Hall Newbegin

“Nature grabbed me and shock me. And said pay attention.”

Hiker, mushroom-forager, wildflower enthusiast and all-around wilderness freak.

Hall Newbegin founded the wilderness fragrance company, Juniper Ridge in December of 1998.

Hall began bottling the various scents of the West by harvesting plants while on hikes and then distilling them in his kitchen to create natural fragrances that he would sell at local farmer’s markets in Berkeley and San Francisco.

Now with a total of 20 onboard with him at Juniper Ridge, the company has grown but still holds onto its original mission: to bring the quiet and potentially transformative experience of being deep in the mountains into people’s homes and daily lives.

Sadly, Hall passed away on June 3 at the age of 52 after complications from a fall. He passed peacefully with his 15-year-old daughter Jane and his sister by his side. Hall spent his life passionately advocating for the protection of wilderness, and his love of nature truly did inspire others.