Dana Merrill has been farming on the Central Coast of California his entire life.  Growing up in an agricultural family as a 7th Generation Californian he has learn much about farming on the Central Coast.  In the early 1980’s he farmed San Bernabe Vineyard in King City which grew to the one of the largest contiguous vineyards in the world at 9,000 acres later in the decade.  He also started Mesa Vineyard Management Inc, was founded in 1989 to offer premium vineyard management services for Robert Mondavi Winery.  Today, Mesa Vineyard Management Inc. specializes in San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties in the Central Coast of California but has also expanded to the Willamette Vally and Umpqua Valley of Oregon. Clients include winery, investment firms and grower-owned acreage.

Mesa Vineyard Management, Inc. continues to be a leader in developing the region’s reputation for quality wine growing and in developing new growing techniques, especially Sustainable Farming. It is a founding member of the Central Coast Vineyard Team (SIP The Good Life), a non profit promoting such efforts among local growers and wineries.

In 2001 a corporate headquarters was established in Templeton, CA, which is in the Paso Robles growing region. The company has vertically integrated by establishing Mesa Vineyard Custom Services, a subsidiary specializing in supporting other growers and wineries with vineyard construction and mechanical harvesting operations.  Past General Manager Gregg Hibbits came onboard to help Dana lead Mesa Vineyard Management and expand its operations throughout the Central Coast and into Oregon.  Today, Dana’s son Matt Merrill continues where Gregg left off as General Manager of Mesa Vineyard Management.   Mesa continues to consists of a diverse team of expert viticulturists and operational professionals that help produce desired results for its clients.

The Merrill family believes in community and industry involvement. Dana Merrill was the first San Luis Obispo County Chair of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, a charter member of the pioneering Vineyard Sustainability Group, the Central Coast Vineyard Team and is a past two term Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.  Dana has been the “Wine Industry Person of the Year” from multiple organizations including the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.  Mesa Vineyard Management personal help lead multiple local Farm Bureaus along with Wine and Viticulture organizations throughout California. Matt Merrill currently serves on the Board of Directors for the San Luis Obispo Farm Bureau and the Central Coast Vineyard Team.