Abbey of New Clairvaux

What Abbey of New Clairvaux does

The Abbey of New Clairvaux is a Trappist monastery (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) located in Vina, Tehama County, California, founded in 1955 by monks from Mount Joseph Abbey in Oregon. It operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 941516317) running a contemplative monastic community of approximately twenty monks under Abbot Paul-Mark Schwan, with a sister community of nuns in nearby Redwood City. The abbey's activities center on liturgical prayer, the manual work and self-sufficiency prescribed by the Rule of St. Benedict, hospitality in the form of retreats and day visits, and vocational discernment for men exploring monastic life.

Core operations include a vineyard and limited-quantity wine label (Abbey Wines, formerly Trinity Lakes, with allocation handled via waiting list), a granite-block Chapter House and other heritage structures, a working farm, and a library holding more than 40,000 volumes. Ancillary revenue comes from book sales (including the reissued memoir "Vineyard Sky" and the novel "Ripening" by late monk Father Thomas X. Davis), a heritage goods shop, paid tours, and retreat donations. The abbey is a member of the Trappist USA cooperative and participates in the intermonastic "Caring for God's Creation" ecological initiative.

The business model is donation- and sales-funded rather than commercial. Operating income is roughly one-third donations, with the balance derived from wine sales, retreat offerings, book and merchandise sales, and fundraising events. A multi-year capital campaign targeting $7.7 million — with approximately $6.93 million raised as of late 2025 — funded construction of a new Senior Wing (move-in completed November 2025) and is funding the next-phase chapel project targeted for 2027. The abbey is not a venture- or growth-stage operating business; it is a religious nonprofit whose "investment" lens applies principally to donor-funded capital projects and stewardship of permanent assets rather than equity-style returns.

Name

Abbey of New Clairvaux

Legal name

Abbey of Our Lady of New Clairvaux

Website

https://newclairvaux.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Abbey of New Clairvaux is a Trappist (OCSO) monastery in Vina, California operating a contemplative community of roughly twenty monks, supporting itself through donations, a limited-quantity wine label, retreats, book sales, and heritage goods as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Retreat and Monastic Hospitality Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFALAE

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Breweries, Wineries & Distilleries (Taprooms/Tasting Rooms)

SECONDARYTHAKADAH

Pilgrimage & Faith-Based Multi-Day Tour Operators

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Tour Operators (Multi-Day Package Tours)

SECONDARYTHAJAGAD

Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Food & Drink Experiences (Culinary Tours, Tastings, Cooking Classes)

Keywords

• Contemplative monastic retreats
• Trappist monastery programs
• Religious vocational discernment
• Monastic spiritual formation
• Monastery hospitality services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vina, CA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Annual Fund: The abbey relies on charitable donations from supporters. The Annual Fund supports upkeep of monastery buildings, retreat house maintenance, support of elder and infirm monks, education and formation of monks, and operational expenses. They state they depend on external support for 33% of annual income.
2. Capital Campaign: Preserving Sacred Traditions capital campaign with a goal of $7.7 million for Senior Wing, Pastoral Center, and Library Extension construction. Currently over 90% funded.
3. Planned Giving: Saint Bernard Society accepts planned gifts including bequests, charitable remainder trusts, life insurance, appreciated stocks, retirement plans, savings bonds, real estate, and life estate reserved.
4. New Clairvaux Vineyard (Winery): Trappist monastery winery producing wines. The tasting room is open daily 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Wine sales provide revenue for the monastery operations.
5. Book Sales: Sale of 'The Orchards of Perseverance' book by David Perata through Amazon and possibly the onsite bookstore/gift shop.
6. Tours and Retreats: Docent-led tours (groups of 10+) and day visits generate some revenue. Guesthouse accommodations for retreatants are provided at no cost but donations are accepted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Abbey of Our Lady of New Clairvaux is a Trappist monastery in Vina, California that operates contemplative spiritual retreat programs (Monastic Experience Weekends, Monastic Experience Week, Summer Internships), offers self-guided and docent-led tours, and provides guesthouse accommodations. It also operates the New Clairvaux Vineyard winery producing Trappist wines and an on-site bookstore selling books and gifts, with operations funded by donations, planned giving, and capital campaigns.

Product overview

The Abbey of Our Lady of New Clairvaux is a Trappist monastery offering a portfolio of spiritual formation and hospitality services rather than a technology product. The primary offerings include: (1) Monastic Experience Weekend and Week programs for single Catholic men seeking to explore monastic life; (2) Summer Monastic Internship Program for college-age men; (3) In-person and virtual guided tours of the Abbey grounds; (4) Publications including The Orchards of Perseverance book and the seasonal Gesta Monastica newsletter; (5) Chapter Talks audio recordings of the Abbot's weekly teachings; (6) A blog with spiritual reflections by the monks; (7) Bookstore and gift shop; (8) Overnight guesthouse accommodations for retreatants; and (9) Online donation processing via DonorPerfect. The monastery also operates New Clairvaux Vineyard (a separate wine business) which is marketed through its own website. The Abbey's website serves as an informational and engagement platform rather than a standalone software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• New Clairvaux Vineyard: The abbey's winery and vineyard operation producing wines from grapes grown on monastery property.

