Nan Tucker McEvoy
At McEvoy Ranch, 550 acres of former Mexican land grant property is cultivated within the rigorous organic farming practices of the California Olive Oil Council's prestigious Certified Organic Extra virgin olive oil designation. "The effort of farming organically is more than rewarded by the quality of fruit we harvest." explains orchard manager, Shari DeJoseph "More importantly, the choice to farm organically means looking at the big picture; what is best for our customers, the land, the trees and the local wildlife."

Founded in 199I by Nan Tucker McEvoy, "McEvoy Ranch was established with the goal of producing the highest quality extra virgin olive oil in California. With the Certified Organic status and the worldwide distribution of our product, we are well on our way to achieving that goal" She declares. Ms. McEvoy's scrupulous pursuit of quality and generous sharing of knowledge has been instrumental in uplifting the status of California-produced olive oils. With 14,500 olive trees of Italian variety cultivated organically on the Petaluma Hills of Marin County, the 2000 harvest is expected to yield more that 1500 gallons of Tuscan-style oil, one of the largest estate-grown, hand-picked harvests in the nation.

McEvoy Ranch uses Italian equipment made by Rapanelli, exclusive in the United States. The olives, Leccino, Frantoio, Pendolino, Coratina, and Leccio del Corno, are crushed with either granite stones or a hammer mill. With the revolutionary Sinolea extraction system, thousands of stainless steel blades penetrate the olive pulp producing droplets of oil. Distinguished from other extraction methods by its lack of any generated heat above 85 F., the Sinolea method " results in cold pressed extra virgin olive oil of superior quality.

McEvoy Ranch Certified Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil earned the 2000 Los Angeles county Fair's Olive Oils of the Americas Gold Medal. Lush golden green of hue resembling unfiltered Tuscan olive oil, McEvoy's product was described as "one of the country's finest olive oils:' by Travel and Leisure, with an aroma of fresh cut grass up front, a clean delicate texture and an early-harvest peppery finish. A House and Garden editorial recently declared, "Nan McEvoy's fruity, clean Marin County elixir converted me to American olive oil."

Beyond the kudos for their pure, organic fare, McEvoy is notable for its investment in research and development. In association with the University of California at Davis, McEvoy Ranch maintains an experimental plot for the study of various land management techniques. In addition McEvoy offers additional Rapanelli machinery to fellow producers of organic and non-organic olives for custom crushing.

Nan McEvoy, who originally purchased her property so that her three grandchildren could experience "a wonderful place in the country", has fulfilled the proverb, Plant A Vineyard for Your Children and an Olive Grove for Your Grandchildren.

O Olive Oil:
Authenticity is blended with originally at O Olive Oil in San Raphael, where organic California citrus is paired with organic Mission olives. The result, exotic chefs' quality infusions like Tahitian Lime O Olive Oil, Ruby red Grapefruit O Olive Oil, Meyer Lemon O Olive Oil and Blood Red Orange O Olive Oil. With such illustrious clients as Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, George Morrone of the Fifth Floor, W Hotel Group, the Myriad Restaurant Group, and Bradley Ogden of One Market fame, it is not surprising the O Olive Oil has been acknowledged by Saveur Magazine producer of one of the Outstanding New Products of the Year.

The blending process captures the imagination. Hand washed certified California organic citrus and locally grown, unsprayed, organic Mission Olives are simultaneously crushed on a traditional Italian stone press in West Marin. The thirty-minute process is followed by a horizontal decanting to separate solids from liquids, after which a vertical separator divides oil from water. Natural filtration occurs as the oil rest in 1,300 gallon stainless steel tanks for sixty days before bottling. With a projected yield of 4,000 gallons this year. O Olive Oil envisions an annual growth rate of 20%.

O Olive Oil offers an accompanying line of vinegars, created in small batches and aged for 2 1/2 years before bottling.