Ancient Organics

What Ancient Organics does

Ancient Organics is a privately held, single-product specialty food company founded in 2008 in Berkeley, California, that produces premium kettle-cooked organic clarified butter (ghee). Manufacturing relies on a traditional method of slowly simmering organic butter in small batches so that milk solids caramelize before being filtered out, producing a shelf-stable cooking fat with a high smoke point, nutty flavor, and golden appearance. In 2024 the company launched the world's largest Certified Organic ghee facility in Newman, California, in the Central Valley—co-located with dairy production and supported by a strategic sourcing partnership with Fonterra Organics in New Zealand (described as the largest regenerative-minded USDA Certified Organic dairy cooperative globally). All butterfat is sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows across California's Northern Coast, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia, and the company holds USDA Organic, Kosher, and CCOF certifications, with a publicly stated 2028 goal to kettle-cook only Regenerative Organic Certified butterfat.

The product portfolio is intentionally narrow: Organic Ghee (the core SKU) and a Salted Ghee variant. Distribution spans a direct-to-consumer e-commerce website and a retail store locator for consumers, plus B2B bulk ingredients and private label partnerships for food manufacturers and food-service operators. Packaging is offered in five formats ranging from retail glass jars (9oz and 25-29oz) and square tins (44-56oz) through 38.5lb food-grade pails up to 2,000lb IBC totes for industrial buyers, with custom blends available for private-label partners. Customer segments span health-conscious consumers, keto and paleo diet followers, and wellness-focused individuals on the DTC side, alongside food manufacturers and private-label partners on the B2B side.

The business model is multi-channel with three revenue streams: one-time DTC sales through the e-commerce site, transaction-based bulk-ingredient wholesale in multiple packaging formats, and licensing/royalty-style private label production for select partners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website; bulk and private-label inquiries are contact-based. The go-to-market motion is hybrid: recipe-led content marketing and organic social on the consumer side, and direct B2B relationship selling on the food-manufacturer side. The company reports 11-50 employees, is based in Berkeley with production in Newman, California, and operates globally across North America and Oceania despite a primarily US-centric distribution footprint.

Name

Ancient Organics

Legal name

Ancient Organics

Website

https://ancientorganics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ancient Organics is a privately held, Berkeley, California-based specialty food company founded in 2008 that produces premium kettle-cooked organic ghee using traditional slow-simmering methods, serving health-conscious consumers via direct-to-consumer and retail channels and food manufacturers via B2B bulk ingredients and private label partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Ghee

NAICS

Fats and Oils Refining and Blending (311225)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Ghee Manufacturing (Clarified Butter) (AFAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Butter & Ghee Manufacturing (AFAKAKAD)

Keywords

• Organic ghee production
• Clarified butter manufacturing
• Kettle-cooked ghee
• Bulk dairy ingredients
• Private label ghee

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Ghee Sales: Retail sales of kettle-cooked organic ghee to consumers through their e-commerce website and retail store locator.
2. B2B Bulk Ingredients: Bulk ingredient sales to food manufacturers, restaurants, and food service businesses. Multiple packaging formats available including 5-gallon pails and IBC Totes (2k lbs).
3. Private Label Partnerships: Custom production and private label arrangements with select partners who appreciate authentic ghee. Custom blends for target markets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Ancient Organics produces and sells kettle-cooked organic ghee made from grass-fed, pasture-raised organic butter using a traditional slow-simmering artisanal method. The company sells its ghee directly to consumers through its e-commerce website and retail partners, and supplies bulk ghee ingredients and private label manufacturing services to food manufacturers and food service operators in multiple packaging formats from 9oz retail jars to 2,000 lb industrial IBC totes.

