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WACA was formed after years of firsthand experience managing avocado and citrus ranches across
California’s coastal regions. Its founder worked closely with growers, packers, labor contractors, and agricultural
service providers and saw the same problems repeat across independent operations. Rising water costs.
Fragmented, costly services. Increasing regulatory burdens. Limited coordination and conflicting market information. Â
Our Story
Our Mission Statement
We coordinate scattered farms under one cooperative umbrella.
Reduce costs of labor and service providers. Increase returns by
aggregating volumes for top of market returns and grading.Â
Cory Auric
Cory is a Ventura County local, through and through. Born and raised in Ojai, he has a Bachelor’s of Science in Agricultural Business and Management, with a minor in Fruit Science, from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His professional experience includes Director of Farming for the Wonderful Companies, Farm Supervisor for Tejon Ranch Company, and managing the Cal Poly Trestle Vineyard. Cory has impressive nursery experience, and was in charge of 60 million+ plants annually at the peak of his time at Wonderful. From growing almonds and wine grapes in the Central Valley, to managing avocado orchards on the Central Coast while supervising large budgets in excess of $100M, he also spent time fostering water district relationships, serving on boards in Kern and Los Angeles counties. Through these roles, he gained extensive knowledge developing and maintaining both large-scale agricultural wells and smaller well systems. His experience now includes water treatment processes and the legalities of navigating the complicated bureaucracies of these institutions. Cory currently owns and manages Ojala, a historic property in Ojai. His major focus is restoring the land after the Thomas Fire; he has added 5 acres of avocados in the last four years and the property is in its next chapter after rising from the ashes. Cory is passionate about learning as much as he can about the diverse ways of growing healthy, thriving plants - he has amassed an extensive knowledge of both organic and conventional farming methods. In his minimal free time, Cory enjoys hiking, fishing, exploring new places, locally or abroad. He lives at Ojala with his partner, Katie, with their chickens, ducks,
Bailey DiIoia;Â CEO and Founder
I grew up around agriculture and worked my way through college farming a small avocado ranch. During that time, I also played for the U.S. Olympic Development Team and competed in collegiate baseball, which helped shape a lot of my work ethic and discipline. I graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in Interpersonal Communication, then went on to study horticulture at American River College. While in school, I spent four months in Guatemala completing a cut flower internship while attending Spanish school, which gave me a broader perspective on agriculture and culture. After that, I worked as a farm manager in Carpinteria before moving into a field representative role, where I spent 12 years working closely with growers throughout the region. I also served as a board member on the Avocado Inspection Committee and am a Class 43 graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. That experience led me to found the Western Avocado and Citrus Association, with the goal of bringing growers together and strengthening the future of farming. I’m a husband of 19 years and a father of two daughters, which I take the most pride in. Today, I’m continuing the journey by taking on a new 25-acre farming lease. Outside of work, I spend my time fishing, diving, surfing, and golfing—but more than anything, I value being present for my family.
Craig KrummrichÂ
Mr. Krummrich received his mechanical engineering degree from West Virginia University and has worked in the upstream oil and gas industry for more than 35 years. He spent 15 years with Chevron Corporation in many different types of responsibility and geographic areas, from drilling and workover foreman/ engineer through supervisory and training positions in onshore and offshore operations in areas including the mid-continent, California offshore, and overseas. Mr. Krummrich then served as Engineering Manager for two years with Kenai Drilling Limited, a California-based drilling contractor. He spent two years as the Drilling Manager for Venoco, Inc., where he helped build a high-performance drilling department that engineered and managed drilling, completion, and remedial operations in seven oil and gas fields across four states and four different oilfield areas, including Platform Holly, offshore CA. In October of 1998, Mr. Krummrich founded KEC. Project manager for wells drilled from 6,000’ to 11,000’ in the San Joaquin, Central California, and Coastal California areas.
Jeremy Edward MoraÂ
Mr. Mora serves as Secretary of the Board for the Western Avocado and Citrus Association (WACA). He is an agribusiness executive with deep, investment ties across the agricultural sector, bringing a comprehensive understanding of the industry from production through distribution. Mora’s expertise spans supply chain management, agricultural operations, and financial planning and analysis (FP&A), allowing him to approach industry challenges with both operational and strategic perspective. His experience across multiple segments of the produce supply chain positions him as a well-rounded contributor to industry governance and organizational growth. He was selected to the WACA board to provide full-spectrum industry insight and to support the association’s development through informed, practical leadership rooted in real-world agricultural operations. Mora is actively involved in several key agricultural organizations and holds an MBA from Santa Clara University.
Vanessa Ramirez
Ms. Ramirez has over sixteen years of experience in agriculture, spanning berries, hemp, avocados, and specialty crops. She spent ten years with Reiter Affiliated Companies, one of the world’s largest fresh berry producers, where she managed grower partnerships and led early water conservation initiatives by implementing systems to track and report water usage by acre and crop, helping drive education and adoption of more efficient practices. In 2018, she expanded into industrial hemp, securing the first USDA organic certification for hemp for Ventura Seed Company and exploring its role in crop rotation to improve soil health and water conservation. In 2020, she co-founded SoulHill, an industrial hemp farming company, and partnered in Paz Packs, an e-commerce hemp retail startup, while also serving on the State of California Industrial Hemp Advisory Board. In 2025, Vanessa began leading farming operations for avocado orchards and recently launched her own cut flower production. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from California Lutheran University and is a certified organic inspector through the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Vanessa and her husband, Mario, have lived in Ventura County since the early 2000s raising six children. She has been actively involved in her community as an AYSO soccer coach and board member, a Girl Scout co-leader, a Sunday school teacher since 2012, and currently serves as a Board Member and Treasurer for the National Charity League Ventura Chapter. Born in Mexico City, Vanessa moved to the United States at age 18 in pursuit of greater opportunity, guided by her belief in hard work, education, and creating pathways for others to thrive.
Board of Directors
WACA is guided by growers and agricultural professionals with direct experience in ranch management, operations,
and long-term farm stewardship.
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