|
The
History of Lodestar Farms
Lodestar Farms was founded in the fall of
1993 when Jamie Johansson forgave the big city to fulfill
his life long dream of owning a family farm.
A young entrepreneur, Johansson saw potential
in owning oil-producing olives. He figured olive trees would
be "difficult to kill," after all; they had survived
thousands of years of famine and war in Europe. He scouted
out a serene 20-acre ranch in the Sierra Nevada foothills
and found the perfect spot in the small, low profile town
of Oroville, Calif. Oroville, known for its 100 year-history
of cultivating Mission Olives, is located in one of the
largest olive-producing counties in California.
Eager to learn more about the ins-and-outs
of farming, Johansson hired Andy Rodriguez, a local labor
contractor who had grown up working in the fields.
|
|
In 1993, olive oil was an untapped market in California,
but Johansson figured if the Italians could do it, so could he.
With the help of Rodriguez, he learned about the trees, the land,
and the fruit and spent many long nights researching and plotting
the future of his new company. Johansson invested in a trademark
for the name Lodestar and began pressing and bottling a small
amount of oil from his olives.
He quickly realized that aligning himself with
smart people like Rodriguez who already knew the olive business
was a key to his success. However, people "in the business"
were fairly difficult to find. Johansson discovered there were
only a handful of other California olive oil companies. Discovering
they shared a similar vision, he joined their association. Today,
it's known as the California Olive Oil Council (COOC).
Throughout the nineties, the number of California
olive oil companies grew. The economy was booming, and wealthy
business people had money to invest. The popularity of California
olive oil began to soar. The COOC's membership list was getting
longer.
 |
Johansson realized that he didn't have the
operating capital to keep up with wealthy investors. He
didn't know if he could compete. He watched and waited and
finally, he uncovered a loophole. While many of the new
investors wanted a storefront and a fancy label, they didn't
want the overhead of farming their own olive tress. They
also had a location barrier…they couldn't afford to
leave their urban lives to farm in a rural area. To stay
alive, Johansson put Lodestar on hold and made a profit
by selling his olives to other olive oil companies.
Through his continued involvement in COOC
and by word of mouth, Lodestar became the "farm behind
the label" of many California olive oils. Business
expanded and soon companies as far south as Santa Barbara,
Calif. were calling Johansson for olives. Demand was so
great, that Johansson purchased the farm next door, expanded
his property to 80-acres and increased
production
|
. Again, he hired his mentor, Rodriguez. This
time, to help him find labor to hand pick the fruit during harvest
season. As the demand for olives persisted, Johansson's desire
to focus on the Lodestar brand would still have to remain in the
backseat.
In the fall of 2000, the economy began to slide.
Johansson watched as many of his competitors went out of business.
Companies that had invested in olive oil as a "hobby"
saw their pastime become their sole source of income. Johansson
continued to broker his olives, and began working with neighboring
ranchers who couldn't sell their crops. Word spread about Johansson's
sound business practices, reliability and connections to quality
fruit.
Finally, after nine years of building a foundation,
he saw the opportunity to break into the retail market with his
own label. He was ready to finish building his dream, and start
focusing again on his own brand.
|
Johansson took heed to develop
Lodestar and give it a personality. He had learned from
other's mistakes. There would be no pictures of olive leaves
on the labels, no fancy Italian names. The olive oil would
be known simply as Lodestar, and it would be considered
a true California oil. The taste would be genuinely California,
with the renowned buttery flavor of the Mission olive, the
kind that had been produced in Oroville for more than 100
years.
|
|
Lodestar Farms would become a destination, a place
for clients to come stay while their olives were harvested, a
place for guests and travelers to sample good food and fine wines.
A place where olives could be pressed, oil could be bottled, and
gourmet products could be sold.
|
James D. "Jamie" Johansson
Owner/Farmer
Lodestar Farms, Oroville, Calif.
James D. "Jamie" Johansson
is owner/farmer of Lodestar Farms in Oroville, Calif.
_____________________________________
Johansson was raised in
Northern California and he developed a passion for farming
during his childhood. He began farming olives when his family
purchased 20-acres of olives in Oroville, Calif. in 1993.
Today, he oversees farming, harvesting, pressing, bottling
and distribution of 200 acres of olives for his company,
Lodestar Farms.
In addition to producing
his own olive oil, Johansson supplies fresh olives and bulk
oil to more than 10 California Olive Oil companies. While
Lodestar is expanding it's distribution and retail presence,
Johansson is proud to be the farmer behind many of California's
international and domestic award-winning oils.
Viewing himself as a "farmer
first", Johansson is involved in many civic and philanthropic
activities. He is active on national, state and local levels
in developing farm policy to ensure that California continues
to be the premiere location for farming olives. He is a
long time member of the California Olive Oil Council (COOC)
and currently serves on the board of directors. Johansson
also serves on the state board for California Farm Bureau's
Young Farmers & Ranchers as past president and is active
in numerous agricultural groups. With first hand knowledge
of the economic dynamics facing family farms, Jamie continues
to pursue economic revitalization for not only a commodity
but for his community. According to Johansson, "That
is what farmer's do first." He also conducts an olive
oil tasting and education program for the California Culinary
Academy in San Francisco.
Johansson attended the University
of Alabama and Colorado State University where he studied
Political Science. He currently resides in Oroville, Calif.
|
|
