Orchard Keepers

What Orchard Keepers does

Orchard Keepers is a privately held ecological landscape services company founded in 2004 by Matthew Sutton and headquartered at 116 McPherson St, Unit F, Santa Cruz, California. The company designs, installs, and maintains home orchards, edible gardens, native and drought-tolerant plantings, and hardscape elements (patios, pathways, retaining walls, arbors, fences, garden structures, rain gardens) for residential homeowners across the Bay Area, Monterey Bay, South Bay, and Santa Cruz Mountains regions. Its technical foundation is sustainable horticulture — organic soil management, integrated pest management (IPM) using beneficial insect and bird habitat, water-wise drip irrigation with smart controllers, and ecologically based landscape maintenance that excludes synthetic chemicals — specialized for California's Mediterranean climate and informed by twenty-plus years of in-field practice.

The business operates on a hybrid one-time + recurring revenue model. Installation projects are one-time engagements ranging from a few hundred dollars to over $200,000, with documented completed projects between $65,000 and $175,000. Maintenance is a recurring subscription service starting at $525/month, offered on monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly cadence, covering fruit tree care, vegetable gardens, native landscapes, irrigation, and IPM. A three-tier design service (Full Digital Design at 5-10% of project cost with a $5,000 floor, Concept Sketches at $3,000-$5,000, and Plant Lists at $1,500-$2,500) typically precedes and qualifies installation projects. Customers reach the company via direct website contact, an 831 phone line, or organic discovery through the website's educational Learn section and Instagram (@orchardkeepersbayarea).

The company employs 11-50 staff and is led by founder/President Matthew Sutton, with Andy Webster managing installation (joined 2016), Kim Mayer managing maintenance (15+ year tenure), Amy Jackson as Office Manager, and Kate Silver supporting the team since 2020 (vegetable and flower farm expertise). The company is a member of the California Association of Green Building Professionals (since 2017). It is founder-controlled, bootstrapped, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or acquisitions, and operates without patents, trademarks, or formal regulatory certifications.

Name

Orchard Keepers

Legal name

Orchard Keepers

Website

https://orchardkeepers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orchard Keepers is a Santa Cruz, California-based ecological landscape company founded in 2004 that designs, installs, and maintains home orchards, edible gardens, and drought-tolerant landscapes for residential homeowners across the Bay Area, Monterey Bay, and South Bay regions of California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape & Horticulture Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (56173), Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance (HSAIAFAM), Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL), Landscape Maintenance Plans & Post-Installation Care (Establishment Services) (HSAIABAL), Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)

Keywords

• Organic landscape services
• Home orchard installation
• Ecological landscape maintenance
• Fruit tree care
• Water-wise irrigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Installation Services: One-time project fees for landscape installation including home orchards, vegetable gardens, native/drought-tolerant plantings, and hardscaping. Projects range from a few hundred dollars to over $200,000.
2. Maintenance Services: Recurring monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly service fees for ongoing landscape, orchard, and garden maintenance. Starting at $525/month.
3. Design Services: Design fees including Full Digital Design (5-10% of project cost, $5,000+), Concept Sketches ($3,000-$5,000), and Plant Lists ($1,500-$2,500). These are one-time fees that lead to installation projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Orchard Keepers designs, installs, and maintains home orchards, edible gardens, and ecological landscapes for residential homeowners in California. The company provides one-time installation projects (home orchards, vegetable gardens, native/drought-tolerant plantings, hardscaping) and recurring monthly maintenance services covering fruit tree care, soil management, irrigation, and integrated pest management using organic and sustainable practices.

