Honeybear
The magic of the property we named Honeybear was clear from the moment we saw it. We were drawn not only to the splendor of its location in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley, but also the history behind the care of this soil. For decades, Honeybear was an organic jojoba farm, cultivated by peace activists. We're now inspired to combine activism, nature and sustainability to make Honeybear what it is today... a working farm where we nurture beauty and growth with the same intentionality we live by - treating the earth with respect and giving as much as we take.
We grow grapes, fruit, olives, and jojoba, sustainably and organically, replenishing the soil for optimum health. We're repopulating the native plant habitat, so our grounds are covered in California natives… fairyduster, redbud, desert willow, sages, salvias, buckwheats, mallow and native grasses. We make jojoba and olive oils by hand every year from our old-growth bushes and trees. We might have skinned knees and bad backs, but this is the best job we've ever had!
Orchard
Hundreds of fruit trees dot our western hillside, just adjacent to our vines. We cultivate unique varietials with the spirited notion of maximum diversity, which fruit from spring to fall. In the summer we harvest pluots, peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, mulberries, olallieberries and more. In the fall, we have apples, pears, persimmons and pomegranates. We grind our jojoba beans in winter to make jojoba oil, and by spring, olives from both half-century old trees and over a hundred new plantings, are settling for our peppery olive oil.
Vines
Our vines sit on a flat shelf overlooking the Los Olivos District, where the local AVA is particularly well-suited to quality viticulture. Our soil is farmed organically on this bench-like terrace above a wild growing culvert. The densely planted vines, our compost tea and no-till programs combine to promote biota growth, diversity and the health of our soil and grapes.
