With the help of their talented wives, Jason and Donnie turned their passion for great beer into a thriving business. Based out of Malibu, Rancho West believes in crafting quality beers that are 100% free of harmful chemicals or GMOs. As one of only 40 USDA-certified organic breweries in the country, their grain-to-glass method preserves freshness with more enticing aromas and flavors across their premium beers. Whether you prefer a hop-forward IPA or a classic Lager, raise a glass to Rancho West!
Recently, we caught up with Jason and Donnie to learn more about their journey and hear their advice for fellow entrepreneurs.
1. Why did you start Rancho West Beer?
Having been friends for over 27 years, we wanted to create something that reflected our friendship, our love for adventure and bringing people together, and a lifestyle we aspire to live. We saw the cultural shift toward organic foods, wine, and spirits, so we thought we could offer consumers a better choice of beer. A crisp, clean, delicious, premium USDA-certified organic beer that is better for you, better for the environment, and better for our farmers—simply made the way it used to be made.
With our wives as co-founding partners and our small team, we launched Rancho West two years ago here in Malibu. We aim to inspire change, to offer a better choice in beer that is clean, crisp, and free of harmful chemicals, pesticides, and glyphosate—all while having a good time doing it! Living clean and getting dirty!
2. What obstacles did you face along the way?
Starting a USDA-certified organic brewery isn’t easy, but entrepreneurship never is. At Rancho West, it meant navigating strict regulations, sourcing USDA-certified organic ingredients, and educating consumers on why organic matters. For the first two years, we self-distributed to personally share our story and explain why our premium beer is so important—not just now, but for the future. We are also working towards sourcing 100% of our ingredients from suppliers that practice regenerative agriculture.
We strongly believe that fewer chemicals in the agricultural system is a good thing, and we believe that message will continue to find more and more consumers looking for a cleaner choice with superior quality and taste. Rancho West is one of only 40 USDA-certified organic breweries out of over 10,000 in the US, so advocating for organic beer has been challenging at times, requiring patience as we scaled production and built a loyal customer base.
However, none of it matters if the beer isn’t exceptional. During COVID, we focused on refining our recipes, ensuring every beer we produce is clean, delicious, and crafted to the highest standard. That has always been—and will always be—our top priority.
3. What lessons do you have for other entrepreneurs?
Starting Rancho West with no prior beverage experience has been a massive commitment. Trust your instincts but stay adaptable. Building a business is about balancing a clear vision and mission with the flexibility to evolve as challenges arise. Surround yourself with a team that shares your passion and values but also challenges you to think deeper and holds you accountable.
For us, storytelling has been central to our journey. Sharing our passion and listening to our community has been invaluable. It’s a constant process of building, learning, and connecting, and those relationships have fueled our growth.
4. What’s on the horizon for Rancho West Beer?
At the heart of Rancho West is storytelling, and our premium organic beer is the conduit to bringing people together. We’re in an exciting phase of growth. For the first two years, we focused on building our presence in Los Angeles, but recently, we’ve expanded into key accounts in Las Vegas and are gearing up for a launch in Northern California.
We’re also excited to round out our lineup with the first-to-market USDA-certified organic Non-Alcoholic Lager and IPA. Inclusivity is important to us. Whether you’re sober, sober-curious, or just not drinking alcohol at the moment, offering non-alcoholic versions of our organic beers ensures anyone can enjoy Rancho West anytime. Our goal is to become America’s organic beer while staying true to the community-focused spirit that brought us here.
5. How do you keep work/life balance? What drives/inspires you?
Finding the balance alongside our wives while focusing on our families and other commitments is all about honesty and recognizing what we can give at any moment. What drives us is a faith that we are doing something good along with our love for adventure, nature, and storytelling. We’re extremely grateful for our strong customer base, our incredible team, and being aligned to support one another in our pursuit to live a life well lived.
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