In April 2026, the Farmhand Foundation planted 154 olive trees at our small farm in Ojai. The grove is a working landscape and shared commons, designed to produce olive oil of the highest grade while providing habitat, shade, and a gathering place for the community.

Olive oil from this grove will be supplied to schools and community kitchens at below-market pricing, keeping exceptional food grown close to home within reach of everyone.

The First Press is an annual membership program connecting supporters directly to a living tree in the grove. Every level of participation supports a real layer of the orchard and includes a customized plaque next to your tree, access to Farmhand Foundation olive oil at wholesale pricing as production develops, and visits to the olive grove.

The Gathering Tree | $5,000 / year

Supports the sixty-year-old olive tree at the heart of the grove. This is the anchor, the shade, the place people will return to for generations. Participants are invited to planting and harvest gatherings, receive a first press offering as oil becomes available, and receive periodic field notes from the orchard.

The Early Canopy | $1,000 / year

Supports one of the eight twenty-five-year-old trees that will produce fruit sooner, contributing early harvests to schools and community kitchens while the younger trees mature. Participants receive invitations to seasonal orchard moments and early access to olive oil as production begins.

The Long Rows | $250 / year

Supports one of the three-to-five-year-old trees that will form the long-term canopy of the orchard. These trees represent patience and the slow work of regeneration. Participants receive annual updates from the grove, invitations to harvest and community days, and access to olive oil at wholesale pricing as production stabilizes.

Why It Matters

Olive trees, once established, are among the most resilient and water-efficient crops suited to this valley. They live for generations, deepen soil health, support birds and pollinators, and produce a nutritionally dense staple food with a small ecological footprint. This grove is not a one-time program expense. It is a durable agricultural asset with multi-decade returns, and a living proof point that regenerative land stewardship, community nourishment, and financial sustainability can be built together.

The First Press

Farmhand Foundation's Adopt an Olive Tree Program