Mulholland Estate Launches Local Agave Spirits in 2028

Priti Chowdhury and Jules Leib will release Los Angeles’ first local agave spirits in 2028, according to the couple who farm the Mulholland Estate in the Hollywood Hills. The project marks the culmination of a decade-long effort to transform a residential development site into a working agricultural operation.

Ten years ago, the couple purchased the four-acre slope that once belonged to Billy Joel. They initially planned to subdivide the land and build two homes. After spending two years securing approval for a driveway, they changed direction. They began observing a nearby private vineyard called Hollywood Classic Wines located under the Hollywood sign. Leib said they decided to mimic that operation, though Chowdhury initially opposed the idea. She suggested agave plants instead of vines, a choice that launched their current enterprise.

The couple manually transported 1,000 agave plants across the slope and dragged a 500-foot hose from their house to the property corner for hand watering. Today, the estate supports approximately 6,000 agave plants and 6,000 dahlia tubers. The dahlias are sold in bouquets at a shop at the Original Farmers Market. The estate also operates a vertical grow farm that supplies microgreens to 30 chefs and restaurants, including Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market, Bistro & Seafood Market.

Leib described the farm as a family operation. He handles microgreens, while Chowdhury focuses on flowers. Their 19-year-old son, Julian, manages business and operational tasks while completing his studies at UCLA. The farm employs seven full-time workers who use the house facilities for restrooms, as outdoor facilities are not yet available.

The couple hosted Farmworker Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, for a brunch at the estate on Saturday. The event aimed to highlight the working conditions of the 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States. Ron Estrada, the organization’s CEO, joined the team from Washington, D.C. to speak about the stability of the nation’s food system.

Estrada stated that the fragility of the food system is largely due to an unstable workforce. He noted that 60 percent of fruits and nearly 50 percent of vegetables consumed in the U.S. are imported. He contrasted this with the period when his father worked as a farmworker in Colusa and Hemet, California, when import rates were below 10 percent.

The average age of a farmworker is 58, and only nine percent of the workforce is under 35. Estrada argued that farmworkers are often viewed as commodities or invisible in media. He emphasized that the role requires skill, as workers use their senses to detect fungus, pests, and other organisms. He said these workers have performed these tasks for generations.

Farmworker Justice seeks to bring together restaurant owners, distributors, farmers, and growers to discuss sustainable workforce solutions. Estrada said farmworkers sit at the top of the food chain, which includes manufacturers, processors, retailers, and consumers. He warned that if the workforce is compromised, the entire system is impacted, potentially leading to restaurant closures and a shift toward less healthy food options. He concluded that every meal begins with the farmworker, not the grocery store.

The couple is also preparing to open a live-cut microgreens salad bar near The Grove. They plan to make this the world’s first 100 percent microgreens salad bar of its kind. Leib said he learned from the Farmworker Justice team that listening to experienced workers reveals insights that might otherwise be missed. The estate remains a working farm where the couple continues to manage production and sales directly.