From Ojai With Love

Some of our handmade favorites from the mountains and beyond

By Sophie Jetzer

Calling all Berry Lovers

Functional, hand-crafted, and a beautiful piece of decor? Count us in. Ojai’s very own Roca Ceramics’s Ojai Colander Cup has taken the internet by storm, and we can tell why. Wheel-thrown from high-quality stoneware clay and inspired by Ojai’s soft, earthy, natural color palette, this piece blends intentionality, aesthetics, and use seamlessly. Made in small batches and created to be dishwasher-safe, the Ojai Colander Cup combines natural texture and thoughtful design, creating moments of mindfulness even in the most ordinary kitchen task. Designed for rinsing fruit, the cup is hand-pierced to allow gentle draining, and as they are each handcrafted, every one is unique. Natalie Goods, founder and ceramicist, says, “I wanted to create a piece that honors simple, joyful routines.” 

rocaceramics.com

Liquid Gold

Carolina Gramm mentions she's in her early seventies. I would have guessed fifty. Even over Zoom her skin is glowing. An 80s supermodel and face of Chanel N°5, she has since become a skincare savant. Her line, Extra Virgin Skin, began in Carolina's olive oil tasting room in Ojai, and has been committed to sustainability, refinement, and, most importantly, 100% natural ingredients since the beginning. Throughout her career as a model in New York, Carolina became frustrated with the creams that would continuously cause problems for her sensitive skin, and became determined to create her own. After she fell in love with creating olive oil from her farm, she decided to infuse the world of skincare with her very own liquid gold. Packed with antioxidants, her signature ingredient is California-grown Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Extra Virgin Skin’s products, from their coffee-infused Bio Retinol (it’s plant derived so you can still go in the sun) to their Organic Edelweiss Gel, are loaded with unique ingredients offering anti-aging attributes. Formulated, manufactured, and packaged in Ojai, this hands-on approach offers 100% quality control. Founded on the star ingredient, all creams and lotions are based on the emulsion of olive oil and water, as well as Hydroxytyrosol, EVOO’s hidden secret. A potent antioxidant, hydroxytyrosol is one of the most powerful anti-aging ingredients available, and protects the skin from free radical damage, maintains collagen strength, and supports overall skin health over time. Growing up in Northern Italy, where the antioxidant-rich flower edelweiss grew plentifully, Carolina says, “My must-have ingredients are olive oil, edelweiss, and peptides.” The combination of the powers of both plants, as well as the plumping agents of peptides serve a holistic approach to skincare that prioritises a clean, healthy, and efficacious result over anything else. After all, who better to trust with your face than a supermodel? 

extravirginskincare.com

Field and Flame

United in a commitment to an authentic, lived-in California lifestyle, Messermeister and Iron & Resin have come together to celebrate the rituals of gathering and cooking in their new capsule collection, Field and Flame. Inspired by the outdoors and adventure, the new collection consists of a small run of Messermeister knives, each accompanied by a custom buttery leather sheath, ensuring ease in wearing, carrying, and protecting the blades. Their denim micarta handles and red G10 liners are built for durability and performance, as well as keeping with Iron & Resin’s distinctly Central Coast style. Rounding out the collection are denim and canvas waxed aprons, vintage-inspired graphic tees, and a waxed canvas hat, all of which are created with intention and fit in perfectly in the living room or at the campfire. Leading manufacturer of premium handcrafted chef’s knives, kitchen cutlery, and cooking tools, the Ojai-based and women-owned Messermeister creates works of art that are professional chef and home-cook favorites for their quality. Ventura-based men’s lifestyle brand, Iron & Resin, is the brainchild of several friends who decided to rebel against the industry standard of disposable, fast fashion. Curating a small, hand-built collection based on personal experience and lifestyle, Iron & Resin subscribes to a rugged, coastal-inspired ethos. Together, both labels have created a capsule collection that is the envy of any California adventurer. 

Wild Beauty

“There is nothing more powerful for the body, mind, and soul than the healing force of nature,” says Ojai Wild founder and nose, Janna Sheenan. Ojai Wild’s fragrances and skincare are formulated from Ojai-grown aromatic herbs, flowers, resins, and roots, honoring the earth, its rhythms, and your skin since 2017. Ojai Wild’s in-house hydro-distillery, raw material rendering lab, and focus on zero waste as well as crafting undiluted biological ingredients pushes boundaries, culminating healthy, glowing skin, and a luxuriously aromatic experience. A lover of both science and human connection, Janna explains, “I became captivated by unconventional scents—ancient fragrances rooted in nature. Countless hours road-tripping along California's coast, collecting soil, seaweed, and resin from ancient trees, fueled my passion for creating unique tinctures.” She channeled this fascination into colognes like White Sage Leaves, Chamomile Flowers, and Redwood Leaves. Grown, harvested, and distilled in Ojai, Janna’s skincare is the definition of clean beauty. Ojai Wild’s products are built around compounds like Phyto Glow, a delivery system designed to nourish the skin like a potent vitamin supplement—nutrient dense and supporting clarity and luminosity. From their Yarrow Phyto Glow Facial Oil, to Rose Love Cologne the aromatics, textures, and applications of Ojai’s untamed natural spirit rejuvenate and revive.