Capay Farms

What Capay Farms does

Capay Farms is a privately held agricultural management company headquartered in Orland, California, that operates approximately 14,000 acres of almond and walnut orchards across Glenn, Butte, and Tehama counties. The company was established in 2011 as the orchard management organization for Violich Farms (founded 1987) and is owned by the Violich family. Its core operational technology includes two custom-designed Thomas huller lines with 48-inch Jesse Hullers capable of processing 450 tons of walnuts every 8 hours, 192 temperature-monitored drying bins, double laser color sorters, high-pressure washing stations, hand-sorting tables, and a radio frequency monitoring network with moisture and weather sensors deployed across the acreage. Supporting infrastructure includes an in-house IT consultant who has built database solutions for tree nut operations and a sustainability team managing whole orchard recycling, cover crop planting, and Bee Friendly Farmer certification.

The company generates revenue through three primary streams: producing and selling almonds and walnuts from company-owned, leased, and managed land; providing custom farming services (land development, pollination, nutrition, crop protection, harvest, irrigation design, and sustainability planning) to commercial growers; and operating walnut hulling and drying services for outside growers, with same-day turnaround and quality sampling. The customer base spans mid-to-large commercial almond and walnut operations and small-to-mid-sized walnut growers who lack processing infrastructure. Go-to-market is direct enterprise/field sales targeting farmers in three Northern California counties, supplemented by industry association presence (Almond Board of California, Walnut Board of California, International Nut & Dried Fruit Council) and earned media coverage in industry publications. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per acreage and service scope; no public pricing exists. Distribution channels are direct B2B with regional Northern California scope.

Name

Capay Farms

Legal name

Capay Farms Inc.

Website

https://capayfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Capay Farms is a privately held agricultural management company in Orland, California, operating approximately 14,000 acres of almond and walnut orchards across Glenn, Butte, and Tehama counties. It provides custom farming, walnut hulling and drying, and sustainability services to commercial and small growers in Northern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tree Nut Production

NAICS

Tree Nut Farming (111335), Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Tree Nut Orchards (Almonds, Walnuts, Pistachios, Pecans, Hazelnuts, Macadamias) (AFAGACAE)

Keywords

• Almond and walnut farming
• Custom farming services
• Walnut hulling services
• Orchard management
• Tree nut production

Headquarters

HQ city

Orland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Almond and Walnut Production: Growing and selling almonds and walnuts as primary agricultural products from company-owned, leased, and managed land
2. Custom Farming Services: Comprehensive agricultural management services including land development, pollination, nutrition, harvest, and crop protection for neighboring farmers in Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties. Clients benefit from strategic relationships with hullers, processors and handlers.
3. Walnut Hulling and Drying Services: Custom hulling and drying services for walnut growers with expedited turnaround, same-day hulling capability, and quality sampling/reporting by lot

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Capay Farms grows and sells almonds and walnuts on approximately 14,000 acres of company-owned, leased, and managed land across Glenn, Butte, and Tehama counties in Northern California. The company also provides custom farming services (land development, pollination, nutrition, irrigation, crop protection, and harvest) and custom walnut hulling and drying services to neighboring growers using proprietary Thomas equipment.