Products and services

• Monastic Experience Weekend A weekend retreat program for single Catholic men aged 18-36 to experience contemplative monastic life, including participation in Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, manual work sessions, and conferences on prayer with the monks.
• Monastic Experience Week A week-long immersive program for single, practicing Catholic men ages 21-40 offering experience of contemplative life through monastic prayer and work, limited to 4-6 participants with room and board provided.
• Summer Monastic Internship Program A summer internship for college-age Catholic men (21-35 years) to experience Trappist monastery life, working and praying with monks while receiving instruction on monastic topics. Limited to 3 men at a time with minimum 3-week commitment.
• Docent-Led Tours Guided tours of the Abbey led by docents, available for groups of 10 or more individuals, offering insights into the property's history, the monks, and monastic life.
• Self-Guided Tours Self-guided tours of the Abbey Church available Monday through Saturday from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM.
• Retreat Guesthouse Accommodation Overnight accommodations in the monastery guesthouse for retreat participants, with meals included during retreat programs.
• Virtual Tour of the Abbey A virtual tour allowing visitors to explore the Abbey of New Clairvaux grounds and facilities remotely.
• The Orchards of Perseverance (Second Edition) A republished book by David Perata containing interviews with nine monks of Vina conducted in the mid-1990s, offering insight into the minds and hearts of Trappist monks and the history of New Clairvaux.
• New Clairvaux Vineyard Wines Wines produced by the monks at the monastery's New Clairvaux Vineyard; sold through the on-site tasting room and wine club.
• Onsite Bookstore and Gift Shop On-site bookstore offering a variety of books, gifts, and cards, located next to the Welcome Center with hours varying based on monk schedules.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ of capital campaign goal raised ($7.7 million)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Diocese of Sacramento / Sutter Buttes DeaneryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Diocese of Sacramento's Sutter Buttes Deanery hosts the Eucharist Camino event at the Abbey, which highlights a year of Eucharistic Adoration and hospitality. Approximately 500 people attended the July 2024 event where volunteers joined monks in welcoming guests and celebrating the Eucharist.
• Trappist USA / Order of Cistercians of the Strict ObservancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Abbey belongs to the worldwide Catholic Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists). The parent organization provides formation standards, connects monasteries, and shares vocational resources through trappists.org.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Assumption Abbey: Trappist monastery in Missouri within the same Cistercian order; offers retreats and hosts small contemplative communities under the same Rule of Saint Benedict framework.
• Abbey of Gethsemani: Trappist monastery in Kentucky operating under the same Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance; offers retreats, tours, and hosts visiting retreatants with comparable contemplative programming and donation-based funding model.
• Spencer Brewery: Trappist brewery operated by St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts; operates the same Trappist-product business model with consumer goods (beer) sold through a tasting/retail channel to fund the monastery.
• Abbey of the Genesee: Trappist monastery in New York known for hosting retreatants and producing fruit cakes; operates under the same Order and comparable donation-supported retreat and hospitality model.
• New Melleray Abbey: Trappist monastery in Iowa within the same Cistercian order; offers retreats, guesthouse accommodations, and a craft product line under the same operating model and spiritual tradition.

Broad incumbents

• Mount Angel Abbey: Benedictine (not Trappist) monastery in Oregon with retreat facilities, a library, seminary, and press; broader institutional scope but parallel Catholic contemplative retreat and hospitality offering.
• St. Benedict's Monastery: Benedictine women's monastery in Minnesota operating retreat house, gift shop, and product lines; comparable in scale and revenue diversification (donations + retail + retreats) despite being a different Benedictine congregation.

Regional players

• La Trappe (Koningshoeven): Dutch Trappist brewery/monastery producing Trappist beer under the Authentic Trappist Product designation; analogous commercial-product arm to New Clairvaux Vineyard though geographically separate and operating in beverages rather than wine.

Others

• Cistercian Publications / Cistercian Abbeys (consortium): Network of Cistercian monasteries sharing resources, formation standards, and vocation pipelines; analogous in that member abbeys operate retreat houses and small commercial operations under the same order.

Emerging players

• Shangri La Spiritual Retreat Center: Interfaith retreat center in Northern California offering contemplative programs to paying guests; comparable in retreat-hotel model and Northern California geography but operates as a paid hospitality business rather than donation-supported monastery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_DMmfhswsOp0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abbey-of-new-clairvaux

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Abbey of New Clairvaux