A family business dating back to 1869.

Our History.

Mountain Sage was created by biologists and ecologists Robb and Regina Hirsch.

Regina’s family roots in the area go back to the 1850’s when her great grandparents, straight off a boat from Italy, decided with other Italian families to homestead in Groveland. Over the years, the Laveroni’s had many businesses including owning the Iron Door Saloon, a lumber mill and a small chicken egg farm. The park in town is named after Regina’s grandmother, Mary Laveroni, a true matriarch of the community and brilliantly progressive woman.

In 2002, Robb and Regina put their biology careers on hold and moved to the foothills to start Mountain Sage on the old family property in downtown Groveland. The business has evolved to incorporate many facets including a coffee and teahouse, plant nursery and gardens, music venue and the gallery of Robb’s nature photography; but has always remained a community gathering spot and a regular stop for travelers in and out of Yosemite.

Though still overseeing Mountain Sage, Robb and Regina currently spend much of their time on other pursuits. Regina’s focus shifted into water conservation, ultimately inspiring her to start Watershed Progressive, a constantly evolving business committed to better use and reuse of the precious resource. Projects include large- and small-scale greywater systems, rainwater catchment, landscape design and habitat restoration on the individual or community scale, throughout California.

Robb has followed a path into nature photography in an effort use the medium as a mechanism to help people connect to and appreciate the natural world for the purpose of making decisions that benefit conservation and land stewardship. In 2020, his book “The Nature Of Yosemite- A Visual Journey”, was published by the Yosemite Conservancy- a coffee table photography book with text teaching about the natural history of the park. He currently leads photo workshops in Yosemite and surrounding Sierra Nevada and collaborating on his second book covering Yosemite wildlife.

Contact us.

info@mtsage.com
(209) 732-0018

Groveland, California