Meet Cassandra & Lauren Van Keulen | Owners / Sisters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cassandra & Lauren Van Keulen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cassandra & Lauren, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
At the end of 2020, after a year of not being able to socialize the way we were used to, we were inspired to create a safe and memorable way for our community to gather again. We discovered how much of a desire there was for people to celebrate and we felt drawn to be the facilitator of those moments. Our vision was also to support locals during a tough economical time by collaborating with native vendors and artisans to both elevate our picnic experiences and pour any successes back into small, family-owned businesses like ours. Through this whole process, we realized we had access to some one-of-a-kind locations in the Ojai Valley and we were compelled to share them with others. We wanted to show our guests what drew us to this special haven and allow them to revel in our town’s spiritual energy. What started as a passion project has now evolved into a productive business that’s continuing to grow and be well received. Most importantly, we always looked forward to the day when we could start returning a fixed portion of our profits to organizations that serve the underprivileged of our valley and we were able to launch that initiative as of the beginning of this year!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what sets us apart from others is that we don’t need to do this job…we CHOOSE to do it. Both of us have full time jobs – (Cassandra is an award-winning realtor; Lauren is going into her 20th year of hospitality and works at the Ojai Valley Inn) that serve as our main source of income but we wanted an outlet where we could both tap into our creative side. Cassandra graduated with a degree in Interior Design that she hadn’t yet been able to put to use and Lauren brings an MBA to the partnership so not only was this a way for us to position ourselves in roles we excel at but we both bring complimentary skills to the table. The fact that we’re sisters allows us to be more direct and there’s also an innate level of trust that gives us both peace of mind.

We definitely encountered challenges in our first year – mainly in the form of outside forces wanting to influence the direction in which we were taking our brand and wanting us to “adjust” our offerings to serve their needs. We tried scouting locations for and styling photoshoots, coordinating rentals, and managing larger events but over the course of time we honed in on what made us the happiest and most successful…picnics. By sticking to our ethos of serving our community the way we know best – bringing them together at the table – we’ve made authentic connections and are now apart of a network of entrepreneurs that encourage us and make us proud to be from Ojai.

We want the world to know that it’s possible to pursue something that you enjoy, that is financially profitable AND still gives back to those around you. Sometimes it requires patience and timing, or it can be a marriage of talent and demand…if you’re lucky enough to be a part of a community like ours, it can just come down to support and perseverance. We were blessed to benefit from a perfect storm of all of the above 🙂

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Eat: Nocciola, The Nest, Bluegrass Brunch as the Oak, Ojai Rotîe, Papa Lennon’s, Revel Drink: Tipple & Ramble, The Deer Lodge, Topa Topa Brewing, Topa Mountain Winery
Visit: Taft Gardens, Meditation Mount, Turtle Conservancy, Bart’s Books, Raptor Center, Ojai Olive Oil, Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts
Do: Trail Ride at the Ventura River Preserve, open-air Jeep tour to Rose Valley Falls, Indulge at Spa Ojai, Wine Tasting at Old Creek Ranch Winery, Hike Luci’s Loop, Stroll the Farmers’ Market

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of the biggest rewards in starting our company has been the relationships we’ve built along the way; collaborating with other local entrepreneurs and small (usually female-owned) businesses. But a brand isn’t truly a brand without a strong aesthetic and ours wouldn’t be what it is without our photographer, Brandi Crockett. From helping us bring to life our very first brand launch to working with our picnickers during their most intimate moments, she has a way of making everyone around her feel comfortable and beautiful, and she captures those qualities effortlessly on film. She’s also been so intentional about introducing us to other talents that are now an integral part of our picnic community and we are forever grateful to her for that.

Website: https://www.ojaipicnicmoments.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ojaipicnicmoments/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ojaipicnicmoments

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJISv-tfIIWhxxfra_zeVvQ

Image Credits
Brandi Crockett