Ten years ago, Al Guerra and his son, Jason, were having a conversation as they overlooked one of the picturesque vista points at the family’s Pepper Tree Ranch. The talk centered on the possibility of one day holding concerts at their ranch.
In 2009, the Hollister Concerts were born, and Saturday nights in Hollister haven’t been the same since. The 2015 summer concert series wraps up on Sept. 26 with 38 Special and Shane Dwight performing at the Pepper Tree Ranch Amphitheater, which overlooks rolling plains and mountains at the east end of the ranch.
“Doing the concert series has been an enjoyable experience,” Al Guerra said. “If we’re helping out in terms of being a part of the community and creating opportunities for people here, then it’s all worth it.”
Few families in Hollister have a more storied history than the Guerras. The Guerras are known, of course, for their walnut processing industry. Anthony, Carl and Frank Guerra—Al’s grandfather—founded the Guerra Nut Shelling Co. in 1946, and it remains one of Hollister’s most successful businesses and largest employers.
In the early 1980s, the Guerras purchased a 600-acre ranch on the outskirts of the city, otherwise known as the Pepper Tree Ranch. In addition to their walnut business, the Guerra family has become synonymous with cattle ranching, vineyard plantings and the wine and olive oil business.
Guerra, 68, has taken special interest in the Hollister Concerts and wine business, both of which have brought positive attention to Guerra Family Cellars, the tasting room that is on the ranch. A boutique winery—the term used to describe a smaller winery, among other things—Guerra Cellars have produced award-winning wines for the last several years.
Guerra Family Cellars have won their fair share of awards in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, including Double Gold for their 2011 Malbec and 2012 Three Sisters along with a silver for their 2013 Viognier and bronze for their 2011 Cabernet. Guerra Cellars produces five wines—four red and one white.
In 2008, Guerra Cellars won best in class for their Petite Sirah, a huge boost considering they had just planted a vineyard some two years earlier.
“That made us feel like if we could pick the right varieties here in Hollister, we can make the right wine,” Guerra said.
Guerra emphasized a need to get out in the community and make Hollister a destination attraction.
“We usually have wine-club functions in the afternoon, but we also try to be as much a part of the community as we can,” Guerra said. “We’re participants of the Gilroy Wine Stroll, we’ll be pouring wine in the VIP section of this year’s San Benito Olive Festival (at Bolado Park on Oct. 17) and we try to participate in fundraisers for schools. It’s a lot of work but also a lot of fun, and people seem to be enjoying it.”
The concerts have become a big hit, especially in the last couple of years. In the summer of 2014, an estimated crowd of 1,700 came to the amphitheater to hear Los Lobos play. Earlier this summer, an estimated 1,800 people came to see a show headlined by Kenny Cetera.
Guerra credits members of his family along with his personal assistant, Danielle Burke, for helping the concert series take off. Burke is a jack of all trades, running the wine club to training the wine tasting room employees to handling most of the logistical matters for the concert series, including security, public relations, booking the artists and overall customer service.
“There’s an element of working this job that is really special,” said Burke, whose dad, Kevin, is a Hollister mailman. “It’s been so much fun working for Al, and there’s so much about this job that I love. It’s really busy, but it’s nice to know you’re a part of putting together something that people will hopefully enjoy for a long time.”
Guerra, who owns movie theaters in Gilroy and one in the Central Valley, has four children, three of whom live in Hollister, and eight grandkids out of the four children. One day, he wants his children to pass on the ranch’s business to his grandchildren, keeping the Guerra family intact and a Hollister tradition for generations to come.
On Sept. 26, 38 Special and Shane Dwight will be performing at the Pepper Tree Ranch Amphitheater.
The event goes from 6 to 9 p.m., and tickets are $30. Pepper Tree Ranch is located at 500 John Smith Road. For more information, go to hollisterconcerts.com.
