CAMINO — Gael Barsotti, whose family helped turn a small orchard in Camino into a widely recognized juice business, is being remembered for a lifetime of entrepreneurship, generosity and service to El Dorado County.
Barsotti Juice announced his death Tuesday, Oct. 13, describing Barsotti as a leader, friend, neighbor and longtime pillar of the Apple Hill community. His passing marks a profound loss for a region where agriculture, family businesses and community relationships remain central to local identity.
“This is more than the loss of a community member — it is the loss of one of the people who helped define what makes our little corner of the world so special,” the company said in its memorial announcement.
Barsotti spent five decades helping shape the agricultural and civic life of Camino, a foothill community known for its orchards, seasonal harvests and Apple Hill farms. His legacy extends beyond the business that bears his family’s name to the charitable organizations, children and families that benefited from his support.
From a career change to an Apple Hill institution
Barsotti’s story in El Dorado County began in 1976, when he and his wife, Joan, left Foster City and purchased a 37-acre ranch in Camino. The property included a log cabin, an orchard of apple and pear trees, a cold-storage building and fruit-packing equipment.
According to the company’s official history, the family initially concentrated on packing fruit, learning the demands of agricultural life as they established themselves in the foothills.
The transition into juice production came several years later, when a representative from Raley’s supermarket chain asked whether the family could produce apple juice for its stores. The request led the Barsottis to borrow a neighbor’s cider press and begin producing juice for retail customers.
What began as a family operation grew into Barsotti Family Juice Co., a business producing apple cider and a range of juices, lemonades and fruit blends. The company says its products are made at its Apple Hill ranch and distributed to customers well beyond El Dorado County.
Barsotti also helped establish an approach to retail placement that distinguished the business: selling fresh, perishable juice in grocery stores’ produce sections alongside whole fruit rather than placing it in the dairy aisle.
Today, the company’s product line includes apple cider, orange juice, organic carrot juice, lemonades and specialty blends. Its Camino operation also features a two-acre solar installation that helps power the cider mill. The business has expanded beyond its original acreage and developed a hard-cider operation under the North Canyon Cider Co. name.
The company’s growth also reflects a family succession. Barsotti’s children, Michael and Cathy, assumed key leadership responsibilities, with Michael serving as president and master blender and Cathy overseeing sales and marketing, according to the background information provided for this report.
The family business remains rooted in Camino, where the orchard and cider mill are located at 2239 Hidden Valley Lane. Its history is documented on the Barsotti Family Juice Co. website.
A legacy measured in community service
For Barsotti, success was not measured solely in acres farmed or bottles produced. His family’s business became a contributor to the nonprofit organizations and community programs that support residents across El Dorado County.
The Food Bank of El Dorado County has counted Barsotti Family Juice Co. among its community partners. In its 2025 holiday outreach announcement, the food bank identified the company as a sponsor alongside the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. The program helps provide food assistance to county residents, including homebound individuals. The food bank’s announcement documents that partnership.
Barsotti Juice also maintains an online donation request program for local charities and fundraising events, allowing eligible organizations to request juice donations. The program reflects the company’s continuing role in supporting community activities.
Another connection is CASA El Dorado, which recruits and supports Court Appointed Special Advocates for children involved in the court system. The organization’s annual Box Lunch fundraiser has featured Barsotti apple juice as part of its meals, helping connect a local agricultural business with a nonprofit serving vulnerable children.
The family’s philanthropy also honors Joan Barsotti, who died before her husband. The Joan Barsotti Gymnasium at the local Boys & Girls Club recognizes her legacy, while memorial funds established by the family have supported children in need and writers, reflecting her work as a children’s book author.
Barsotti also served as board chair of the Marshall Medical Center Foundation, according to the background information supplied for this report, extending his community involvement into local health care.
Taken together, these efforts illustrate how a family business can become part of a county’s broader network of nonprofit support, youth programs, food assistance and community services.
A loss felt across Camino and El Dorado County
Barsotti’s death comes at a meaningful time for Apple Hill, when autumn draws visitors to the foothills for apples, cider, baked goods and farm experiences. For local growers and businesses, the season is both an economic engine and a celebration of the agricultural traditions that distinguish the region.
The Barsotti family’s story has long been intertwined with that identity. What began with a ranch purchased in 1976 became a business recognized for its fresh juice and a family name associated with community giving.
The company’s announcement captured the breadth of that connection, extending its condolences to Barsotti’s relatives, friends and neighbors.
“Apple Hill, El Dorado County, and the Barsotti Juice Company will never be the same,” the announcement said.
That sentiment reflects the significance of a loss that reaches beyond one company. In a county where family farms often become multigenerational institutions, Barsotti’s life linked agricultural enterprise with philanthropy and civic responsibility.
His legacy will remain visible in the business his family continues to operate, the organizations his family supported and the community relationships built over five decades.
Funeral services scheduled for Oct. 29
Funeral services for Gael Barsotti are scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Placerville, according to the family company’s announcement.
The family has extended its condolences to everyone who knew and loved Barsotti as the community mourns a longtime friend and neighbor.
For Camino and the wider Apple Hill region, his passing marks the end of a chapter in local history — one shaped by farming, family enterprise and a commitment to helping others.
The orchard remains part of the landscape. The company remains part of the community. And the impact of Gael Barsotti’s work will continue through the people and organizations he helped along the way.
