Off Grid Farming at Hollister’s Suncoast Organic Farm

The only farm bakery and brewery to run entirely on solar power in California is right here on the central coast. Hollister's Suncoast Organic Farm proving that they can be successful even off the grid.

The farm's owners say that its sustainable nature is how they survived the pandemic while other California farms struggled to stay afloat, especially due to rising prices and inflation. One of the biggest reasons they decided to leave the grid is rising electricity costs from utility companies like PG&E.

Owner David Jensen says that it would have cost him $20 thousand dollars to get a PG&E line out to his property, and it was cheaper to set up his own system. That decision has helped the business grow from just the farm to bringing in the bakery and most recently the brewery portion, which has already been making beer for a decade now.

Everything is made on site, from the fruit and vegetables for the bakery even extending to the hops used in their beer making. Fresh sourdough bread and pastries are made from grain grown on the property, served every Saturday morning for local pickup.

The newest expansion for the farm is into agritourism, opening up their property in Hollister to the community for both private events like weddings and community gatherings.