Early in their marriage in 1971, John and Renee Linn decided to live out their lives on a farm.  For years, they had driven through the Midwest farmlands admiring and longing for a healthy life working together as a family.  With their minds made up, they bundled up newborn son Justin, packed their books and student loans into a '64 VW bug, and headed for Denver.  They were determined to make enough money to buy into their version of the American dream. 

After finding no job available in a bad national economy, John borrowed $750 to put a down payment on a service station where he not only sold gas at the height of the oil crisis, but specialized in foreign car repair.  There was plenty of work - often 110 hours a week!  The couple began to plan in earnest for a farm by deciding that in five years they would leave Denver with their family and a nest egg.

In 1975, the Linns visited Cambria, California for the wedding of a high school buddy whose parents had a small farm on Santa Rosa Creek Road.  The Linns fell in love with the pristine beauty, emerald green hill, and lush valley.  As they were leaving for home back in Denver, their friend's mother pointed out a parcel across the road that was for sale.  They drove past that parcel...just to look.  But on the flight back to Denver, they couldn't get the beauty of Cambria's hills out of their heads.  As soon as the plane landed, they called and bought the property over the phone.  It was a crazy thing to do!  They didn't have the down payment let alone the money to pay the mortgage and taxes.  And things were even more complicated - the family had grown to include son Aaron and, Renee was pregnant with their third child Aimee.  Undaunted, a year later the Linns sold everything and moved to California to begin the hard work of farm life.  They had reached their five-year goal right on schedule!

When the Linn's arrived in Cambria in 1977, they felt carefree.  Nothing could dampen their spirits.  They moved a little (8' x 32') 1952 trailer onto the farm and all five Linns moved in.  They refurbished an old well on the property, learned to run trenchers, drive tractors, plant fruit trees, and build water systems and fences.

Both John and Renee worked on and off the farm to make ends meet.  By 1979, it hit home that without doing something pretty imaginative - and soon, they would not survive, let alone succeed.  They needed a cash crop to give them desperately needed income or their farm dreams were doomed.  They decided to open a Pick-Your-Own with berries and vegetables.  It was a success!

Many people came out to the farm now called Linn's Fruit Bin.  As it grew more prosperous, Renee turned her attention to creating Linn's More Fruit - Less Sugar Preserves and Pies which were widely embraced due to their intensely fresh fruit flavor.  One flavor became a particular favorite with customers.  It was based on then unheard of fruit - the Olallieberry - a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry.  This turned out to be the cornerstone of Linn's success.

Nowadays, along with the popular Olallieberry, the Linns grow a variety of crops at their farm which are made into wonderful entrees and desserts and served at the local Linn's restaurant, bakeries, and gift shops in Cambria.  The Linn family's lifelong dreams are still unfolding and evolving as they continue to grow the business that so began long ago....

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