Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

What Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences does

Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) is a public, state-funded constituent college of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, founded in 1901 and operating within the California State University system under the governance of the State of California. The college delivers 16 undergraduate majors and graduate programs across 10 departments spanning agriculture, food science, plant sciences, agribusiness, animal science, dairy science, wine and viticulture, environmental sciences, forestry, and experience industry management. Its core teaching model is the "Learn by Doing" experiential learning philosophy, executed through specialized teaching and research infrastructure that includes the Cal Poly Organic Farm, Swanton Pacific Ranch, Strawberry Center, Boswell Ag Tech Center, the JUSTIN and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture ($22M teaching and production winery), the Training Ship Golden Bear for maritime cadets, and various greenhouses, ranches, and food laboratories. Student-run enterprises — including the Cal Poly Creamery, vineyard and winery operations, a rodeo program, and veterinary community services — are integrated into coursework.

The college's revenue model is the standard public-research-institution mix: state appropriations through the California State University system, tuition and fees (set at the university level), competitive research grants, and significant private philanthropy. Major disclosed corporate and individual gifts include Driscoll's $5 million pledge to the Plant Sciences Complex farm store, the Cook family's $300,000 gift to the Charles and Claire Jacobson Animal Health Center, a $1 million gift from Kathleen Enz Finken and Gerald Finken to the Leaning Pine Arboretum, the Bryant Low Soil Analysis Lab bequest, and the 2009 Learn by Doing Endowment ($1.1M founding, grown to $2M). Corporate scholarship partnerships with Delicato Family Wines and Charles Woodson & O'Neill Family Wine target BIPOC students in wine and viticulture. The college is currently executing a fall 2026 transition to a semester calendar, integrating the Department of Marine Transportation, and repositioning the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration major as Experience and Event Management, while celebrating its 125th anniversary under Dean Brian Horgan (appointed July 2024, succeeding Interim Dean Bill Hendricks and longtime Dean Andy Thulin).

Name

Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

Legal name

California Polytechnic State University

Website

https://cafes.calpoly.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cal Poly CAFES is a public university college in San Luis Obispo, California, offering 16 undergraduate majors and graduate programs across 10 departments in agriculture, food science, and environmental sciences, with hands-on "Learn by Doing" instruction anchored by working farms, ranches, greenhouses, and specialty facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cal Poly CAFES delivers accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs across sixteen majors in agriculture, food science, plant sciences, animal science, dairy science, wine and viticulture, environmental sciences, forestry, agribusiness, agricultural education and (from fall 2026) marine transportation. Programs are delivered via a Learn by Doing pedagogy that uses on-campus ranches, organic farms, vineyards, greenhouses, food labs, the creamery, an animal health center and a strawberry center so students perform real production, research and industry work while completing their degrees.

Product overview

Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is an educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic programs and experiential learning opportunities. The college provides 16 undergraduate majors and graduate programs across 10 departments, organized around a central 'Learn by Doing' philosophy. Key offerings include undergraduate programs in agriculture, food science, animal science, plant sciences, wine and viticulture, and environmental sciences; graduate programs for advanced study; research facilities such as the Boswell Ag Tech Center and JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture; student enterprises including the Cal Poly Creamery, organic farm, and animal colonies; and the quarterly Cultivate Magazine publication. The institution integrates academic instruction with hands-on student enterprises and state-of-the-art research facilities to prepare graduates for careers in agriculture, food systems, and environmental stewardship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Department of Marine Transportation: A department being integrated into CAFES in fall 2026, offering bachelor's degrees in marine transportation and U.S. Coast Guard merchant marine officer licenses.

