In 1984, Sam’s grandparents Paola and Giuseppe Bagnatori, and great aunt and uncle Elena and Jack Brittain, purchased a former pear farm in a rural corner of Sonoma. Having grown up in the Tuscan countryside, Giuseppe in particular loved having a place to plant the fruits and vegetables that reminded him of his childhood, and imparted that love onto the next generations. The family soon began affectionately calling the place “Rancho Not So Grande,” a reference to the popular mariachi song “Allá En El Rancho Grande.”