Horse Rock Olive Oil, the small-batch estate-grown olive oil brand based at the White family ranch near St. Helena, keeps on with its run of certified extra virgin olive oil from about 50 olive trees on the property. The brand works at a set small scale. It yields two to three tonnes of olives per harvest, with bottling done in Glen Ellen, Sonoma Valley.
Founded and led by CEO Celeste White, with her husband Dr Robert White as co-principal, Horse Rock holds a single-origin estate olive oil line in a region whose farm identity ties to wine. The small scale is by choice. Estate-grown means all olives come from the same property where the brand runs, which sets the product apart from blended or multi-source olive oils.
The trees on the Horse Rock land came through the Atlas Peak Fire. The brand frames that survival as central to its identity and to the family’s stewardship of the land. The story of the trees sits at the heart of how Horse Rock places itself: a brand rooted in continuity, place and the chosen practice of small-scale farming.
The family ranch sits near St. Helena, in a region whose farm identity has been shaped by generations of growers working at scales from large vineyards to small craft outfits. Horse Rock joins the latter group. The choice to stay small reflects an approach that puts the character of the property above the economics of larger-volume work.
The certified extra virgin grade reflects compliance with the industry rules for unrefined olive oil made through mechanical means with no chemical processing. Extra virgin status calls for set acidity thresholds and defined sensory traits. Horse Rock’s product meets these rules through its small-batch run.
Horse Rock Olive Oil sells direct to consumers through the brand’s website. The direct-to-consumer route fits the brand’s scale and matches the kind of distribution common to estate-grown farm outfits that work at boutique volumes.
White’s work record extends beyond Horse Rock. She founded and chairs Lux Forum, a St. Helena thought-leadership group, and has served on the Westmont College Board of Trustees since 2011. She served as U.S. Pony Club District Commissioner for 17 years and works with The Salvation Army, Young Life, Hospice, Queen of the Valley Hospital, the Napa Valley Education Foundation Board, and Ag 4 Youth. More on her work across business and civic service sits at celestewhite.org.
About Lux Forum
Lux Forum is a St. Helena thought-leadership organization that hosts events and speakers focused on gratitude, reflection, and positive social change.
About Celeste White
Celeste White is the founder and chair of Lux Forum, CEO and owner of Horse Rock Olive Oil, and a member of the Westmont College Board of Trustees. She has been a longtime resident of Napa Valley.
