Old Dog Ranch
San Joaquin, CA
Old Dog Ranch is a fifth-generation family farm on the Calaveras River in San Joaquin County, CA. The family has lived and farmed at the ranch since 1912 (it's named for two of the family’s beloved, long-lived canine companions). Mollie Sitkin makes the Old Dog Ranch line of walnut snacks and walnut butters with organic Chandler walnuts from a ten-acre orchard her father planted the year she was born.
The Sitkins also use drip irrigation to conserve water, build healthy soil with cover crops and manure, and choose crop varieties that flourish in their local microclimate. Chandler walnut trees are naturally resilient; they leaf out and flower later than most other varieties, so they're naturally resistant to winter frost damage and rainy-season blight—plus the walnuts have an excellent flavor, a golden color, and easy-to-crack shells. Mollie and her three-person crew of employees grind, stir, season, and toast Old Dog Ranch products in small batches at a CCOF certified organic commercial kitchen in Pacifica, California, using certified organic and sustainably grown ingredients from her family’s farm and other local producers.
The Sitkins also use drip irrigation to conserve water, build healthy soil with cover crops and manure, and choose crop varieties that flourish in their local microclimate. Chandler walnut trees are naturally resilient; they leaf out and flower later than most other varieties, so they're naturally resistant to winter frost damage and rainy-season blight—plus the walnuts have an excellent flavor, a golden color, and easy-to-crack shells. Mollie and her three-person crew of employees grind, stir, season, and toast Old Dog Ranch products in small batches at a CCOF certified organic commercial kitchen in Pacifica, California, using certified organic and sustainably grown ingredients from her family’s farm and other local producers.
