After 24 years of business, the owner of The Indian Point Ostrich Ranch is getting ready to retire and is looking to sell the business.
However, without any guaranteed buyers, the future of the ostrich ranch is up in the air.
On any given day you can find tourists meeting, feeding and learning about the ostriches on the ranch.
"I think this is actually really cool and they don't like to share because two of mine are going in one," said Eva Mayer, 9, who was feeding the ostriches on Wednesday.
A church group full of children visited the ranch and took a tour with Joel Brust, the owner, as their tour guide.
Throughout the tour, Brust showed the children ostrich eggs and explained how much the ostriches eat, as well as how quickly they grow.
An experience, Megan Sinaie, called "fun, adventurous and just amazing."
The business is made up of three different parts: ostrich oil, ostrich breeding/production and tourism.
However, that all may change within the next few months because Brust is ready to move on to the next chapter in his life.
"I'm ready to retire, I've been here 25 years. We started from nothing and built it to what it is today," said Brust.
He's looking to sell the business and is willing to sell it as a whole or in the three separate parts.
He said he's had potential buyers interested in the oil and breeding/production portion, but not the tourism part.
Brust said locals constantly tell him they're worried the ostrich farm will close permanently.
"They’ve made it clear to me, that I need to do something. The problem is I don’t know what to do other than let people know its for sale and do the best I can to sell it," said Brust.
Brust said he is willing to lease the current property for the tourism portion to the next buyer and stated on his for sale flyer "The Tehachapi area is suggested for seamless operation of the tourist operation."
Brust said he is already downsizing and will retire with or without a buyer at the end of October. He said if buyers are not found then the ranch and assets will be liquidated.
For more information you can contact Joel Brust by phone at (661) 822-9131 or (661) 750-7815. Brust can also be reached by email at ostrich@indianpointranch.com.
