Today we’d like to introduce you to Diamond Brandon & Frank Buncom IV.
Hi Diamond & Frank, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 1980, our grandparents, who were siblings (Sim Wallace, Sarah Buncom), purchased the right to steward 10 acres of land in the Tijuana River Valley that would become known as S&S Friendly Ranch. Our grandparents played a significant role in how we view the world, value family, and serve our community. Frank and I were both at critical moments in our lives where we were re-evaluating what purpose looks like. We both felt the pull of our ancestors, with encouragement from our siblings, parents, and support system, to get involved at our family ranch and build on the legacy left to us.
Diamond: I have always been fueled by community and it led me to finding ways to give back through service. I worked at a non-profit for 8 years, centering my work around voter outreach, civic engagement, leadership development, social justice, and immigration reform. I then worked for an elected official for 5 years learning about policy and advocacy at the state level while assisting residents with navigating government resources. Coming up, my grandparents were everything to me. I grew up watching my Paw Paw, Sim, and my Nana, Erma, give so much to everyone around them. They were pillars in our community. I guess watching the people I love most in this world navigate life that way set a clear path forward for how I wanted to live my own. I feel like advancing our family legacy forward through the ranch they both poured so much into by utilizing it to serve the broader community is the best way to honor them and still feel their presence on earth.
Frank: My grandma, Sarah Jean, endearingly referred to as Madea, was my superhero. I can hardly touch the edges of the woman she was. She was so much to so many. Our family’s sun, her warmth radiated outward, enveloping everyone in its glow. A matriarch in the truest sense, her love knew no bounds — school principal, teacher, real estate broker, mother, aunt, adopted mother, caretaker of a constellation of hearts. In many ways, I strive to carry Sarah Jean’s light in me, but the path has been zigzag. As I worked in the health technology field after I finished playing football at Stanford University, my passion for ecological restoration began to burn bright. Spurred to dive into loving Mother Earth with all my being after reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, I left my high-paying, impactful Silicon Valley job and crafted the following personal mission: To nurture Earth’s soul by tending local land and effecting scaled ecological regeneration. There’s no better place for me to tend local land than my family’s ranch, named after my rockstar grandmother.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Diamond: I wish I could say yes; it was easy as hell, but the reality is, it has been one of the most beautiful, difficult, grueling, fulfilling choices of my life. It is a labor of love, and sometimes, with that labor comes bruises and blackeyes, lol. Anytime you are starting fresh, it comes with a certain level of sacrifice; one of ours was to forgo salaries while we got up and running, so any revenue we’ve generated has gone back into the land. It is scary when you’re first starting out; you want to make sure that the necessities are taken care of, that you’re being booked regularly, that you’re advertising in the right places, and that you’re connecting with the right people. It can feel like a lot, and at times, we feel burnt out, but we know it’s an investment for what we’re trying to accomplish long-term. One of the most significant struggles we face is definitely the environmental issues in our area. We take great pride in being located in a hidden gem like the Tijuana River Valley, but we, like many other ranches and farms in the area, are impacted by the sewage issues that have persisted for decades. We are trying to combat those issues as best we can, but it’s a problem that will take many minds and hands to solve.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
S&S Friendly Ranch is a premiere venue and agricultural host in the Tijuana River Valley for events and local partnerships. We utilize our space to create a welcoming environment for learning, financial empowerment, wellness, and collective work. We offer private rental of our event space, interactive experiences with our friendly farm animals, overnight camping experiences, and access to fresh produce straight from one of our gardens. In addition, we host events to serve the hearts and minds of the broader community through our nonprofit’s mission: Foster reciprocity with the planet—we nurture community through education and immersive agricultural experiences.
Some of our popular events include:
-Youth Family Ranch Days, where families or partner youth groups can bring their kids down to the ranch, and we teach them day-to-day tasks in ranching and farm life.
-Monthly Music & Poetry Jam: Every first Friday at 6:00 pm, we facilitate a creative space with the evening serenity of the ranch serving as the backdrop for friends and community to express themselves through music, poetry, dance, and more.
-This Woman’s Work: A wellness retreat for all women to leave their day-to-day responsibilities behind and pour back into their own cups through interactive workshops, reiki, sound meditation, yoga, art, and more.
-Hosted Volunteer Days: We love having individuals, organizations, and affiliated groups that want to learn our history while working side-by-side with us. Taking care of our produce and animals and building out current and future projects is a lot of meaningful work. We are grateful for our amazing volunteers, and we welcome anyone else who would like to join us!
I think what makes us different or unique is the fact that we are the only Black-owned and operated ranch and one of the last privately owned ranches in the Tijuana River Valley. That enables us to get creative and think outside the box about how we and others can utilize our land.
We are most proud of the way our land, story, and mission have been received by every person who has stepped foot onto the ranch. For many, it’s their first time being on a ranch or farm—they aren’t sure what to expect. It resonates with so many when we share our grandparents’ story and the work we are doing to live out the values they both exemplified. We get to experience a lot of firsts and a few reminiscent moments with our visitors. You have people who tell us they have never touched or seen a horse or cow in person before, and then you get these beautiful reflections from others who are reminded of their upbringing and tell us they feel at home.
I would like any of our future visitors to know that we are here and so excited to show you our little pocket of peace and country living in the city of San Diego. We are a small but mighty team; we have a lot of heart with a passion for serving our community. Don’t wait to join us; check out our website for upcoming events!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Make sure you have a mission before you start the work. Know what your purpose is and what’s driving you. Once you understand that, you can create the goals that help you achieve that mission. When the work gets hard, and the sacrifices seem like they aren’t yielding the results you desire, that purpose and mission will refuel you. Look at grants and programs locally that are available to help support business owners early in their journey.
I wish we had put more time into our written framework before jumping into the physical work and took more time to look at our business from the 50,000 ft level. We were so eager to get started we skipped steps we had to go back and correct. We learned a lot, and we are still learning. We’re currently in a Business Accelerator Program hosted by the San Diego Tourism Authority and it has been so helpful in providing us with a blueprint for running successful businesses in the city of San Diego.
Pricing:
- Venue Rental Ranges from $75-$200/hour, depending on event
- Petting Zoo $40 for 50 minutes
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ssfriendlyranch.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssfriendlyranch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ssfriendlyranch
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ss-friendly-ranch/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ssfriendlyranch
Image Credits
Diamond Brandon
Frank Buncom IV
Alia Nikooforsat
Eryn Wilson Nieves
Destiny Wallace
