Whether you’re looking for exceptionally high-quality olive oil or are on the hunt for sustainably-sourced products right from the Capay Valley, Séka Hills has been one of the top choices for local consumers for over a decade.

Named in honor of the blue hills that overlook the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s homeland in the Capay Valley (Séka translates to “blue” in the native Patwin language), Séka Hills Olive Mill — located at 19326 Road. 78 in Brooks — opened in 2012 for the milling of the Tribe’s olives along with other local grower’s olives.

The tasting room, which is located in the 14,000-square-foot facility, opened soon after in the fall of 2014 as a way to showcase the agricultural bounty of the region, offering visitors an insider’s view of how the Tribe’s olives are grown, milled and finished into their world-class, award-winning extra virgin olive oils.

A few years after the opening of their original tasting room, Séka Hills opened a second location at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, located at 35265 Willow Ave.

However, late last year, the decision was made to move from the Old Sugar Mill to an all-new location in midtown Sacramento which will be celebrating its grand opening on Aug. 10. The brand new location will be located on 17th and S streets in the Ary Place building.

“It’s going to be really exciting to have an urban tasting room location,” said Jim Etters, director of land management at Séka Hills. “In the past, both of our tasting locations have been very rural. They’re obviously locations people like to visit and enjoy being out in the Capay Valley and seeing the views and being right amongst the olive grove, that is something people always get excited about.

“But now, having an urban location where people can come and experience all the products that Séka Hills has to offer is going to be an exciting new next step for us.”

Also new, is Séka Hills’ freshly released creamed honey, available in both the original and cinnamon flavors.

“It’s our Séka Hills wildflower honey that’s actually churned for two to three hours,” Etters explained. “It gives it a really nice smooth, spreadable consistency.”

While their signature olive oil along with their wine are their flagship products, the Séka Hills brand has expanded to encompass various agricultural products from the Tribe including the honey, flavored nuts, beef, pickled asparagus, hummus and a body care line.

Séka Hills also recently won Best Large Producer in California at the California State Fair for their Coratina Olive Oil for the second year running.

“It’s just so exciting to be recognized in that way out of thousands of entries across the state, to be recognized as the Best Large Producer is just amazing,” Etters emphasized. “I think it’s really testament to the Tribe’s commitment to quality in their growing techniques and their processing line.”

Séka Hills also took home Best of California for their Viognier white wine at the State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

According to Etters, in addition to the Tribe’s extraordinary attention to detail, their high-quality products are also due in large part to their prime location in western Yolo County, which has one of the most ideal climates for growing olives.

“It’s really the soils and the perfect Mediterranean climate we have here in Western Yolo County,” Etters explained. “I mean there’s a reason why more olives are going into production in Western Yolo County. The undulating topography, the heat and the fact that olives are so drought tolerant all play a key role in why Yolo County is producing such high-quality olive oil. I think the Capay Valley is really becoming more well-known every year for the quality of olive oil that is coming from here and we plan to continue doing that.”

Throughout the year, the tasting room also hosts and participates in several events such as their sunflower and blossom tours, Almond Festival and their annual olive crush event during olive harvest season which allows customers to go on tours of the mill and experience firsthand how the olives are harvested, delivered to the mill, processed into olive oil, packaged and sent to market.

Séka Hill’s products and olive oil are available for purchase in their tasting room and in a number of stores such as Whole Foods and Nugget Markets. They also distribute their oil to various retail stores throughout the western United States including Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Denver and Phoenix. Etters mentioned that they also hope to expand their wholesale footprint to the Eastern United States soon.

“We have just really concentrated on the quality of the products and now have a very diverse line of specialty foods that are all very well received whether it’s on the grocery store shelf or tasting it right in our tasting rooms,” Etters said. “It’s been exciting to work with the Tribal Council to help them build their agricultural enterprises and their brand from scratch.

“The Tribal Council has shown a great amount of leadership and attention to detail when they’ve been working to build their specialty food brand and everything is very well thought out. It’s exciting to be a part of working with the council and Yocha Dehe to make this happen.”

For more information, visit https://www.sekahills.com/.