What Pie Ranch does

Pie Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational farm founded in 2002 and headquartered in Pescadero, California. The organization operates a 27-acre HomePie site and a 416-acre Cascade Ranch (held under a 10-year lease secured in 2018) along California's Highway 1, combining organic regenerative agriculture with food justice education and farmer pathway programming. Its product portfolio spans a physical farmstand open five days a week plus a Square-powered online shop (selling produce, heirloom beans, flour, preserves, and grass-fed meats); sliding-scale K-12 field-trip programs (Introduction to a Working Farm, Connecting with the Soil, Maize to Mill to Muffins, Food Justice from Seed to Table, The Whole Pie); the paid YouthCorps work-experience program for ages 14-22; the Cascade Regenerator Program providing land, mentorship, equipment, and sales support to four early-stage farms; site rentals for weddings, retreats, and corporate events at the Roadside Barn; recurring community programming (barn and meadow dances, fermentation workshops, Seaweed Camp, yoga retreats); and the annual Whole Pie feast-in-the-field fundraiser. Underlying operations are supported by a Native Plant Program (250,000 plants outplanted 2019-2026 with the Amah Mutsun Land Trust) and a community-based volunteer pipeline (weekly Thursday and monthly Saturday work days plus Weed 'Em Out restoration events).

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack. The largest structural input is charitable contributions — annual fund campaigns, a 'Frequent Pie'ers monthly giving program, stock and Venmo donations, and the multi-year Propagate Capital Campaign seeking $15 million for organizational capacity and buildings. Earned income is generated through farmstand retail (48,000 annual visitors), the online shop, fee-for-service educational programs (with sliding-scale pricing to ensure school accessibility), YouthCorps wages-funded work experience, site rentals, and ticketed special events such as Seaweed Camp ($200-$350) and the Whole Pie dinner ($125/ticket). The organization distributes via direct-to-consumer channels (farmstand, Square storefront, on-site events), direct enterprise sales (school field trips booked six months in advance, wedding/event bookings), and partnership channels (Companion Bakeshop, San Mateo Food Systems Alliance, Amah Mutsun Land Trust, Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District, Puente de la Costa Sur, ChangeScale).

Pie Ranch serves four primary customer segments: K-12 schools and youth groups (reaching 500-1,000 young people annually through three partner schools); young adults ages 14-22 via YouthCorps; early-stage farmers and ranchers in the Cascade Regenerator Program; and community members, event hosts, and donors. The organization has 11-50 employees and was founded in 2002 (some sources cite 2007 as the founding of formal programs). It is governed by an independent Board of Directors established in 2008, has no parent company, no venture capital backing, and no M&A history.

Name

Pie Ranch

Legal name

Pie Ranch

Website

https://pieranch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pie Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational farm in Pescadero, California, operating a 27-acre HomePie site and 416-acre Cascade Ranch. It combines regenerative organic agriculture with food justice education, K-12 field trips, the YouthCorps program, and a five-year Cascade Regenerator Program for early-stage farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Education

NAICS

Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming, including Feedlots (11211), Hog and Pig Farming (1122), Sheep and Goat Farming (1124)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farm-to-Table & Agritourism Dining Experiences (Farm Visits, Harvest Meals) (THAJAGAK)

Keywords

• Organic farm education
• Regenerative agriculture training
• Farmer pathway programs
• Food justice nonprofit
• Agricultural education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Pescadero

