Official recognition isn't always fast in coming but, after 140 years of organic farming, the homestead property and the Brewery Gulch Inn have been certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) under the provisions of the California Organic Foods Act of 1990.

Entrepreneur Homer Barton was the first to homestead the land during the 1860s. He supplied the boomtown village of Mendocino with chemical free produce, meat, dairy products, and even beer. His spirit lives on in the foods offered at the Inn. "We want to provide outstanding food for our guests, as well as acquaint them with the food's origin. With this goal in mind, we are continuously expanding the scope of our cultivated gardens," states innkeeper and land owner Dr. Arky Ciancutti.

Brewery Gulch Inn currently produces organically raised chicken, eggs, heritage apples, mushrooms (cultivated and wild crafted), greens, dozens of varieties of edible flowers, many types of garnish, a wide range of herbs and spices, heritage garlic and more. The apple orchard is much as Homer and his descendants planted it. Over the past twenty years, Dr. Ciancutti has grafted all of the original apple stock onto young root stock, thus preserving the original heritage of Spitzenberg, King and many other apple varieties. An organically grown heritage apple produces the "real" old-time apple aromas and taste. The garlic and several of the herbs are from the original stock brought to America by the owner's Italian immigrant family. The freely ranged chickens are fed organically from grains, local hand-harvested seaweeds, fresh greens and oyster shells. Many of the guests comment that they can tell the differences in taste, color and texture of the fresh organically grown eggs.

Brewery Gulch Inn's Chef uses at least 85% organic and locally wild crafted foods in his appetizing evening hors d'oeuvres. Only the applewood smoked bacon on the extensive breakfast menu isn't organic. The bounty of the fertile North Coast region gives him the opportunity to use a wide-range of locally grown and produced foods. Ever since he has been making the fresh sourdough breads and focaccias served at the popular evening wine and hors d'oeuvres hour. With Thanksgiving Coffee, a well-known local roaster, he created a coffee blend of Peruvian espresso, Guatemalan Vienna roast, and Mexican light roast that is organic, shade-grown and songbird supportive, and provides a truly living wage to those who labor to grow and harvest the crops.

"The CCOF certification and our quest to continually seek the best of locally grown and produced products expresses our commitment to a sustainable relationship with our environment. We believe our guests can appreciate these differences and by sharing in this experience will take home a deeper sense of replenishment," concludes Dr. Ciancutti.

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