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs Bachelor's degree programs across sixteen majors for prospective undergraduate students seeking hands-on agricultural, food, plant, animal, dairy, wine and viticulture, environmental and related fields education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
• Graduate Programs Graduate degree programs preparing students to advance agriculture education, steward natural resources and address the challenge of feeding the world in sustainable ways.
• Research and Innovation Facilities State-of-the-art teaching and research facilities where students conduct real production and applied research, including the JUSTIN and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture, Cal Poly Organic Farm, Strawberry Center, Boswell Ag Tech Center and specialized labs.
• Student Enterprises Student-run operational businesses that serve as experiential learning environments, including the Cal Poly Creamery, vineyard operations, rodeo program, leopard tortoise colony and veterinary community services.
• Cultivate Magazine Quarterly magazine publication from the college featuring Learn by Doing student stories across ten departments and highlighting faculty, staff and alumni impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students participate in over 20 dynamic demonstrations and hands-on learning opportunities at events like Strawberry Field Day
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Delicato Family WinesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Launched the Winemaker Scholarship Program for BIPOC students, providing fully paid scholarships including living expenses, mentorship by senior executives, professional development, and guaranteed employment upon graduation.
• Charles Woodson & O'Neill Family WineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Awarding new college scholarships via the California Community Foundation to BIPOC students at Cal Poly and Sonoma State, including the Charles Woodson & O'Neill Family Wine Scholarship covering tuition and room and board.
• JUSTIN and J. LohrflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Jerry Lohr and JUSTIN Winery donated to name the JUSTIN and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture. The $22 million project includes a 5,000-case bonded teaching, research and production winery with fermentation hall, bottling room, barrel rooms, and research lab.
• Westec Tank & EquipmentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Based in Healdsburg, California, Westec Tank & Equipment is supplying stainless steel tanks for the JUSTIN and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture project.
• San Luis Coastal Unified School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership providing farm-to-table staples including Cal Poly-produced cheese and eggs to over 1,800 students weekly through free meal kits during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating campus jobs and real-world experience.
• Driscoll'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDriscoll's pledged $5 million to support the college's new farm store, anchoring the new Plant Sciences Complex and advancing Cal Poly's commitment to developing future leaders in food and agriculture.
• John and Cynthia CookcoreOthersJohn and Cynthia Cook pledged $300,000 to the college's new Charles and Claire Jacobson Animal Health Center, inspired by their family's deep agricultural roots on the Central Coast.
• Center for Service in ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal Poly's Center for Service in Action hosts the Alternative Breaks program, allowing students to participate in global service trips and community service opportunities, cultivating social awareness.
• Dust Bowl BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwned by alumni Karen (Human Development, '91) and Brett Tate, Dust Bowl Brewing sponsored an alumni reception at World Ag Expo to meet new Dean Brian Horgan.
• Brett and Camy HonoréminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrett (Industrial Technology, '04) and Camy Honoré (Agricultural Business, '03) co-sponsored an alumni reception at World Ag Expo alongside Dust Bowl Brewing.
• Food Systems Leadership InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAFES is a partner institution providing leadership development to upper-level leaders in higher education, government and industry, hosting weeklong immersion sessions with industry leaders including California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross.

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: The most direct competitor for California agriculture students; offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs in plant sciences, animal science, food science, viticulture, and environmental sciences, and competes head-to-head for in-state applicants and research funding.
• Cal Poly Pomona College of Agriculture: A sister CSU polytechnic college of agriculture, sharing similar Learn by Doing philosophy and student demographics, with overlapping programs in animal science, plant science, agribusiness, and food science; competes directly for the same Southern California applicant pool.
• Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences: A West Coast land-grant peer with strong programs in viticulture, animal science, food science, and environmental sciences; competes regionally for out-of-state students and research funding on similar agricultural issues.
• Purdue University College of Agriculture: A leading land-grant agricultural college with comparable experiential learning ethos, broad department structure, and applied research portfolio in food science, agribusiness, plant and animal sciences.
• Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: A leading land-grant agriculture college with comparable scale, faculty structure, and applied research focus across plant and animal sciences, food science, and environmental management; serves as a benchmark for institutional scale and applied learning models.
• Fresno State - Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology: Another CSU system peer offering hands-on agriculture, food science, and viticulture programs; sits in California's Central Valley, the heart of the state's agriculture industry, and competes for the same agricultural employer pipeline.
• Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences: A large, multi-disciplinary agricultural college with comparable extension, applied research, and applied teaching infrastructure; competes for graduate students and scholarly recognition in shared fields.

Others

• Cal Poly Maritime Academy: The Cal Poly system's maritime academy, which is integrating its Department of Marine Transportation into CAFES in fall 2026; not a competitor but a structural partner sharing the parent CSU system and overlapping employer networks.

Broad incumbents

• Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS): An Ivy-caliber, larger and more research-intensive agriculture school with relevant programs in animal, plant, food, and environmental sciences; competes for top graduate applicants and sets the prestige benchmark for applied agricultural education.

Regional players

• UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources: A California-based peer with strong programs in plant and microbial biology, environmental science, and forestry; competes for top California students and research funding but emphasizes graduate and research output over undergraduate scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calpoly-cafes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences