All-Natural, Pasture-Raised, Grass-Fed Beef
About Us
A Timeless Place...
Rancho Guejito is a 23,000 acre (36 square mile) grass-fed cattle ranch and organic farm located in Northern San Diego County. It is the last intact land grant ranch of the more than 800 historic Mexican Land Grant Ranchos which is still operating as a privately owned agricultural operation. The ranch is covered by dense oak forests made up of California Oaks and rare Engelmann Oaks. Much of the ranch looks just as it did thousands of years ago.
The ranch also grows organic Haas avocados, mandarins, lemons, grapefruit, and vineyards. The organic produce grown on the ranch is sold at national retail food chains such as Whole Foods.
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Rancho Guejito also operates a popular wine tasting patio on its property. There the public enjoys wines made from the ranch vineyards while listening to live music from local bands. The tasting patio is widely enjoyed by families because it is known to be fun as well as kid and dog friendly.
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Rancho Guejito uses state of the art farming techniques such as high-density grove planting as well as advanced water conservation devices. For example, when our groves need water, high-tech devices allow the trees to actually text us when they want water and send a follow-up text when they have had enough. Giving trees water only when they need it keeps the trees happy and healthy. It also conserves water resources.
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Rancho Guejito’s cattle spend their entire lives roaming the tens of thousands of acres of green pastures, beautiful mountain meadows, and huge oak forests of the ranch. The beef is USDA labeled and verified as grass-fed, pasture raised with no added hormones or antibiotics. The beef is sold frozen in boxed assortments direct to consumers.
Our History
Rancho Guejito, Est. 1845
Native Americans of the Yuman linguistic group made their homes on and hunted the land that was to become Rancho Guejito thousands of years before recorded history. After the Spanish invasion of the San Diego area in 1769, many Native Americans took refuge on those same future ranch lands to escape the European onslaught.
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Ranch Guejito was founded in 1845, years before California was admitted as a state. At that time, California was just a distant province of Mexico. The Mexican Provincial Governor, Pio Pico, granted the original 13,288 acres to the customs official, José María Orozco, who then promptly began a cattle operation that continues to the present day.
José María Orozco: The original owner of the Rancho Geujito Land Grant was a true man of the west in 1840's California.
Subsequent owners of the ranch added thousands of acres to the original Mexican land grant to reach the current size of nearly 23,000 acres. (36 square miles)
The current owner purchased the ranch over fifty years ago and has spent many millions of dollars preserving the property and increasing the efficiency of the agricultural operations.
Wildfire prevention and installation of firefighting assets have been a key part of the ranch program to combat the fire threats associated with surrounding urbanization and climate change. Preservation of nature, along with sustainable ranching and agriculture have been a priority for Rancho Guejito since its founding in 1845. That isn’t just a marketing slogan. Much time, energy, and money go into making that a reality.
Rancho Guejito Landgrant: Gifted to José María Orozco in 1845.
