To You, from Our Farm
In the quarter century since we bought Olive Ridge Ranch, we've slowly turned it into what it is today: a vibrant, multi-crop farm that never fails
to amaze us with its sheer beauty.
We've modeled ourselves after the farms in Tuscany, where the watchword is biodiversity (it's extremely rare to find a farm there growing just one crop).
Here, we grow olives, wine grapes, Meyer lemon trees, oranges, tangerines, peaches, plums, apples, pears, blackberries, quince, figs, persimmons, pomegranates, lavender - plus a huge vegetable garden. We also raise pigs, and chickens for eggs. And while we've always farmed sustainably, we've recently made the commitment to become certified as both organic and Biodynamic®.
Of course, it's not just the diversity of those Italian farms that we admire. It's their passion for life, friends, family – and food!
Hardly a week goes by on our farm by without some kind of gathering involving family and friends, whether it's cooking over the Tuscan grill in our fireplace, baking bread and pizzas in the outdoor oven Ridge and Philip built, or a pot-luck featuring spit-roast pig.
We hope you'll find that our passion comes through in the products we make. Every one of them is hand-made and very small production, and everything we do is focused on quality.
We encourage you to expore our website. In particular, be sure to visit our Recipes Page, where there are wonderful recipes from some of the country's top chefs, and where you can also sign up for our recipes mailing list, and our Olive Oil Q&A page where we try to answer your questions (and dispell the many myths) around olive oil.
Sign Up for
Colleen's Kitchen Table
Get fun new recipes developed by the chef of a great restaurant — sent right to your inbox. These 'kitchen' recipes are simple dishes that use fresh ingredients, so you don't need to be a culinary wizard to enjoy them at home.
The emails include profiles of the chefs and their restaurants, plus special discounts on all the DaVero products they use.
Olive Trees
Looking to grow olive trees? Have questions about taking care of an olive tree? See our Olive Trees page for everything you've ever wanted to know about the subject!
Visit Us
We're a small family farm, and sadly can't be open to the public except by appointment. See the Tours/Classes page for details.
Our hope is to have a full tasting room open in late 2009 or early 2010, so stay tuned!
We're also big believers in the concept of Community-Supported Agriculture, and have created Club Nuovo as a way for you to become an active part of our community. Among many benefits, members are invited to two special events here at the farm each year.
Can't make it? Then help yourself to a virtual tour of the farm via our slideshow!
DaVero?
In Italian, one often remarks on something particularly excellent by saying davvero! It means, literally, 'really' or 'indeed.' But it is used colloquially to say, 'mmmm, this is the best, the real thing.' Especially about food, wine, and olive oil.
We set out from the beginning to bring you the finest olive oil that can be made in California and the world, and have grown from those origins to an ever-wider family of products. For us, then, the name DaVero is both a declaration, and a reminder to us of our goal.
About us
DaVero is a very small business. If you call, the odds are high that one of us will answer.
Colleen McGlynn is an accomplished chef and restaurateur. Originally from a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin, Colleen learned to cook in France and Germany before settling in the Bay Area. She spent five years as a chef at Star's in San Francisco, then came to Healdsburg where she and two friends opened Samba Java, a spot that quickly became the center of the town. She now splits her time between the olive oil business and catering. (Click here for recipes from Colleen and some of her friends.)
In 1995, she married Ridgely Evers, who originally had bought the farm in 1982. He has been involved in a wide range of businesses over the years, including five years at Intuit, where he led the creation of QuickBooks, the leading accounting system for small businesses. In recent years, he's been CEO of a number of Internet-related technology companies in the Bay Area. Today, he's Chairman and Founder of NetBooks, an exciting new company that is revolutionizing small-business management.
Questions
Time permitting, we are delighted to answer questions. The best
bet is to contact us by email. There are specific email links throughout the site, but first,
please read the pages on
Olive Oil Q&A,
Growing Olive Trees, and
Ordering DaVero from us.
Then, if all else fails, feel free to us with your questions. Thanks!
"Biodynamic® agriculture conceives of the farm as an organism, a self-contained entity with its own individuality. Emphasis is placed on the integration of crops and livestock, recycling of nutrients, maintenance of soil, and the health and well being of crops and animals; the farmer too is part of the whole."