50
JASON MRAZ Look For The Good
welcome to the MRANCH Mraz has been doing his part during the coronavirus pandemic by donating a lot of food to a local kitchen that makes hundreds of meals for senior citizens in the area who might be struggling during this period of isolation. Mraz is able to do this because he is the proud owner of ‘The Mranch,’ an 18-acre operation cultivating organic California avocados, California grown coffee and, apparently, world peace. Humble as ever, Mraz says the farm is supported mostly by the Californian weather, but it’s a real labor of love for the singer, and one he takes very seriously when it comes to being authentically organic: “When I first moved down here HEADLINER USA
in 2004, it was a little five-acre avocado ranch,” he remembers. “I just thought, ‘Great! I’m gonna live in the country!’ But because I’m the landowner and the homeowner, I am actually responsible for the fate of the avocado trees – they’re not native to here. They were planted in the late 60s and 70s. So I started getting involved in the trees, and wondering how I could make them healthy – and organic. Now I’ve been here 16 years,
“I STARTED GETTING INVOLVED IN THE TREES, AND WONDERING HOW I COULD MAKE THEM HEALTHY AND ORGANIC...”
and it’s expanded to an 18-acre property with 1,000 avocado trees, about 2,500 coffee trees, and about 40 other fruit varieties. I add a couple of trees every month. That’s because, early on, I learned that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago..! And the second best time to plant a tree is today. So I’ve been working really hard to keep adding trees knowing that five or 10 years from now, those trees are going to be filled with food.” Mraz admits it’s a serious commitment, but he wouldn’t have it any other way: “I hire young people right out of college, or who are interested in agriculture. It’s a hip place; it’s