Rising Sun Farms: ‘Lifestyle Business’

For Rising Sun Farms owner Elizabeth Fujas, work and play are possible even in a busy business. After 23 years, Fujas says she still feels the same excitement she felt when she started the company. “I just feel so honored and lucky to be doing this every day,” she states. “This is what I love to do; it is exciting all the time and I try to keep that excitement in the company. It is always fun to get innovative and try new things.”

A natural and organic food manufacturer based in Phoenix, Ore., Rising Sun Farms specializes in cheese tortas, pesto sauces and balsamic drizzles. Its products are free of trans fats, genetically modified organisms, growth hormones, preservatives, sulfites or other added chemicals.

It offers 12 award-winning cheese torta flavors – or layered cream cheese-based spreads – that come in 9.5-ounce packages. Its popular flavors include artichoke lemon, chocolate mocha, gorgonzola, key lime, light pesto dried tomato, marionberry, mild curry and pesto dried tomato. The company also recently launched a mini-version known as the cheese tortettes, which are available in 3-ounce packages.

“We make about 80 different products, but the cheese tortas are what we are noted for,” Fujas notes. And what makes Rising Sun Farms’ cheeses distinct, aside from their natural ingredients, is their shelf life.

“I developed these cheese products so they can be frozen for 18 months,” Fujas states. “Most of the time when you think about cheese, you don’t think it can be stored frozen. [Our cheeses] don’t have a short shelf life, so there is no product that goes bad at the store. That is a significant advantage because [typical] cheeses, as soon as they are made, the clock starts ticking. Our products never have that problem.”

The company distributes nationwide and also exports to Canada, Mexico, and most recently, Costa Rica and Switzerland. Its products can be found in specialty food stores and health food stores, such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
Even with its growing distribution, Fujas says Rising Sun Farms is focused on doing its own thing.

“We classify ourselves as a lifestyle business,” she explains. “We are not trying to conquer the cheese business. We just pride ourselves in our determination to [use] clean ingredients. We love doing what we do and we feel very blessed.”

The American Way
A big part of Rising Sun Farms’ mission is to support American farmers. “We try and support the American farmers and local farmers, as well,” Fujas says. “That way, we get the freshest and the best ingredients, and we support the farm economy.” For example, Fujas says that 98 percent of hazelnuts consumed in the country are grown in Oregon. Medford, Ore., is also known as the pear capital of the world, she adds. Oregon also grows cranberries on the coast. So, Rising Sun Farms developed the Gorgonzola Cheese Torta with a blend of roasted hazelnuts and cranberries.

“It’s a wonderful combination,” Fujas notes. “Hazelnut is a wonderful nut and cranberries give out that tartness flavor. We try and balance the [taste] – it makes your mouth wake up with flavor.”
In addition to its cheese ingredients, Rising Sun Farms also uses its 28-acre farm to harvest grapes and make its own wine. “Selecting the right wine with food is really important,” Fujas states, noting that each of its cheese packages comes with wine pairing information.

Another way it educates its consumers is through its on-site tasting room, where consumers can sample Rising Sun Farms’ products, as well as other popular jams, chocolates and mustards from all over the United States.

The company also carries balsamic drizzles, a line of premium-aged balsamic vinegars infused with fruit and in some cases, spices. Its flavors include apricot, chipotle, fig, ginger-lemon, pomegranate, raspberry and strawberry.

First Venture
Even before it started making cheeses, Rising Sun Farms’ first venture into the culinary world was with its very own pesto. “The inspiration came when we started having a family and we wanted [our kids] to have lots of wonderful foods,” Fujas recalls.

“My husband and I had been living offshore and we would always shop in markets and ate fresh foods.”

She adds that when they moved to Oregon in 1982, they found the lack of fresh foods available in the area. “So, we decided to have an organic farm and discovered that people who come to our house loved our food,” Fujas states. “Our first line was pesto sauces and we still make them today.”
Today, Rising Sun Farms carries six lines of pestos: artichoke lemon, dried tomato and olive, organic basil and dried tomato, organic basil and garlic, organic garlic galore, and organic ultimate classic.

A Rising Trend
Fujas says the company is not affected by the slowdown of the economy; in fact, it is thriving. “People don’t go out to eat as much and [they are] more willing to spend a little bit more on comfort food and entertain at home,” she stresses.

Fujas adds that the U.S. economy would be boosted if consumers bought more American products. “If we put our mindset in supporting American businesses, we would hopefully dig out of some of our financial problem,” she says. “And, hopefully, that will be a trend.”

‘Amazing Addition’
Other than continuously expanding its product lines, Rising Sun Farms also co-packs for companies. An example is Café Yumm, an Oregon-based restaurant that focuses on serving healthy dishes. “We make this amazing sauce for them,” Fujas states. “What they are doing is so innovative. They [offer] healthy alternatives and affordable dining experiences.”

She adds the companies such as Café Yumm complements Rising Sun Farms’ mission. “We tend to make products we feel are an amazing addition to people’s lives,” Fujas notes.

Sidebar: Award-Winning Flavors

Recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 5,000 Fastest Growing Companies, Rising Sun Farms says it is growing for several reasons: for its outstanding flavor, quality ingredients and product value. It has also received 11 product awards since the beginning of the year.
These awards include:

World Dairy Expo – A gold medal for curry cheese torta, and a bronze medal for marionberry cheese torta;
American Cheese Society Competition – Third place in the cheese spreads category for its curry cheese torta;
America’s Best Event – Second place for balsamic drizzles, and first place for fig balsamic drizzle
Los Angeles County Fair – Gold medals for curry cheese torta, chocolate mocha cheese torta, gorgonzola cheese torta, pesto dried tomato cheese torta, key lime cheese torta and marionberry cheese torta.

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