About the Ranch and Us

About The Ranch:

We presently have 22 acres of producing olive trees with the prospect of planting more.

We are located in Cholame, California, (Home of the James Dean Memorial).   Our dry climate and soil type are perfect conditions for Mission and Manzanilla trees as they do well in dry air and well drained soil.   These conditions also enhance the flavor of the olive which in turn, enhances the flavor of the oil.

•  No Pesticides:   Pesticides or Insecticides are not used insuring the safety of the environment and the oil.

•  We are a small "Mom and Pop" operation.   Everything from the bottom up, i.e. installing the irrigation to planting and caring for the trees has been performed by us, and finally, we have arrived to the marketing of what we believe to be a "quality" product.

The Story of Us:

Forty-seven years ago, a young boy and girl lived in the city where they met and fell in love.   They vowed they would raise their children in the country and while they didn't realize that dream, they were finally able to make the dream come true.

Country living is wonderful, but farming is a huge challenge.   After much trial and error, they found the perfect crop for their land and climate: olives.   It fit their way of life, as they had always been bent toward nutrition. And so, they are now in their senior years enjoying their dream and each other.  

They have performed everything from the bottom up, i.e. designing and installing the irrigation to planting and caring for the trees.

Learning to work together was both frustrating and laughable as they were both leaders, but like all of marriage, it is a give and take situation. So they laughed and got frustrated until they found where they were both best suited for their talents.

For the most part, Bud does the labor and hiring of extra help when needed.   This includes irrigation control and maintenance, as well as pruning, weed, rodent and insect control.    This is a special challenge since they do not use pesticides or insecticides.   Peggy gets involved just enough to stay on top of what is happening and to get some "fresh air."

Peggy is in charge of marketing, sales, inventory, bottling, packaging, billing and bookkeeping.   Bud gets involved enough to know he doesn't want to.

They obviously help one another as needed.

Here are a few pictures of them on the ranch.   They love their work and are especially happy to provide a top quality, healthy product.

Thank you for visiting our web site.   It would be our pleasure to answer any questions for you.