Herbalife Co-Founder’s $25 Million Tuscan-Inspired California Estate

Dick Marconi was a true American success story. The descendant of Italian and Ukrainian immigrants, the hard-working entrepreneur was born in Gary, Indiana. As a young man, he was class president, captain of the football team, and Indiana State Golden Gloves Champion, despite being blind in one eye. He moved to California in the late 1950s with just $500 to his name but parlayed his passion for health and fitness into a nutraceutical empire. He would go on to found supplement company D&F Industries and co-found nutrition shake giant Herbalife. He created the Marconi racing team to support his son’s interest in car racing, eventually becoming involved himself. At 57 years old, he was the oldest driver to race in the Long Beach Grand Prix. His spectacular car collection is now the Marconi Automotive Museum and Foundation for Kids. The multi-talented Marconi passed away in 2024 at the age of 91. 

Now, his spectacular 1,225-acre San Juan Capistrano estate, Marconi Ranch, is for sale with a $25 million price tag. Originally built by Bruce Brown, director of the iconic surf film The Endless Summer, the 5,000-square-foot main residence is a Tuscan-inspired mansion with gorgeous vaulted ceilings with tongue-in-groove planks. The palatial master suite includes a luxurious marble bath and spacious walk-in closets. The expansive kitchen includes a lovely marble island. Additional amenities include an office, art studio, meditation room, wine and cigar lounge, and workout center. The main residence is just the beginning, with a two-bedroom guest house and staff quarters sharing the complex. 

Outside, find a spacious pool complex, gorgeously landscaped grounds with fountains and Italian-inspired statuary, a two-acre lake, and four ponds. A private zoo includes zebras, elands, tortoises, and more. Marconi was also an artist, and the property has been set up to facilitate creativity with numerous spaces for art, music, sports, leisure activities, and meditation. In addition, the ranch serves as a working farm, with over 20,000 Eureka lemon trees, 1,000 Pistoia olive trees, plus grapefruit and tangerine trees, all farmed organically. Just ten miles from the city of San Juan Capistrano, the ranch offers panoramic views of the countryside all the way to the coast. The property borders Caspar’s Wilderness Park, 8,000 acres of protected woodland offering trails and camping, and is a short drive from I-5 for quick access to Orange County and beyond. 

San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish Franciscan friar Junipero Serra in 1776, the seventh mission in California. It would pass from Spanish to Mexican to American hands, incorporated as a city in 1961. With a current population of around 35,000, it is a tourist destination for its original Spanish mission and the swallows, which famously return there each year, celebrated in the annual Swallows Day Parade and Fiesta de las Golondrinas. The surrounding region offers rare large acreage suitable for expansive estates and equestrian pursuits. Other celebrities who have called the area home include attorney Larry H. Parker and Real Housewife Alexis Bellino.

The listing is held by Lance Doré and Francine Howard at California Outdoor Properties. 

Photo Credit: Frey Visual Arts

Source: www.californiaoutdoorproperties.com