Califia Farms
Califia Farms
Califia Farms is the plant-based dairy brand based out of California. Califia Farms is the producer of a range of oat and almond milk products along with a slew of coffees, juices and non-dairy snacks.
About
Califia Farms was founded in 2010 by a farmer’s co-operative based in the San Joaquin Valley and headed by beverage visionary Greg Steltenpohl.[3]
The name Califia originally comes from the Spanish legend of Queen Califia, who ruled the mythical island of California.[1]
Sustainability
Califia Farms works primarily with one almond grower-processor that is led by a third-generation family operation.
It is a California-centered company, so the majority of their raw materials comes from within the state.
In 2018, all of Califia’s Cold Brew Coffee were sourced directly from farmer-partners in Central and South America and from the Irgachefe region of Ethiopia.[1][2]
Califia's goal is to transition to 100% renewable power by the end of 2020.
To get there, they are finding innovative ways to reduce energy usage while also boosting production of renewable energy.
They have managed to cut the amount of energy needed to produce one bottle of almond milk by 23% between 2016 and 2017.
In 2020, they will be installing a massive solar array at their manufacturing plant to harness the power of the California sunshine.[1]
In 2019, they have reduced the amount of water required to produce each bottle of almond milk by 16% through efficient production planning.
They are already in the process of removing 25% of the plastic in its bottles and caps and have begun testing for a transition to RPET (recycled plastic).
In addition, Califia is currently working to achieve Zero Waste Certification.[1]
Funding Rounds
In 2018, Califia Farms raised $50 million in venture round led by Ambrosia and existing investors, Sun Pacific and Stripes Group.[11]
In January 2020, Califia Farms closed Series D funding round led by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and raised $225 million. In addition to QIA, the round was backed by Temasek, Claridge, Green Monday Ventures, and a Latin America-based family with big interests in coffee and consumer products. Barclays was the exclusive bank for the financing.[1]
Money from the new investor base will be used to expand its oat-based suite of products and to launch other new product lines.
The company said it also will use the money to increase its production capacity, research and development efforts, and geographical expansion.[8]
Achievements
The company was named the 2017 Supplier of the Year by Whole Foods Market, a 2015 "Breakout Brand" by Beverage Partners Worldwide and BevNet's 2015 "Brand of the Year".[3]