WAO Partner Profile: Ojai Food Taxi
Ojai Food Taxi
Owners: Jessica and Loretta Altman-Pollack
Profile by OVLC member, Lisa Aronson
You have to have more than one egg in the basket – Jessica and Loretta Altman-Pollack
Jessica and Loretta Altman-Pollack embrace diversity. In addition to owning and operating Ojai Food Taxi, they are delighted parents of 5-year-old Shaya, avid campers and hikers, owners of domestic farm and other animals (one emu, goats, alpacas, bunnies, horses, cats and dogs) and representatives for Anthem Blue Cross. In addition, Jessica has a graphic design company, ‘Pomarchist Designs.’
They are gifted entrepreneurs. Their journey with Ojai Food Taxi began when Jessica applied for a driver position with the company and the conversation evolved into an agreement to purchase. “Hey, we could make something of this.” And, they have. Within one year the news of Ojai Food Taxi has spread even more widely throughout the Ojai Valley, through word of mouth, strategic advertising, engaging local publications and an ever-expanding presence on social media. They have expanded ordering mechanics to make them as user friendly as possible, making it possible to order online through their website, via text and by phone; they have grown their customer base; they have added night and weekend drivers, increasing coverage; and they have decreased the delivery turnaround to 45 minutes. And, at all times, as food delivery businesswomen, they keep their eye on the prize: “Getting food to the customer hot is the key!”
The Altman-Pollacks are proud supporters of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy through their participation in the Wild About Ojai Partner program. “We love everything about the land and the trails!” Their son, Shaya, is also in love with the natural beauty of the Ojai Valley, “He knows his hikes, he knows his ‘spots.’ He likes Pratt Trail and Matilija Canyon a lot.” They recently redid the Ojai Food Taxi logo, to include as its background the Topa Topa Mountain Range. (As a side note, in line with their embrace of diversity, they commissioned the Ventura based graffiti artist designer TheLab805 to design the logo.)
Just as with their business, Loretta and Jessica expand and vary their passion for nature, aiming to introduce Shaya to every National Park and National Monument in the United States. They have made an excellent beginning, having recently visited Lassen, Yosemite, Death Valley and Lava Beds National Monument. They note that because Ojai is supportive of family-owned and operated businesses, they were able to close their business for 10 days this past summer, with notice, and put more notches in their National Park goal, and resume Ojai Food Taxi with gusto upon their return.
Who We Are
The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) owns and maintains about 2,000 acres of open space in the Ojai Valley–protecting the views, trails, water and wildlife for all to enjoy. If you’re a hiker, mountain biker, trail runner or equestrian, you’ve probably been on our trails in the Valley View, Ventura River and Ojai Meadows preserves. As a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, we depend on your donations to help us protect these amazing open spaces. We can’t do it without you.How Wild About Ojai Works
As a member of Wild About Ojai, Ojai Food Taxi is donating 1% of its sales to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to protect and maintain Ojai Valley open space for your use and enjoyment.How The Money Is Used
It costs over $100,000 a year to maintain OVLC preserves. This includes keeping them clean and patrolled, building and maintaining trails, and providing parking and informational signage. Funds raised through Wild About Ojai help to offset some of these costs.Who Participates
Businesses of any kind are strongly encouraged to participate. If you sell a product or service to a customer or client, we hope you’ll join the program.