Product overview

Ancient Organics is a single-product specialty food company focused exclusively on producing premium kettle-cooked organic ghee. The company offers its core Organic Ghee product in various packaging formats ranging from 9oz retail jars to 2,000lb industrial IBC totes, as well as Salted Ghee variant. They also provide bulk ingredient sales and private label manufacturing services for select partners. All products are produced using traditional kettle-cooking methods with organic, grass-fed butter sourced from regenerative dairy farms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Ghee Kettle-cooked traditional ghee made from organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised butter, crafted using slow simmering and straining methods that develop deep flavor, smooth texture, and caramelized aroma. Sold to consumers via e-commerce and retail, and to businesses via bulk packaging formats.
• Salted Ghee Kettle-cooked ghee variant with added salt, used by consumers in recipes for enhanced flavor across cooking, baking, and beverage applications such as the Golden Milk Latte.
• Bulk Ingredients & Private Label Manufacturing Wholesale organic ghee supply and private label / custom blend production services for food manufacturers, restaurants, and food service operators, plus select partners seeking their own branded ghee line.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fonterra OrganicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Fonterra Organics in New Zealand to help achieve the 2028 goal of kettle-cooking only Regenerative Organic Certified butterfat. Fonterra Organics is described as the largest regenerative-minded USDA Certified Organic cooperative in the world. The partnership supports small-holding farms and aims to help convert more conventional family farms to Certified Organic practices and advocate for continuously improving Regenerative Farm practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tin Star Foods: Cultured, grass-fed ghee producer focused on traditional small-batch methods. Comparable to Ancient Organics for its craft, single-product ghee focus, DTC e-commerce, and emphasis on cultured/traditional processing as a point of differentiation.
• Maple Hill Creamery: 100% grass-fed organic dairy brand producing milk, butter, yogurt, and ghee. Comparable to Ancient Organics for its grass-fed, regenerative-aligned sourcing model and shared USDA Organic positioning, particularly relevant given the 2028 ROC transition.
• Pure Indian Foods: A long-established U.S. maker of organic grass-fed ghee and cultured ghee. Closely comparable to Ancient Organics as a craft ghee specialist selling both direct-to-consumer and wholesale, with a similar heritage, organic positioning, and small-batch production ethos.
• Vermont Creamery: Premium artisanal dairy producer known for cultured butter, crème fraîche, and specialty cheeses. Comparable to Ancient Organics on craft dairy positioning, small-batch heritage, and premium retail/foodservice channels, though with a broader product portfolio.
• 4th & Heart: Premium ghee brand offering flavored and unflavored grass-fed ghee in retail and foodservice channels. Direct competitor to Ancient Organics in the U.S. premium ghee category, sharing the DTC plus grocery distribution playbook and high-heat-cooking value proposition.
• Strauss Family Creamery: California-based organic and regenerative dairy producer with butter, cream, and milk products. Comparable to Ancient Organics for its California roots, regenerative/organic sourcing, and shared California-based dairy supply region, with potential overlap in the B2B organic dairy ingredient space.

Broad incumbents

• Bulletproof: Functional foods and beverages brand that sells grass-fed ghee as part of a broader keto/performance product line. Comparable to Ancient Organics on ghee product and health-conscious consumer targeting, but operates at much larger scale and across multiple product categories.
• Organic Valley: Large organic dairy cooperative producing butter, ghee, and a broad portfolio of organic dairy products. Comparable as a key organic dairy supplier and brand sharing the USDA Organic and pasture-raised sourcing model, but diversified across many SKUs versus Ancient Organics' single-product focus.
• Kerrygold: Irish dairy brand owned by Ornua, selling premium grass-fed butter and cheese widely distributed in U.S. retail. Comparable to Ancient Organics for grass-fed positioning and butter-led product line, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader distribution.

Regional players

• California Dairies Inc. Large California-based dairy processing cooperative producing butter, milk powder, and fluid milk. Comparable to Ancient Organics as a potential Central Valley dairy supplier/competitor in the bulk organic ingredient and B2B channels, with overlapping California dairy sourcing footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ancientorganics

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ancient Organics