Product overview

Capay Farms is an agricultural management company established in 2011 as the orchard management organization for Violich Farms. The company operates nearly 14,000 acres of almonds and walnuts across Glenn, Butte, and Tehama counties in Northern California. Its core product portfolio consists of Custom Farming Services (agricultural planning, crop production, irrigation, nutrition, pest control, and harvest management) and Walnut Hulling & Dry Services (custom processing using Thomas equipment with 450-ton-per-8-hours capacity). The company also offers Climate Smart Farming as a sustainability add-on focused on carbon sequestration, whole orchard recycling, and Bee Friendly certification, along with an Energy Utilization Program leveraging solar and natural gas for irrigation pumps. The company produces almonds and walnuts as primary agricultural products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Almonds Almonds grown across company-owned, leased, and managed lands in Glenn, Butte, and Tehama counties. Capay Farms is one of the largest almond producers in the United States.
• Walnuts Walnuts grown across company-owned, leased, and managed lands in Northern California. Capay Farms operates walnut hulling and drying facilities for both company-owned and outside grower products.
• Custom Farming Services Comprehensive agricultural management services including crop selection, farming operations, irrigation systems, nutrition programs, pest control, harvest services, and sustainability planning for commercial almond and walnut growers across approximately 14,000 acres in Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties.
• Walnut Hulling & Drying Services Custom walnut hulling and drying services for growers in Butte, Glenn, and Tehama County using Thomas Manufacturing equipment. The facility has capacity to process 450 tons of walnuts every 8 hours, featuring pre-cleaning with aspiration, 48-inch Jesse Hullers, laser color sorters, and 192 temperature-monitored drying bins, with expedited same-day hulling turnaround.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced harvest-to-dryer time from 3-4 days to under 8 hours for outside growers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric)coreOthers · 1 January 2017PG&E partnered with Capay Farms on their Agricultural Demand Response (ADR) program, providing case study recognition for energy efficiency improvements. Capay Farms achieved 88% irrigation pump operation through solar/natural gas, reducing energy costs while maintaining crop health and increasing sustainability.
• Pollinator Partnership with Blue DiamondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapay Farms obtained Bee Friendly Farmer certification through the Pollinator Partnership with Blue Diamond. This partnership supports bee biodiversity and sustainable farming practices, with almond orchards serving as honeybees' first natural food source of the year.
• Almond Board of CaliforniaminorOthersIndustry association member providing industry information, research, and promotion for California almonds.
• Walnut Board of CaliforniaminorOthersIndustry association member providing industry information, research, and promotion for California walnuts.
• International Nut & Dried Fruit CouncilminorOthersGlobal industry organization providing industry information and standards for nuts and dried fruit.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diamond Foods: Public-traded (formerly NASDAQ: DMND) branded walnut and almond snack company (Kettle Brand, Emerald) sourcing raw nuts from California growers. Comparable as a downstream customer of Capay's walnut/almond output and as a branded incumbent that competes for processing throughput, though broader and consumer-brand focused.
• Olam Food Ingredients (ofi): Global tree nut, cocoa, coffee, and spice processor with substantial California almond and walnut operations; Olam is one of the world's largest almond handlers. Comparable on commodity tree nut processing, B2B ingredient supply, and sustainability programs, though operates globally with a much broader product portfolio.

Regional players

• Select Harvests: Australia's largest vertically integrated almond grower, processor, and marketer (Renshaw, Lucky). Directly comparable in business model (almond orchards + hulling/shelling + branded products), though geographically focused on Australia rather than California.

Others

• Sun-Maid Growers of California: California agricultural cooperative with grower membership, branded marketing, and sustainability positioning. Not a direct tree nut peer (focused on raisins), but comparable as a California cooperative grower model and a potential strategic peer for branded commercialization of Capay's almond/walnut output.

Direct peers

• Blue Diamond Growers: World's largest almond processor and grower cooperative, with roughly 3,000+ member-growers across California producing the majority of the global almond supply. Most direct comparable to Capay's almond production and hulling/processing business, and Capay is already affiliated via the Pollinator Partnership/Blue Diamond Bee Friendly program.
• The Wonderful Company (Wonderful Orchards): Privately held grower/processor of pistachios and almonds, and one of the largest agricultural landowners in California's Central Valley. Directly comparable on tree nut farming at scale, vertically integrated processing, branded marketing (Wonderful Pistachios), and sustainability positioning — though operating at materially larger acreage than Capay.
• Mariani Nut Company: Family-owned California walnut and almond processor with in-house grower relationships, drying, and branded retail products. Comparable in scale, family-owned structure, walnut hulling/drying services, and direct-to-grower procurement model that mirrors Capay's custom farming approach.
• Harris Woolf Almonds: Vertically integrated California almond processor with grower base across the Central Valley, providing hulling, shelling, and marketing services. Comparable to Capay on almond processing capability and B2B service revenue, though narrower on crop mix (almonds only).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/violichfarms

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Capay Farms