MEET OUR TEAM

NION MCEVOY

OWNER, CHAIRMAN, AND CEO

Nion McEvoy has a knack for bringing passionate people and projects together. McEvoy Ranch’s CEO and owner since 2014, Nion worked previously in the business affairs departments of the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills and Wescom Productions. A graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law, Nion is also Chairman and CEO of Chronicle Books. He currently serves as Commissioner for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and on the boards of the SF Film Society, the UCSF Foundation, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Through Petaluma Projects LLC, he has been involved with the films “Chasing Coral”, “The Fourth Estate”, and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”.

In between all the work, Nion is also a poet and art collector. His love of music is often intertwined with his responsibilities at McEvoy Ranch and Chronicle Books. He founded the McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit arts exhibition space in San Francisco that is free to the public, to showcase his family’s extensive collection and complementary pieces on loan. Nion is a former meditation teacher, a drummer in two bands, and he has three grown children. You might say he’s anything but typical and that’s perfect.

SAMANTHA DORSEY

PRESIDENT

Kym HOUGH

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

To Kym, the four P’s of Marketing stands for Passion, Passion, Passion, and Passion. It drives her leadership style, business strategies, and enthusiasm for all things McEvoy. Spend five minutes with Kym, and you will see her passion for McEvoy products, the 550-acre Ranch, and her fantastic team on full display.

Kym is a native San Franciscan and has spent her entire career focused on marketing premium, local Bay Area brands including Two Women San Francisco, Lasercraft, Inc., Delicato Family Winery, and Peet’s Coffee. In 2003, she took a break from the corporate world for seven years to raise her daughter, Alixandra, and build one of the biggest staging and interior design businesses in the East Bay.

In 2010, she joined Ghirardelli Chocolate as the Director of Marketing for the Restaurant and Retail Division. In this role, her focus was on opening new stores, developing chocolate gifts, and creating new ice cream sundaes for the highest volume ice cream store in the world.

Kym brought her diverse skillset to McEvoy Ranch in February 2019 as Head of the Retail, E-Commerce, and the Specialty Division. In January 2020, she was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer, broadening her focus to include the ODE Natural Beauty line.

Her passion also extends to her love of animals, especially dogs. She rarely leaves home without one of her pack, and always has one by her side while working at the Ranch. Kym and her husband Graham live in Danville with their three dogs Tootsie Rose, Ozzy Mae, and Dakota Rae.

TOM McCALLISTER

director of operations

Tom McCallister joined McEvoy Ranch as Senior Director of Operations and Supply Chain in August of 2020. Tom’s experience in the event industry as General Manager/Director of Operations makes him uniquely suited to McEvoy Ranch’s manufacturing operations and logistics needs. His background focused on customer-centric solutions to internal processes, ensuring that every decision focused on customer needs.

He is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in accounting. Tom was raised in Mill Valley and is the youngest of six children. He has lived in Petaluma for the last 23 years, and he and his wife Kim are proud parents of twin daughters, Paige and Madison.

When he is not gardening with his wife, he spends his time riding mountain bikes and taking long walks with his dogs. He is a huge sports fan, and one of his career highlights to date was being part of the production of the Giants victory parades. An incredible thrill to celebrate with your favorite team.

STIEG UNDERWOOD

controller

Stieg first joined McEvoy Ranch in 2003. From day one, he felt right at home at McEvoy; it was the place for him and his culinary passion. He was already a fan of the award-winning olive oil, and when he attended his first gathering around the Ranch’s Country Kitchen in the upper ranch, he felt right at home.

Stieg left McEvoy for five years when he moved to Colorado to open a restaurant, but fortunately, the pull of Sonoma County and McEvoy Ranch brought him back to us in 2011. The increase in product offerings and categories led to a much more diverse job this time around and in 2019 Stieg was promoted to Controller.

As a member of the leadership team, he is proud of the fact that he provides financial information in an easy and digestible way for all employees. His favorite quote is from Albert Einstein which says, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” It’s a big part of why his colleagues love working with him so much.

