Sebastopol farmer bets on apple press as ‘bright future’ for small apple growers amid winegrower woes By Natalie Hanson | North Bay Business Journal

Sebastopol farmer bets on apple press as ‘bright future’ for small apple growers amid winegrower woes

June 26, 2026

After living in the shadow of the wine industry for decades, a Sebastopol farmer is betting that apple growers are on the verge of reclaiming the spotlight.

With a downturn for winegrowers opening renewed interest in local farming, Gold Ridge Organic Farms owner Brooke Hazen on Thursday gave The Press Democrat a tour of the 20,000-square-foot apple press he plans to open in Santa Rosa in time for this fall’s harvest.

Hazen has made a name for himself tending the soil and trees at the well-known 88-acre apple and olive farm in Sebastopol for many years, since his family bought the land on Canfield Road in 2000. Now, he’s confident that he has a team and vision ready to “drastically expand” with the county’s newest apple pressing facility.