounding areas. Though she no longer lives or works on the farm, she has continued to foster her passion of growing food for the community by managing a large garden space located next to the Ciranda office she works at in Hudson. The garden at Ciranda provides a place for employee-owners to learn, relax, and grow food for themselves and local food banks. After leaving her roots on the family farm Emma went to school for Culinary Arts and went on to cook in local restaurants and was the Chef de Cuisine at Lolo American Kitchen until 2017. Since then, she has been working as a Quality Assurance Specialist at Ciranda, Inc. – a distributor for ingredients that is focused on the organic market. When Emma isn’t working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family on the farm, and at home with her husband and two dogs. She is an avid traveler and enjoys visiting new places that give her a deeper understanding and perspective on the world. She also enjoys doing pottery, gardening, and woodworking. Emma is thrilled to be a new member of the board and looks forward to bringing her experience to HGC.