People

Alberto Solis and Helmutt Drews, with 2 full- and 3 to 4 part-time employees

Farmland

A range of 180 to 300 acres in Middletown and Oak Woodlands in Lake County, 90 miles to San Francisco

About

In 2013, the first live Ibérico pigs were brought from Spain to the US, and since then they have been bred in small numbers. Working with a company that sold them, Alberto realized his unique access to this special breed and founded Encina Farms in January 2019. He chose the Bay Area for the region’s landscape and conscientious consumer base. Encina Farms keep an average of 200 free-range pigs at a time, raising them for 14 to 16 months with a natural diets of acorn, mushroom, and “whatever they can forage in the forest.” Alberto and his business partner Helmutt are committed to bringing high-quality, humanely-raised meat to the market and offer bacon, sausages, ground blend, and different cuts.