April 7, 2006, Rutherford, CA - Long Meadow Ranch will become an anchor tenant in the Oxbow Public Market, a new public market which will be located at 600 First Street in downtown Napa. The site is adjacent to Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts in the historic Oxbow District along the Napa River. The new 22,000 square-foot project is being led by Steve Carlin, former CEO of Oakville Grocery and project director of the highly successful Ferry Building in San Francisco. Last evening (April 6) the project received its final approval from the City of Napa Planning Commission.

With the planning commission approval in hand the project will break ground in time for a planned opening in the late summer of 2007. The new public market overlooks the Napa River and the plans provide for easy pedestrian access from Copia along a walkway adjacent to the river. The project is being designed by Baldauf, Catton, Von Eckartsberg Architects of San Francisco.

The new market will be open seven days per week and will feature more than twenty vendors in the main food hall or "arcade." The project also includes a wine pavilion, several restaurants, a deck overlooking the river, and ten permanent exterior market stalls. The popular Napa Valley Farmers' Market will continue to use the Copia site which will reinforce the Oxbow Public Market's location as a central meeting place for shoppers and producers.

The Oxbow Public Market's stated mission is to "create a public market of unique character, spirit and content as a place to display and sell organically and sustainably produced local crops, regional specialties, and other high quality and unique food products. Oxbow Market also strives to actively support - through education and community outreach - sustainable and organic farming practices, owner-operated businesses, local food producers, and the agricultural community of the Napa Valley and surrounding regions."

"We expect the Oxbow Public Market to become a focal point for our community where artisan producers, everyday shoppers, restaurant foragers, and visitors will all have the opportunity to buy extraordinary food at reasonable prices for everyday use." said Steve Carlin. "The Oxbow Public Market is committed to providing locally-produced, seasonal foods. We are delighted that a producer of Long Meadow Ranch's credentials has committed to be a core part of the market," Carlin added.

"We see the Oxbow Public Market as an extraordinary opportunity to present the full array of our products - including our wines - to a vibrant group of local and visitor shoppers in an environment consistent with our own mission," said co-owner Ted Hall. "We believe we have the capacity to continue to supply the St. Helena Farmers' Market, our LMR Rutherford Gardens roadside stand, and our restaurant customers, as well as the Oxbow Public Market."

Long Meadow Ranch has been increasing its organic vegetable production capacity through intensive planting of its nearly 6-acre property in Rutherford and by converting the ranch's original vegetable gardens to commercial herb and flower production. Wine production has expanded with the addition of a soon-to-be-released Sauvignon Blanc and new plantings of olive trees are now coming into full commercial production.

The upcoming season will be the seventeenth year for Long Meadow Ranch at the St. Helena Farmers' Market where its eggs, heirloom tomatoes, sunflowers, olive oil, wine, and grass-fed beef have been staple offerings - all produced through the Ranch's integrated organic farming approach.

Also a Napa Valley fixture for many years, the LMR Rutherford Gardens roadside stand will reopen in May in a newly constructed pavilion. Located on Highway 29 in Rutherford, the stand will be open on Saturdays from May to November. The stand will feature the full array of the property's vegetables, flowers, and fresh fruits, including heirloom tomatoes, fresh figs, and strawberries.

"We are very pleased that we will soon be able to offer our customers three locations where they can buy our products," said co-owner Laddie Hall. "We will feature a 'Taste' bar at both the Oxbow Public Market and Rutherford Gardens. Our 'Taste' bar will allow customers to taste everything we are selling - from heirloom tomatoes and olive oil to fresh figs and strawberries. And, at Rutherford Gardens visitors will have the additional opportunities of viewing firsthand our gardens, poultry, and cattle and learning directly about our organic farming practices."

"This commitment to Oxbow Public Market is another component of our forward-looking strategy which was accelerated by the devastating warehouse fire last fall," said co-owner Ted Hall. "We are committed to producing the finest wines, olive oils, and other healthful, flavorful foods for our customers' tables and to finding ways to directly reach our customers wherever we can. Watch us closely!" added Hall.

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Long Meadow Ranch is an innovative organic farming operation - and purveyor of fine food - located high above the Napa Valley on the picturesque slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains where it produces extraordinary wines, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed beef, eggs, and heirloom fruits and vegetables for Napa Valley's finest restaurants. Long Meadow Ranch produces ultra premium wines and extra virgin olive oils, under the Long Meadow Ranch Winery, Ranch House Red, Prato Lungo, and Napa Valley Select labels. Beyond the Napa Valley, America's top chefs have regularly featured Long Meadow Ranch wines and olive oils.

Long Meadow Ranch has been known as such since 1872 when it was established as an original "patent grant" ranch signed over by President Ulysses S. Grant. Having been home to a variety of uses during its long history, Long Meadow Ranch continues to grow and prosper through Ted, Laddie and Christopher Hall's stewardship.

The Halls continue to restore and preserve Napa Valley's oldest olive groves, as well as add new plantings of olive trees and vineyards. They have also brought cattle, poultry, and vegetables back into commercial production. Appaloosa horse breeding, along with an extensive composting operation, round out the integrated farming activities at the Ranch.

"Excellence through Responsible Farming" is the motto of Long Meadow Ranch, bolstered by the belief that world-class products can be produced using sustainable, organic farming methods. Long Meadow Ranch does not use herbicides or pesticides and its products are organically grown and certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers.

Contact: Monty J. Sander
vox 707.253.8503
fax 707.253.8501
emax monty@longmeadowranch.com