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: 501(c)(3) nonprofit relying on charitable contributions. Annual fund campaigns, monthly giving program ('Frequent Pie'ers'), stock donations, and Venmo contributions. Capital campaign Propagate seeking $15 million total ($4.75 million remaining).
2. Farmstand Sales: Retail farmstand open 5 days a week selling farm-grown produce, heirloom beans, flour, preserves, grass-fed beef, pastured chicken/pork, and artisan goods. Also operates online shop via Square.
3. Educational Programs: Fee-for-service field trips for K-12 schools with sliding scale pricing. Youth Corps paid work experience program. Private farm programs and retreats for groups.
4. Site Rentals and Events: Rental of farm facilities including Roadside Barn, meadow, outdoor kitchen, and classroom for weddings, retreats, conferences, and private events.
5. Whole Pie Fundraiser: Annual feast-in-field fundraiser dinner with ticket sales and corporate sponsorships. Proceeds support youth programs, farmer pathways, and food system advocacy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pie Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organic farm and food-system education center that operates a working farm, K-12 educational field-trip programs, the YouthCorps paid youth program, the Cascade Regenerator Program for aspiring farmers, and a public Farmstand plus online shop. The organization sells farm-grown produce, heirloom beans, flour, preserves, and pasture-raised meats, while also renting its Roadside Barn and meadow for weddings and events and running ticketed community events such as barn dances and the annual Whole Pie fundraiser.

Product overview

Pie Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organic farm and education center offering a diversified portfolio of programs organized around three mission pillars: food education, farmer pathways, and regional partnerships. The core product portfolio includes the Farmstand and Online Shop for direct produce sales; educational Field Trips and the YouthCorps program for K-12 youth; the Cascade Regenerator Program for aspiring farmers; Community Programs for workshops and retreats; and Site Rentals for events. Supporting programs include volunteer opportunities, the annual Whole Pie fundraiser, and special events like Weed 'Em Out restoration days, fermentation workshops, yoga retreats, and barn/meadow dances. These offerings work together to advance Pie Ranch's mission of cultivating a nourishing food system from seed to table.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• People's Food and Farm Project: A project that addresses fractures and inequities in the Bay Area food system by building a vision for a socially just, environmentally sustainable, and economically thriving food system that centers the voices, dreams, and wisdom of workers and BIPOC communities.
• YouthCorps
• Cascade Regenerator Program
• Whole Pie

Products and services

• Farmstand Physical farmstand on California Highway 1 near Pescadero selling farm-grown produce, Senatore Cappelli whole grain flour, blue corn flour, heirloom beans, preserves, grass-fed beef, locally pastured chicken and pork, pies from Companion Bakeshop, and Pie Ranch apparel. Open 5 days a week to local and regional visitors.
• Online Shop (Square) E-commerce storefront for purchasing Pie Ranch farm products, pies, and merchandise online, powered by Square.
• Field Trips for Schools & Youth Groups Sliding-scale, fee-for-service K-12 field trips covering Introduction to a Working Farm, Connecting with the Soil, Maize to Mill to Muffins, Food Justice from Seed to Table, The Whole Pie, and overnight Life on a Farm experiences for groups of up to 30+ students.
• YouthCorps Program Paid work-experience program for young adults ages 14-22 covering sustainable agriculture, food education, farming, field-trip support, culinary programming, and animal care with a learn-by-doing food-justice lens.
• Cascade Regenerator Program Five-year farmer incubation program providing early-stage farmers and ranchers with land access, mentorship, equipment, sales and marketing support, and financial and business planning training at the 416-acre Cascade Ranch site.
• Site Rentals & Events Venue rental of the Roadside Barn, meadow and outdoor kitchen, classroom, and full Lower Slice packages for weddings, corporate retreats, conferences, and private events.
• Barn Dance & Meadow Dance Events Monthly square-dance events in the barn or meadow, led by dance callers with the HomePie String Band; family-friendly, alcohol-free community gatherings with pie available by donation.
• Community Programs Workshops, retreats, skillshares, art builds, classes, healing circles, and seasonal events focused on food justice, traditional crafts, ancestral foodways, and plant medicine.
• Whole Pie Annual Fundraiser Annual ticketed feast-in-the-field fundraiser featuring a multi-course meal by partner chef Tim Edmonds, farm tours, live and silent auctions, and a barn dance. Proceeds support youth food education, farmer pathways, and food-system advocacy.
• Seaweed Camp Overnight sea-to-farm experience co-hosted with Healing Tide that teaches seaweed harvesting, kelp habitat restoration, and seaweed cooking.

