White Buffalo Land Trust

What White Buffalo Land Trust does

White Buffalo Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by Steve Finkel and headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. The organization's mission is to practice, promote, and develop systems of regenerative agriculture for local, regional, and global impact, anchored by its 1,000-acre Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch near Lompoc, California — acquired in April 2021 for $6 million through a community fundraising campaign. The ranch functions as a living laboratory for land stewardship, education, monitoring, and enterprise development, with a perpetual agricultural conservation easement held by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County ensuring the property's protected status regardless of future ownership.

WBLT operates a hybrid revenue model spanning philanthropic, programmatic, and commercial streams. Philanthropic revenue comes from individual donations, foundation grants, a monthly membership program, and a 21,932-member opt-in community. Programmatic revenue is generated through Savory Institute-accredited courses (a 10-day Holistic Management Intensive and a 5-day EOV Monitor Training), field days, workshops, and consulting services. Commercial revenue flows through the Figure Ate food brand (persimmon vinegar and biltong distributed to 43 retail locations across Central Coast and Southern California) and a wine partnership with Sandhi Wines, which is the exclusive buyer of grapes from a 5-acre vineyard on the ranch. The organization also runs multi-year research projects with major consumer brands — The Almond Project with Simple Mills, Daily Harvest, Cappello's, and Ben & Jerry's; the California Cotton and Climate Coalition (C4); and the Elderberry Project under a USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant.

As the only accredited Savory Hub serving Central and Southern California, WBLT delivers Holistic Management training and Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) monitoring, and it claims 487,950 acres influenced, 401 farmers and ranchers trained, and 3,133 community members engaged through its educational events. Customers and counterparties span four segments: farmers and ranchers seeking training, food and CPG brands funding regenerative supply chain research (Simple Mills, Ben & Jerry's, Daily Harvest, Cappello's, Coyuchi, Sandhi Wines), community members and donors, and academic and conservation partners including UCSB, Point Blue Conservation Science, and The Nature Conservancy. Headcount is approximately eight employees (as of 2021), and the organization has not disclosed financial figures publicly.

Name

White Buffalo Land Trust

Legal name

White Buffalo Land Trust

Website

https://whitebuffalolandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

White Buffalo Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the 1,000-acre Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch in California, delivering land stewardship, farmer training, EOV monitoring, and commodity research for food brands, while generating earned revenue through the Figure Ate food brand and wine partnership with Sandhi Wines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regenerative Agriculture Services

NAICS

Sheep and Goat Farming (1124), Support Activities for Animal Production (11521), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Grazing & Pasture-Based Operations (Range, Rotational Grazing) (AFAEAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Regenerative agriculture
• Land stewardship services
• Agricultural education training
• Ecological outcome verification
• Watershed restoration projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The nonprofit raises funds through donations from individuals, community members, and philanthropic foundations. They conducted a $6 million campaign to acquire Jalama Canyon Ranch and were raising an additional $4 million for development. Funding included grants from government programs like the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program.
2. Membership Programs: Monthly membership program offering community members ways to support the organization and engage with regenerative agriculture education and events.
3. Enterprise Development - Figure Ate Food Brand: The organization developed their own food brand called Figure Ate, selling products like persimmon vinegar and biltong (South African dried beef). Products grew to 43 retail locations across Central Coast and Southern California. Proceeds fund research, education, and producer training programs.
4. Educational Programs and Courses: Revenue from hosting courses including the 10-Day Holistic Management Intensive, 5-day EOV Monitoring Training, workshops, and field days at Jalama Canyon Ranch. These Savory-accredited courses serve farmers, ranchers, and land stewards.
5. Wine Partnership Revenue: Partnership with Sandhi Wines as exclusive buyer of grapes from their 5-acre vineyard at Jalama Canyon Ranch. Proceeds from wine sales help fund White Buffalo's research, education, and producer training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

White Buffalo Land Trust operates a 1,000-acre Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch delivering regenerative land stewardship, accredited agricultural education and farmer/rancher training, ecological monitoring and research, and commercial enterprise development through its Figure Ate food brand. Its core offerings combine hands-on land management demonstration with Savory-accredited Holistic Management and EOV training, supported by donations, grants, memberships, and brand partnerships.

