Nan McEvoy didn’t originally intend to start a Tuscan olive grove in the hills of Northern California. She was merely looking for a “wonderful place in the country” where she could have her grandchildren visit and experience the great outdoors. After she fell in love with a 550-acre former dairy ranch in Petaluma, she learned that it was strictly zoned for agriculture, which meant she couldn’t build so much as a tool shed without an agricultural purpose.

Nan thought of the olive oil she was consistently bringing back from Tuscany and after reading The Feast of the Olive by Maggie Klein at the suggestion of her son Nion, she decided to plant trees of her own.

She flew to Europe, where she met with one of Italy’s finest experts on the production of olive oil, Maurizio Castelli. After three days, she invited him to come to California to help her start her olive orchard. Well over a decade into the operation, he still continues to travel several times a year to the ranch to monitor the progress.

Castelli originally ordered 100 trees that were imported from Tuscany. Chosen for the exceptional quality of their fruit, they now number 18,000 and cover more than 80 acres.

Much to the surprise of the local agriculture board, McEvoy Ranch has been a success. But being regarded as a pioneer in her field is nothing new to Nan McEvoy. Her grandfather, Michael De Young founded the San Francisco Chronicle in 1865. Nan started as a cub reporter (a rare position for a female at the time) and gradually worked her way up to become head of the board from 1981 to 1995. When a director’s bylaw forced her into retirement at age 72, Nan set about doing what she does best — making things happen — and McEvoy Ranch was born. Always an activist with a spirit of adventure, she was an early member of the Peace Corps and active with John D. Rockefeller’s Population Council.