Quantifiable outcome

• 887 youth program participants in recent programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Long-term partnership for returning traditional Indigenous land stewardship to Quiroste lands. AMLT's Native Plant Program based at Cascade Regenerator Farm cultivated and outplanted 250,000 native plants across CZU burn scar (2019-2026). AMLT co-creates the Native Garden at Pie Ranch and participates in Weed 'Em Out volunteer days at Cascade Creek.
• San Mateo Food Systems Alliance (SMFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Pie Ranch was a founding member of the first multi-stakeholder, cross-sector food systems alliance in California. Alliance works to make organic local food available to consumers, preserve farmland, and help farmers operate sustainable small farms.
• Companion BakeshopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Eleven-year pie partnership. Companion bakes over 270 pies per week for sale at Pie Ranch farmstand from their bakeshop space founded at Pie Ranch in 2010. Founded in 2006 by Erin Lampel, a self-taught baker with degree in Agriculture & Fruit Sciences from Cal Poly and CASFS program graduate.
• Healing TideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunctional medicine-based community healthcare nonprofit co-hosting Seaweed Camp, a sea-to-farm experience teaching seaweed harvesting, kelp habitat restoration, and seaweed cooking. Led by Tanya Stiller, clinical herbalist and ethnobotanist.
• UCSC (University of California Santa Cruz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership through Cascade Regenerator Program for aquaculture project (concluded 2025). Experiment included using nutrient-rich water from onsite aquacultural tanks to simulate native plant growth and explore new agricultural technologies.
• Golden State LinenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for flax cultivation trial. Pie Ranch growing flax as part of trial, with flax harvest volunteer events to process the crop.
• Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in Community Advisory Council supporting regional open space and food system initiatives.
• Puente de la Costa SurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on food system and community development projects in the South Coast region of San Mateo County.
• ChangeScaleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective impact participation in regional food system and environmental initiatives.
• Agricultural Justice ProjectcoreOthersFood Justice Certification program (though AJP has now closed). Pie Ranch was Food Justice Certified since 2014, recognizing fairness in practices toward workers and commitment to justice in the food system.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Soul Fire Farm: Black-led nonprofit farm in upstate New York offering farmer training for BIPOC growers, youth food justice programs, and farm-based education. Comparable as a food-justice-centered farm with farmer pathways and youth programs.
• Shelburne Farms: Vermont-based nonprofit educational farm on 1,400 acres focused on food systems education, school programming, and sustainable agriculture. Comparable as a nonprofit farm-education hybrid with hospitality, education, and stewardship programming.
• Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming: New York nonprofit operating a regenerative farm with farmer apprenticeship, food systems education, and regional food initiatives. Comparable in mission and program mix to Pie Ranch's integrated approach.
• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Nonprofit regenerative farm and education center in Pocantico Hills, NY offering youth education, farmer training, and farm-to-table dining. Highly comparable to Pie Ranch as a mission-aligned educational farm with diversified programming.
• Soil Born Farms: Sacramento-area urban-edge organic farm offering youth education, farmer training, and CSA/farmstand sales. Comparable to Pie Ranch as a California-based regenerative farm with diversified revenue and education programming.

Regional players

• The Ecology Center: Southern California nonprofit operating a regenerative farm and education center with farmstand, workshops, and food systems programs. Comparable in educational farm model though geographically distinct from Pie Ranch.
• Sierra Harvest: Nevada County, California nonprofit focused on farm-to-school education, farmer training, and food justice. Comparable programmatic focus on youth education and farmer pathways, with a Northern California operating geography.

Broad incumbents

• Marin Agricultural Land Trust: Established Marin County, California land trust focused on farmland preservation, sustainable agriculture, and farmer support. Comparable mission overlap with Pie Ranch's agricultural stewardship work but operates at a larger regional scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/69605960279
• Instagraminstagram.com/pie_ranch
• Xx.com/pieranch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pie-ranch

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Pie Ranch