Product overview

White Buffalo Land Trust operates primarily as a nonprofit organization focused on regenerative agriculture rather than a technology product company. Their main offerings center around the 1,000-acre Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch, which serves as a living laboratory for land stewardship, education, training, and research. The organization provides four core service pillars: Land Stewardship (regenerative agriculture practice), Education & Training (workshops and courses), Monitoring & Research (ecological outcome verification), and Enterprise Development (commercial applications through the Figure Ate food brand). Additional offerings include Savory Hub services for Holistic Management training, an Artist-in-Residence Program, and collaborative commodity-specific projects like The Almond Project and California Cotton & Climate Coalition (C4). The portfolio includes educational products (Holistic Management Intensive, EOV Monitor Training), commercial products (Figure Ate food brand), and research partnerships (watershed restoration, regenerative viticulture).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Figure Ate: WBLT's commercial food brand that produces regeneratively-sourced products including persimmon vinegar and biltong. Products are available at 43 retail locations across the Central Coast and Southern California.

Products and services

• Figure Ate Food Brand WBLT's commercial food brand producing regeneratively-sourced products including persimmon vinegar and biltong, sold at 43 retail locations across Central Coast and Southern California. Proceeds fund research, education, and producer training programs.
• Land Stewardship Services Active practice of regenerative agriculture principles including biodiversity support, water resource management, and soil health improvement across scales from backyard gardens to the 1,000-acre Jalama Canyon Ranch.
• Education and Training Programs Experiential education programs that increase community ecological literacy and provide training intensives and workshops to help farmers and ranchers integrate regenerative principles into their operations.
• Monitoring and Research Services Long-term monitoring of management practices on soil health, biodiversity, hydrological cycles, and ecosystem function using ecological monitoring, wildlife cameras, acoustic sensors, and water-quality testing. Outputs verified ecological outcome data used internally and by supply chain partners.
• Holistic Management Intensive A 10-day Savory-accredited course held annually each winter covering Holistic Management frameworks for land stewardship, financial planning, and ecological monitoring. Serves farmers, ranchers, and land stewards seeking certification.
• EOV Monitor Training A 5-day training course held annually each spring on monitoring ecological outcomes as part of the EOV platform through the Savory Institute, satisfying accreditation requirements to become a certified EOV Monitor.
• Enterprise Development Program Development of regeneratively-sourced products and viable business models to ground regenerative agriculture work in day-to-day commercial applications, including the Figure Ate food brand.
• Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch A 1,000-acre living laboratory devoted to the rapid and broad adoption of regenerative agriculture, featuring diverse ecological sites, cropping systems, livestock management, and serving as the hub for education, training, and research programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 487,950 acres influenced through training and consulting programs
• +3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Sandhi WinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2021Partnership with Sandhi Wines (founded by Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman) for regenerative viticulture at Jalama Canyon Ranch. Sandhi is the exclusive buyer of grapes from the 5-acre vineyard and collaborates to produce wine. Proceeds from wine sales fund WBLT's research, education, and producer training programs. The partnership aims to demonstrate how shifting farming practices can create positive ecological outcomes while producing superior grapes and outstanding wine.
• Land Trust for Santa Barbara CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2021Collaborative transaction for acquiring Jalama Canyon Ranch. The Land Trust secured a $1.8 million SALC grant and holds the agricultural conservation easement protecting the property into perpetuity. The easement runs with the land regardless of ownership, ensuring long-term conservation.
• Simple Mills, Daily Harvest, and Cappello'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Almond Project partnership with Simple Mills (funding conventional block research), Daily Harvest (funding organic block research), and Cappello's. Partners support scientific research to improve soil health, increase biodiversity, and empower farming communities through five-year trials on two 80-acre almond blocks.
• Ben and Jerry'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Five-year scientific trial on 13 acres of almonds in Wasco, CA. Ben and Jerry's invests in the project to understand how they can help farmers reduce environmental impacts. They also purchase almonds grown from the project for use in their non-dairy ice cream products.
• Savory InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWBLT is an accredited Savory Hub serving Central and Southern California. They offer Savory-accredited workshops and training in Holistic Management, provide Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) for farmers and ranchers, and train monitors to support the Savory Land to Market program.
• CoyuchisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported Jalama Canyon Ranch purchase by creating a line of bandanas and napkins that sold out quickly. Coyuchi's foundation also contributed to White Buffalo's campaign. Partnership focuses on regenerative cotton and textile practices.
• The Nature ConservancysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJalama Canyon Ranch shares more than a mile of border with the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, a nearly 38-square-mile nature reserve managed by The Nature Conservancy. This proximity provides increased leadership potential and collaborative conservation opportunities.
• California Cotton and Climate Coalition (C4)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition bringing together farmers, merchants, researchers, nonprofits, brands, designers, and textile mills to develop a new agronomic and textile system for regeneratively-managed cotton. WBLT leads the coalition to create a roadmap for California's 187,000 acres of cotton.
• Pacific Ag Management Inc. and Treehouse California AlmondssupportingTechnology or IntegrationAgricultural management partners for The Almond Project, supporting trial implementation on almond blocks and supply chain integration.
• FibershedsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the California Cotton and Climate Coalition focusing on regional fiber and textile system development and climate-beneficial farming practices.
• White Oak PasturessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegenerative farm in Georgia serving as a model and mentorship for WBLT's work. Will Harris, the farmer, mentored Jesse Smith and serves as an inspiration and peer in the regenerative agriculture movement.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Kiss the Ground: A regenerative agriculture advocacy and education nonprofit focused on storytelling, media, and farmer training. Comparable mission (regenerative agriculture adoption) but oriented around communications and policy rather than physical land stewardship.

