Nestled in the coastal hills of Northern California near the town of Tomales, Stemple Creek Ranch has been home to the Poncia family for four generations.
Our history in Marin County began over a century ago when Angelo Poncia immigrated to the remote outpost of Fallon from his native Italy. The dairy he originally established on this land survived for three successive generations.
Today, Stemple Creek Ranch is proudly run by Angelo’s great-grandson Loren, and his wife Lisa, who have reinvented the family business with a vision for raising superior quality grass fed and finished meats. Their daughters Avery and Julianna, along with their cousins, will be the fifth generation to steward the land.
Our Philosophy
Our goal is to work in harmony with Mother Nature to promote optimal biodiversity that ensures the long term health and productivity of the ranch. We use regenerative, organic agricultural practices, which means we seek to enhance and rehabilitate our entire ecosystem by focusing on soil health and increasing carbon in our land.
Most of our pastureland is Certified Organic, and our free range beef and lamb are 100% grass fed and grass finished. We rotationally graze our stock on open pasture from birth to harvest. They are never supplemented with grains, corn, or soy, and never receive artificial hormones, growth promotants, or antibiotics. Our pigs are humanely raised in large outdoor pens where they enjoy a vegetarian diet with plenty of room to socialize and express natural behaviors.
Our animals never see a feed lot. Ever.
Our Animals
Our sheep are white-faced ewes mostly of Dorsett, Parendale, and North Country Cheviot breeds. Their whole lives are spent roaming at will on certified organic open pastures under the watchful eye of our protection dog team. They are always grass-fed and grass-finished, which means they never eat corn, soy, or other grains. Of course, they never see a feedlot. Shorn wool from our herd has been used to create beautiful and long-lasting natural fiber products.
