About US
Who We Are
We’re Cory & Katie, two local kids who woke up one day and realized we aren’t kids anymore. We grew up in the same circle of friends here in town… Nordhoff grads who left as soon as we could to college on the Central Coast - Cory to Cal Poly and Katie to UC Santa Cruz. Life rolled on and we settled into ag-centric careers in separate parts of the state, and figured Ojai would be a place to visit our families but never live full time ever again.
The universe has a funny way of knowing what’s best for you before you do. We found our way back home and to each other, and are doing our best to honor the special properties our families have long cared for. While Katie’s family has been in agriculture for generations, the green thumb seems to be missing from her DNA. That’s Cory’s area of expertise, and we have him to thank for the delicious produce at the stand. Katie is trying her darnedest though, and in the meantime, handles more of the marketing aspects! Ojala's guard dog and Cory's shadow, Cafe, a wonderfully sweet German Shepard, is never far behind wherever Cory may be on the property.
In all of our (minimal) free time, we love hiking, cooking epic meals with in-season treats, a good glass of wine or cocktail, and saving stuff for later.
A Family Tradition
Since 1978, the Auric Family has owned Ojala, a historic property on Maricopa Highway just past Friend's Ranch. Cory's late father, Dr. Robert Auric, loved Hoshigaki and taught Cory from an early age to respect the painstaking process of making Hoshigaki. Dr. Auric passed away in 2016, and in 2017 the Thomas Fire severely damaged large portions of Ojala. Cory left behind a career in big ag in the Central Valley to move home to Ojai and rebuild, including continuing to care for his father's original persimmon trees that survived the fire. Cory has a degree in Ag Business & Fruit Science from Cal Poly and is Ojai born and raised. He loves working outside, caring for his fruit trees and reconnecting with the land. Cory and his partner, Katie Ota, another Ojai local, clean, hand-peel, hang, and massage the persimmons. Katie is half Japanese, and grew up respecting and enjoying Hoshigaki, especially around New Year's Day when it was shared as a delicacy.
Organic, Premium Quality Hass Avocados
Since our avocados are grown with care and picked at the peak of ripeness, you are guaranteed to receive a California organic avocado - versus commercial avocados which are often thrown around in factory conveyor belts, dumped from bin to bin, which leads to bruising, browning and subpar-quality fruit. Cory has a super-taster palate and incredibly high standards - if he wouldn't eat it, we won't sell it! Whether we are packing a case of avocados for delivery to a local restaurant, or a box for shipment across the country, every avocado is hand-selected and packed with the utmost care to ensure a quality product every time.
Sage Blossom Honey
Ojala's sister property is located north of Ojai, near the town of New Cuyama, in an area of the Los Padres National Forest called Apache Canyon. This little slice of heaven is where the Sage Blossom organic honey originates. Coming soon ~ Sage Blossom Honey from Ojala! You have asked for honey from Ojai, and we listened! Click here to find a list of local shops currently stocked with Sage Blossom Honey.
PRESS
805 LIVING MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2023
We are thrilled for our feature in 805 Living Magazine's Food & Wine issue.
You can find us on page 42.