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.
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