He has a BS in Business Administration from BIOLA University and his background prior to McEvoy was at American Express and as a franchise owner for several national brands.

Stieg lives in Sonoma County with his wife, Carol, and their two cats. He enjoys playing tennis on his off time or driving down a Sonoma County country road on his motorcycle.

Rigo OLIVARES

mill manager

Rigo Olivares has been part of the McEvoy Ranch team since 2010. For the past­­­­­ 5 years, he has been an essential member of the team as the Mill Manager. He manages the McEvoy Ranch Mill, called the Frantoio, which resides in the heart of the 550 acre Ranch. He looks forward all year long to the moment that harvest starts and his mill comes to life when he can see, smell, and taste freshly-milled olive oil right off the press. He takes a lot of pride in his passion for making the highest quality olive oil, and he personally fills every bottle that is sold from McEvoy Ranch.

Rigo came to McEvoy Ranch with a diverse background in agriculture. Landscaping, pruning grapes and olives, and operating heavy machinery are just a part of his experience. His favorite role, however, before joining the team, was as a sushi chef in 2004, where he treasured both the artistic freedom and great care required to be an excellent chef.

Outside of work, Rigo’s hobbies include watching soccer and spending time in nature bike riding, hiking, and fishing. He lives in Santa Rosa with his wife, Alejandra, and cat, Torito.

BYRON KOSUGE

WINEMAKER

Byron Kosuge joined McEvoy Ranch in August 2017 while the grapes were undergoing veraison. The timing was perfect as it allowed him to quickly get a grasp of our distinct Petaluma Gap microclimate.

A native of Davis, California, he caught the wine bug after delving into English and American Literature at UC Davis. Byron has extensive winemaking experience specializing in Pinot Noir, that most finicky of grapes, and Chardonnay. In addition to his own B. Kosuge brand, he has worked for several notable wineries including Saintsbury, Miura, Kingston Family Vineyards, and Small Vines Wines. His distinct wine style will build upon ours and he’s got a wicked sense of humor that fits right in with us! One of the things he likes best about making wine is that the process has a beginning, middle, and end. Each vintage is a slightly different story that unfolds slowly and, like a good book, requires diligence and patience to understand.

When he’s not running in a hundred different directions, Byron can be found trying to catch up on the piles of books that still clutter his house. Byron lives with his wife Mary in Napa.

MAURIZIO CASTELLI

CONSULTING WINEMAKER & AGRONOMIST

Dr. Maurizio Castelli, an agronomist and enologist originally from Pistoia, played an integral part in our creation and evolution as makers of exceptional extra virgin olive oil. As the story goes, Nan McEvoy called him to discuss the best Italian olive varieties to plant, and three days later, he was in Marin County advising her. The relationship continues today and it was a natural step when we began our foray into wine to rely on his expertise again.

A pioneer who helped to create such renowned wines as Col d'Orcia's Poggio al Vento Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Mastrojanni's Brunello Schiena d'asino and Poderi Boscarelli'sVino Nobile, Castelli has more than 40 years of experience in winemaking and consulting all over the world, including at the famed Badia a Coltibuonoin Tuscany. He travels to California several times a year to work at the ranch during the various stages of our olive oil and wine production, as well as to celebrate each harvest with us.

NAN MCEVOY

FOUNDER

Being regarded as a pioneer in her field was business as usual for Nan McEvoy. Her grandfather, Michael De Young, founded the San Francisco Chronicle in 1865 and Nan started there as a cub reporter, a rare position for a woman at the time. She worked her way up and eventually served as Chairwoman 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 an adventurous spirit, she was an early member of the Peace Corps and John D. Rockefeller's Population Council. Nan was named Food Artisan of the Year by Bon Appetit in 2003.

Nan’s passing in March 2015 at age 95 reminded us all to live every moment to its full potential and to continually seek out new opportunities…even when it goes against conventional wisdom. Her vision and drive inspire us to be respectful of the natural beauty that surrounds us whilst curating our inner entrepreneur.