Direct peers

• Fibershed: A nonprofit developing regional fiber systems and climate-beneficial textile supply chains. Partner of WBLT in the California Cotton and Climate Coalition and shares a comparable nonprofit structure with enterprise arm and brand-partnership revenue model.
• Mad Agriculture: A regenerative agriculture consulting and supply chain transition nonprofit. Works with brands and farmers to convert acreage to regenerative practices, sharing WBLT's brand-partner and consulting business model at a national scale.
• Understanding Ag: A regenerative agriculture consulting and education firm founded by Allen Williams, Gabe Brown, and others. Offers overlapping curriculum on soil health and holistic management, serving farmers and ranchers with similar consulting and training services.
• Paicines Ranch: A regenerative ranch in Paicines, California, listed as a WBLT collaborator. Practices holistic management, hosts educational events, and runs ranching and almond operations in the same California Mediterranean climate — a geographically adjacent and mission-aligned peer.
• White Oak Pastures: A regenerative farm in Bluffton, Georgia, led by Will Harris, who has served as mentor and inspiration to WBLT. Operates a vertically integrated multi-species grazing operation with on-site processing and direct-to-consumer sales, making it the most directly comparable regenerative agriculture peer.
• Land Trust for Santa Barbara County: A regional land trust that holds the permanent agricultural conservation easement on Jalama Canyon Ranch and collaborates with WBLT on the ranch acquisition. Comparable nonprofit land-conservation mission at the same geographic scale.

Broad incumbents

• Rodale Institute: The pioneering regenerative organic agriculture research institution in Pennsylvania. Comparable in mission and nonprofit structure, with longer-running research trials and broader name recognition, but operating in a humid continental climate rather than Mediterranean.
• The Nature Conservancy: One of the world's largest conservation nonprofits, neighboring WBLT via the 38-square-mile Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve adjacent to Jalama Canyon Ranch. Operates at much greater scale with overlapping mission in land conservation.
• Savory Institute: The global umbrella organization for the Land to Market program and Holistic Management framework. WBLT operates as one of its accredited Hubs, making the Savory Institute both a parent network and a broad incumbent that defines WBLT's training methodology and EOV accreditation standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/white-buffalo-land-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 White Buffalo Land Trust