Hidden Gems: Meet Scott Westberg of Pure Passions Farm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Westberg.

Hi Scott, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My wife and I started Pure Passions Farm in 2022 with just a few animals and a simple goal: to create a place where people could slow down, connect with animals, and experience a little bit of farm life. What began as a small family hobby quickly turned into something much bigger once we saw how much joy these interactions brought to people.
In the early days, we focused mostly on small experiences like birthday parties, private visits, and letting guests meet our alpacas, goats, and other animals. As word spread and demand grew, we began expanding both the number of animals and the types of experiences we offered.
Today, Pure Passions Farm has grown into a full agritourism destination with over 100 animals including micro mini Highland cows, alpacas, goats, sheep, donkeys, and more. We offer a wide range of experiences both on the farm and off-site, including Cow Cuddles, Goat Yoga, Paint & Sip events, Mooovie Nights on the farm, educational field trips, and even mobile animal experiences for weddings and corporate events.
One of the most exciting parts of our growth has been creating unique experiences people can’t find anywhere else—like our “Beer Steer” service where a micro mini Highland cow serves drinks during cocktail hour at weddings.
At its heart, though, the farm is still about the same thing it was when we started: creating memorable experiences where people can laugh, relax, learn about animals, and make meaningful connections with nature and each other. It’s been amazing to see how something that started as a passion project has grown into a place that brings joy to so many families, couples, and communities.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges has been balancing growth with resources. The demand for what we do has grown quickly, and with that comes the need for more animals, more staff, more vehicles, and better infrastructure to support events both on the farm and off-site.
When you’re growing a small business, especially one that involves live animals and experiences for the public, everything tends to expand at once. You need more payroll to support staff, more vehicles to transport animals to events, more equipment and space to host guests safely, and systems in place to manage bookings and operations. The challenge is that those investments often need to happen before the revenue fully catches up.
We’ve had to learn how to grow strategically instead of just quickly. There are always opportunities to expand faster, but we have to constantly balance that excitement with financial discipline. Sometimes that means waiting a little longer to hire someone, delaying a vehicle purchase, or testing a new event concept on a small scale before fully investing in it.
Another challenge is that every day on a farm is unpredictable. Weather, animal care, scheduling events, and managing guests all intersect. We’ve had to build systems and a strong team so that the experience remains high quality even as we grow.
At the end of the day, the obstacle is also part of the opportunity. Growing a business like this requires constantly making thoughtful decisions about when to push forward and when to slow down. Our goal is to grow quickly enough to meet demand and create new experiences, but responsibly enough that the farm remains sustainable for the long term.

As you know, we’re big fans of Pure Passions Farm. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Pure Passions Farm is an agritourism and mobile animal experience company based in Kent, Ohio. Our mission is to create memorable, hands-on experiences that help people connect with animals, nature, and each other.
On the farm, we offer activities like Cow Cuddles, Goat Yoga, Paint & Sip classes, private tours, Mooovie Nights, seasonal events, and educational field trips. We also travel throughout the region bringing our animals to weddings, corporate events, festivals, and community gatherings.
We’ve become especially known for our micro mini Highland cows. Their personalities and unique look make them a guest favorite. One of our most popular offerings is our “Beer Steer” experience, where a micro mini Highland cow serves drinks during cocktail hour at weddings and special events.
What sets us apart is that we focus on creating creative, experience-based events rather than just traditional farm visits. Many of our experiences combine animals with activities like art classes, yoga, or special events so guests can relax, laugh, and create lasting memories.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is the atmosphere we’ve created. People come for the animals, but they leave talking about the experience and the connection they felt while they were here. Our goal is to create a place where people can slow down, enjoy something unique, and share meaningful time together.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in a rural part of Wisconsin out in the country, although we didn’t actually have farm animals of our own. Even without them around, I was always a huge animal lover growing up. I was fascinated by animals and always enjoyed being around them whenever I had the chance.
In college, I started a small alpaca and llama shearing business. That was really the first time I combined two things that interested me—animals and entrepreneurship. It gave me a glimpse into how a business could be built around something you genuinely enjoy.
Professionally, I spent about 20 years working with Family Video. During that time, I had the opportunity to help start and operate about ten different businesses within the company. That experience taught me a lot about operations, customer service, and what it takes to build and grow a business.
About four years ago, the opportunity came up for my wife and me to purchase the farm. It felt like the right moment to take everything I had learned about business and combine it with my lifelong love of animals. That decision ultimately led us to start Pure Passions Farm and begin building the experiences we offer today.

Pricing:

• $99 Private Tour
• $25 Goat Yoga
• $35 Paint & Sip
• $25 Mooovie Night
• $500 Beer Steer for weddings and corporate events

Contact Info:

• Website: https://purepassionsfarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pure_passions_farm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PurePassionsFarm