Our Story
Way Back When
Josh and Mary met October 2020 and their story started instantly, MJ Heritage’s beginnings though started many years prior.
Josh
Josh grew up in Napa but spent a lot of time on his grandparents pistachio farm in Mendocino & cooking in the kitchen with his Grandma Rosie. This is where his love of food and feeding people came from. Josh often jokes that he has a little Japanese grandma inside of him that just constantly wants to feed and nurture people. Josh made his way in the Napa Valley working in different high end restaurants & kitchens before opening up his own culinary event company & retail sandwich shop.
Rising in the ranks in the different kitchens, Josh has always been a big believer in regenerative farming. It took some patience in finding land where he could raise a herd of pigs that would later become the foundation of our breeding stock. Selecting breeding stock with a chef in mind, he selected specific animals that had traits like haunched shoulders, elongated torso, and pronounced hams, which are components of producing high quality meat. Also selecting because of temperament and growth pattern.
Mary
Mary came on to the scene about 10 years into the farm’s story. Mary met Josh at the winery she was interning at in Calistoga. Love at first sight. Mary had worked in the food industry for her entire working life and went to culinary school for baking then got a minor as a Sommelier and quickly fell in love with wine (as you do). She moved to Napa for a 3 month internship but quickly knew this was the place she wanted to stay. After meeting Josh and seeing his passion for animal husbandry it inspired her. She had always loved animals and was very eager to learn the farming industry, thankfully Josh is a great teacher.