Product overview

Orchard Keepers is a home orchard and edible landscape company offering two primary service lines: Landscape Installation and Landscape Maintenance. The installation services include home orchards, vegetable gardens, native/drought-tolerant plantings, and hardscaping elements (patios, pathways, retaining walls, arbors, fences). The maintenance services cover fruit trees, vegetable gardens, ecological landscapes, irrigation systems, integrated pest management, and educational consultations. Additionally, they offer design services with three tiers: Full Digital Design for complete landscape renovations, Concept Sketch Design for minimal changes, and Plant List Design as an entry-level option. Projects range from a few hundred dollars to over $200,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Installation Design and installation services for home orchards, vegetable gardens, native and drought-tolerant plantings, and hardscape elements including patios, pathways, retaining walls, arbors, fences, and garden structures. Targeted at residential homeowners in the Bay Area, Monterey Bay, and South Bay.
• Landscape Maintenance Recurring ongoing maintenance services for home orchards, vegetable gardens, and California landscapes including healthy soil management, irrigation systems, integrated pest management, and ecological landscape care. Monthly subscription starting at $525/month with monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly options.
• Full Digital Design Comprehensive landscape design service for complete re-dos or yard renovations with hardscape changes. Includes one revision, full color design to scale, plant list with quantities, and installation bid. Average cost is 5%-10% of project cost, $5,000 and up.
• Concept Sketch Design Design service for landscapes with minimal hardscape changes, providing approximate placement of new plants and beds with concept drawing and installation bid. Average cost $3,000-$5,000.
• Plant List Design Entry-level design service for new plant additions to existing landscapes without hardscape changes, including plant list with pot size, quantity, and general location descriptions. Average cost $1,500-$2,500.
• Educational Consultations On-site education for growing trees, vegetables, and native plants; also available for garden clubs, master gardeners, and students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Year-round harvest capability from home orchards when properly planned with deciduous and citrus trees
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

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

One partnership is on record.

• California Association of Green Building Professionals (CAGBN)minorOthers · 1 January 2017Orchard Keepers has been a member of the California Association of Green Building Professionals since 2017, indicating alignment with sustainable and ecological building practices in California.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors: A long-established Northern California landscape design, build, and maintenance firm with both residential and commercial work. Comparable in geographic footprint, mixed install/maintenance revenue model, and California-specific horticultural expertise.
• Davey Tree Expert Company: Davey is a large, employee-owned residential and commercial tree-care and landscape services provider with deep expertise in orchard-style pruning, integrated pest management, and landscape installation. It is the scaled, multi-region analogue to Orchard Keepers' specialty residential services.
• Mariani Landscape: Mariani is a high-end residential landscape design, installation, and maintenance firm serving affluent homeowners — directly comparable on ticket size, customer profile, and boutique positioning. Its focus on craftsmanship over volume mirrors Orchard Keepers' premium niche.
• Bartlett Tree Experts: Bartlett specializes in residential and commercial tree and shrub care, including pruning, fertilization, and pest management — closely overlapping Orchard Keepers' fruit-tree and ornamental maintenance services. Its arborist-led, science-driven model is the closest scaled analog to Orchard Keepers' horticultural expertise focus.

Broad incumbents

• TruGreen: TruGreen is the dominant U.S. residential lawn and landscape care provider focused on fertilization, weed/pest control, and maintenance subscriptions. It serves the same residential buyer but at a commoditized, chemical-treatment model rather than Orchard Keepers' ecological, design-led approach.
• LandCare: LandCare is one of the largest U.S. commercial and residential landscape services providers, offering maintenance, design-build, and enhancement services nationwide. It is a scaled incumbent in the same broad category but competes on operational scale rather than the boutique horticultural specialization Orchard Keepers offers.
• BrightView Landscape Services: BrightView is the largest publicly traded U.S. landscape services company with a national maintenance and design-build footprint. It is a broad incumbent in the same industry, though it concentrates on commercial accounts and municipal contracts rather than Orchard Keepers' high-end residential focus.

Regional players

• Pacific Landscape Construction: A California-focused landscape construction and maintenance firm serving residential and light-commercial clients in the western U.S. Comparable on regional California execution, mixed install/maintenance revenue mix, and mid-to-premium residential positioning.

Emerging players

• Yardzen: Yardzen is an online landscape design platform that connects homeowners with landscape designers and a vetted install network — adjacent to Orchard Keepers' design-led residential service. It represents an emerging, tech-enabled channel that overlaps on design but outsources installation, contrasting with Orchard Keepers' full in-house design-build model.
• Native Edge Landscape: A smaller, ecological- and native-plant-focused landscape design and installation firm operating in similar California markets. Highly comparable on plant palette and sustainability positioning, though smaller in scale and more focused on habitat restoration than edible landscapes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/orchardkeepersbayarea
• Facebookfacebook.com/orchardkeepers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orchard-keepers-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Orchard Keepers