This week in Santa Cruz County business: Pescavore's jerky, Neatleaf partnership, rental prices and new state laws

Quick Take:

In this week's local business roundup, Jessica M. Pasko covers plans by Pescavore, a Live Oak sustainable ahi tuna jerky company, to go national, Scotts Valley cannabis cultivation firm Neatleaf’s Canadian partnership and changes at Watsonville’s Slough Brewing Collective, along with other news, notes and numbers to know.

Each week, we’re taking a closer look at the movers and shakers, the growth of industries, and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. I’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest areas for opportunity, updates on local development and all things underpinning the regional business scene, each Wednesday.

Got ideas? Send them my way to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line. – Jessica

Pescavore poised to go national; Live Oak-headquartered company steadily gaining ground in shelf-stable fish market

Strips of ahi jerky strips being dried at Pescavore. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

While beef or even turkey is probably the first thing that comes to mind when most people think jerky, Santa Cruz-based Pescavore is on a steady mission to change that with their three flavors of tuna jerky, made with sustainably caught ahi tuna.

The shelf-stable snack was inspired by a dried marlin snack that co-owners Clarice and Matt Owens tasted during a trip to the Marshall Islands. Their “aha” moment led to much research and development before they introduced their product to the market in 2018. In the six years since, the brand has gained steady traction in stores throughout the West Coast and expanded its footprint into Hawaii, Wyoming and Montana, among other places. Soon, they’ll launch their first national partnership with one of the largest natural foods retailers in the country. All of their processing, packaging and research and development is done at their seafood innovation center on 17th Avenue in Live Oak.

The company’s growth comes at a time when interest in sustainable seafood is high, and there’s an increasing market for shelf-stable fish products and alternatives to red meat. However, the Owens have been strategically cautious about their expansion, ensuring they can meet demand while also staying true to their corporate mission — creating a healthy seafood-based snack using only responsibly-caught fish.

That ethos is born from the couple’s respective backgrounds: Matt Owens spent four years working for FishWise, a Santa Cruz nonprofit focused on transforming global seafood supply chains, and currently serves as the director of sustainability for Tri Marine Management Company, one of the largest suppliers of tuna to brands and processors. Clarice Owens brings years of experience as an engineer working on wind turbines and other sustainable technology.

Pescavore products are now in more than 1,300 stores. Locally, you can find them at Staff of Life, Shopper’s Corner, Pointside Meat Shop, Deke’s Market and several others. (A full store list is here.) They retail for around $4- $5 for a 1.5 ounce package.

Read my full story here

ICYMI: Yes, Santa Cruz County is once again the country’s most expensive rental market

When people complain about the high costs of the local rental market, they’re not exaggerating. The Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area is the most expensive rental market in the U.S., according to the latest report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

As Max Chun reports, the region moved to the top of the list last year, surpassing even the San Francisco metro area. Read more here.

Ch-ch-changes: Openings, closings and other developments

Phil Ornelas, co-owner of Buena Vista Brewing. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Neatleaf partners with Canada’s PURPLEFARM: Scotts Valley-based Neatleaf, which is bringing AI and advanced analytics technology to cannabis cultivation, is now working with a cannabis genetics company in Ontario, Canada. PURPLEFARM began using Neatleaf Spyder, the company’s farming robot, earlier this year at its New Brunswick facility and its leaders say they’ve already seen a 20% increase in yields. For Neatleaf, this partnership represents the company’s continued expansion into the Canadian market.
Digital Nest hires first chief impact officer: Watsonville-headquartered Digital Nest has hired Jill Denner, Ph.D., as chief impact officer. Denner brings extensive experience in broadening participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and computing fields. Digital Nest, founded in 2014, is a youth workforce development nonprofit that runs several technology learning centers aimed at helping develop skills for technology careers. Denner’s role will focus on research and strategy to further develop the program’s model and show its measurable impact.
Watsonville’s Slough Brewing Collective now Buena Vista Brewing Company: As Lily Belli reported back in September, the original trio of owners sold the Slough Brewing Collective on Hangar Way in Santa Cruz to two brothers who own Buena Vista Brewing. Last week, Chuck and Phil Ornelas announced they’ve officially changed the location’s name to Buena Vista Brewing and renovations are in the works.
State’s new workplace violence prevention bill enacted: Among a slew of new laws that went into effect as of Monday, July 1 is California’s new workplace violence prevention law. This law requires employers to develop and implement workplace violence prevention plans, and these plans must be in writing, easily accessible and contain an anti-retaliation provision. More details here.
California’s new service fee ban takes effect: Also in effect as of July is the state’s new ban on service fees, those sneaky surcharges that sometimes show up at the bottom of bills. California is the first state to ban such fees and it could set a precedent nationally. There’s a catch though; bars and restaurants got an exemption from the total ban, but they will have to provide increased transparency. Lily Belli took a dive this week into what this means for your bill at bars and restaurants.

Got hires, promotions, or departures to report? Send them to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career changes.”

Save the date

Wednesday, July 17: Santa Cruz Works hosts its next CEO luncheon with Steph Tsatos, president of Rapid RevOps. She’ll be speaking about how businesses can gain traction with EOS, a business software suite. The event takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at productOPs’ offices, 110 Cooper St., Suite 201, Santa Cruz. More info here.
Tuesday, July 23: Kelsey Knox and Cindy Mediavilla, coauthors of a new book that explores the critical role of women workers in the development of the Disneyland project, will read excerpts and speak about their research. The event takes place from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room at UC Santa Cruz’s McHenry Library. More info here.
Saturday, July 27: The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts its 2024 awards dinner and auction at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. Details and registration here.
Wednesday, Aug. 7: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will host a women’s networking mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. outside the Dientes and Santa Cruz Community Health clinics on Capitola Road. Details here.
Saturday, Sept. 28: The El Pajaro Community Development Corporation and the Regional Women’s Business Center will hold its Latina Entrepreneurship Leadership Conference from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Watsonville Civic Plaza. Tickets and registration here.