A Home-Turned-Petting Zoo in Malibu

At their home in Malibu, Calif., the couple opened a nonprofit petting zoo stocked with miniature pygmy goats, babydoll sheep and zebras. They named it Aspen Hope Ranch after their baby girl, who was born with a rare genetic disorder and died at 13 months old. Today, the ranch is a place where families can learn about, touch and interact with animals. "She loved animals and we love animals as a family," said Ben, 35, a former tech entrepreneur and investor. "It was our way of giving back."

Not anticipating the zoo would become as popular as it did-Ben estimated several thousand people have visited in recent months the Hermans are now listing the ranch for $20 million and plan to buy a more private family residence, where they will move with their four young children. The goal is to relocate the zoo somewhere nearby. "We want to continue the nonprofit by finding space to run it separate from our family home," Ben said.

Set on about 2.55 acres with ocean views, Aspen Hope Ranch comprises a roughly 5,100-squarefoot main residence, a guesthouse and equestrian facilities, including 11 stalls, a riding arena and several pastures.

U.K. natives, the Hermans moved to the U.S. about a decade ago. Ben co-founded the diversity recruiting platform Canvas and later co-founded a venture-capital firm. The family was living in Brentwood with their two older daughters when Aspen was born in 2018.

Aspen spent much of her short life in the hospital, her parents said, but visits from therapy dogs and miniature horses eased her suffering from a seizure disorder. "Aspen passed away in Stacey's arms surrounded by all of our family," said Ben, who has since left the business world to focus on his family and the nonprofit.

The Hermans went on to have two more children, and in 2023 they started looking for a larger property. They paid $6.65 million for the Malibu property, which had been badly burned in 2018's Woolsey Fire. A prior owner started to rebuild, and the Hermans took on the existing architectural plans and finished construction in about 14 months, Ben said.

The five-bedroom main residence is made with white oak and several different kinds of natural stone, including honed onyx in the primary bathroom. The two-bedroom guesthouse is about 2,200 square feet. Amenities also include a sports court and a pool.

The equestrian facilities include two custom-built "barn houses" finished with redwood pine. In addition to the stalls, these contain a wash bay, tack room and office. "We wanted to create what I would say is like the Aman of a zoo," he said, adding: "I'm a bit crazy like this-I saw it as a real vision of being able to bring these animals together in this space."

Ben acted as the general contractor on the project, not only directing subcontractors but doing some of the work himself. "I took huge amounts of detail and time to get everything right," he said. Having stepped away from the business world, "I focused my energy on my family and our life, and tried to rebuild my motivation and drive, which I would say I lost," he said.

In addition to the sheep, goats and zebra, the ranch has four mini Scottish highland cows, three mini donkeys and three horses. They also have a golden zorse-a hybrid between a zebra and horse-and a zedonk, a cross between a zebra and donkey. Finally, there are chickens, rabbits and pigs. The Hermans employ a full-time animal keeper and part-time ranch hand to care for the animals. Ben said their two older children like to help with feeding the animals and mucking out stalls.

Over the past few months, the Hermans have partnered with UCLA and other organizations to host events for families with children with various disabilities and diseases, from leukemia to cerebral palsy to autism. Through word-of-mouth and social media, the petting zoo has become popular with visitors.

"We never expected the nonprofit side to take off like it did," Ben said.

Aspen Hope Ranch is located in the Malibu Park neighborhood, where the average lot size is around three-quarters of an acre and entry-level homes sell for more than $5 million, said listing agent Elizabeth Donovan of Coldwell Banker Realty.

In Malibu, the median homesale price last month was $3.6 million, down 2% year-over-year, while sales were relatively flat compared with the prior year, according to real-estate brokerage Redfin.