Entrepreneur Edvin Ovasapyan is establishing a successful regenerative agriculture business.

In California’s challenging agricultural landscape, characterized by persistent water shortages, bankruptcies, and consolidation, innovative entrepreneurs are charting new territories. Among them are Edvin Ovasapyan and Shery Zarnegin, who are redefining the possibilities of agribusiness through their venture, One Tree Hill Farms. This initiative not only seeks to restore neglected farmland along California’s Central Coast but also aims to blend regenerative agriculture with a forward-thinking business model that brings new life to the state’s agricultural sector.

As a co-founder of One Tree Hill Farms, Ovasapyan has positioned himself at the intersection of agriculture and innovative business practices. His background in Southern California’s real estate and business development sectors has equipped him with the skills to identify undervalued assets in farmland, particularly in the ocean-cooled microclimates of the Central Coast. In 2017, he and Zarnegin acquired a struggling avocado orchard in Santa Barbara County, previously left to deterioration due to drought, underinvestment, and absentee ownership. Rather than viewing this acquisition as a liability, they perceived it as an opportunity for revitalization.

Taking a strategic approach, Ovasapyan adopted turnaround strategies that applied business principles to farming. He stabilized avocado production while diversifying the farm’s output to include Geisha coffee, leveraging regenerative farming practices that emphasize both planet health and financial viability. This dual-season revenue strategy, where coffee is harvested in spring and avocados in fall, helps stabilize cash flow and insulate against price volatility.

One Tree Hill Farms currently produces 100,000 pounds of avocados and 5,000 pounds of specialty coffee annually, operates on renewable energy, and employs efficient closed-loop irrigation systems. Grasping the potential synergistic relationship between avocados and coffee, Ovasapyan has created a system that enhances land use efficiency and bolsters ecosystem resilience through crop diversity.

Crucially, Ovasapyan and Zarnegin have established One Tree Hill as a consumer-facing brand that emphasizes value creation through a combination of quality, storytelling, and sustainability. The venture is now exploring direct-to-consumer channels, agritourism, and specialty products.

As they work to scale their operations, the team has ambitious plans to plant 300,000 avocado and coffee trees across California’s coastal foothills over the next decade. This expansion, alongside their aim to replicate their successful model in other microclimates, highlights their commitment not to the conventional industrial agriculture paradigm but to a flexible and regenerative approach.

For Ovasapyan, the future of farming lies not just in land ownership but in the integration of a strong brand, a resilient supply chain, and adaptability in operations. With One Tree Hill Farms, he is demonstrating the potential of innovative strategies in agriculture, even amid the challenges posed by California’s climate and regulatory landscape, suggesting that the soil can still yield a hopeful future for sustainable farming.

For further insights into regenerative agriculture and upcoming initiatives by One Tree Hill Farms, visit OneTreeHillFarms.com.