Blue Zones Project - Monterey County

What Blue Zones Project - Monterey County does

Blue Zones Project - Monterey County is a community well-being improvement initiative that operated in Monterey County, California from 2018 to 2025, applying the Blue Zones Power 9 evidence-based framework to make healthy choices easier across worksites, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and faith-based organizations. The program uses a Life Radius approach that concentrates environmental and policy interventions within the 5-mile area where residents live, work, and play, and operates certification/approval programs (Approved Worksites, Approved Schools, Approved Restaurants, Approved Grocery Stores, Participating Faith-Based organizations) that recognize institutional adoption of Blue Zones-aligned practices.

The program is delivered by a local field team working face-to-face with organizations to implement best practices, supported by community programs such as Walking Moai walking groups, Purpose Workshops, Cooking Demonstrations, and volunteer engagement. It is funded by three primary sponsors — Salinas Valley Health, Taylor Farms, and Montage Health — and operates under the national Blue Zones, LLC platform whose research origins trace to a 2004 partnership with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging. During its operating window, the initiative achieved a 3.7-point improvement in community well-being score, enrolled 41,325+ individuals and approximately 250 organizations, implemented 196 community policies, leveraged $133.3 million in grant funding, and generated $392 million in avoided medical and lost productivity costs over five years. In 2024-2025 Monterey County became the first California county to achieve Blue Zones Community certification; the local initiative subsequently concluded active operations, with ongoing community well-being work transitioning to successor programs including Montage Health's Community Health and Wellness Programs and the Live Well Project.

Name

Blue Zones Project - Monterey County

Legal name

Blue Zones Project Monterey County

Website

https://montereycounty.bluezonesproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Blue Zones Project - Monterey County is a community well-being initiative that operated in Monterey County, California from 2018 to 2025, applying the Power 9 framework and Life Radius approach to certify worksites, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and faith-based organizations across the county.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edina

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsor Funding: The initiative is funded by three primary sponsors — Salinas Valley Health, Taylor Farms, and Montage Health — who brought Blue Zones Project to Monterey County from 2018 to 2025. These healthcare and food industry organizations invest in the initiative to improve community well-being and reduce healthcare costs.
2. Grant Funding: Over the life of the project, $133.3 million in add-on and grant funding was leveraged for well-being projects across the community, supporting various program implementations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blue Zones Project - Monterey County is a community-wide well-being improvement initiative that helps residents live longer, healthier lives by working with worksites, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and faith-based organizations to implement the Power 9 evidence-based framework through environmental, policy, and social network changes. The initiative certified organizations and the county itself, while delivering programs such as Walking Moai groups, Purpose Workshops, and Cooking Demonstrations.

Product overview

Blue Zones Project - Monterey County is a community-wide well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes in environment, policy, and social networks. The core program includes the Power 9 principles (nine evidence-based traits from longevity research) and the Life Radius approach (focusing on the 5-mile radius where people work, live, and play). Supporting sub-products include certification programs for Approved Worksites (70 certified), Approved Schools (64 certified), Approved Restaurants (62 certified with 310+ Blue Zones-inspired dishes), Approved Grocery Stores (14 certified), as well as community programs (Walking Moai, Purpose Workshops, Cooking Demonstrations) and policy development initiatives (196 local policy initiatives completed). The initiative achieved Monterey County's Blue Zones Community certification in 2024-2025 as the first county in California to earn this designation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blue Zones Project Community Program A community-wide well-being improvement initiative that makes healthy choices easier through permanent changes in environment, policy, and social networks, helping communities lower healthcare costs, improve productivity, and boost recognition as a great place to live, work, and play. Designed for community stakeholders including employers, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, faith organizations, and individual residents in Monterey County.
• Approved Worksites Program Worksite certification program recognizing employers in Monterey County that invest in employee health through Blue Zones Project best practices including healthy food options, physical activity programs, and wellness policies. 70 worksites achieved approved status.
• Approved Schools Program School certification program helping form lifelong healthy habits in students through physical activity, stretch breaks, nutrition education, and wellness programs. 64 schools in Monterey County achieved approved status.
• Approved Restaurants Program Restaurant certification program recognizing establishments committed to offering healthier Blue Zones-inspired menu items with plant-forward options. 62 restaurants achieved approved status, offering more than 310 Blue Zones-inspired dishes.
• Approved Grocery Stores Program Grocery store certification program recognizing retailers that promote and offer healthy food options to make nutritious eating more accessible in Monterey County. 14 grocery stores achieved approved status.
• Well-being Programs Community well-being programs including Walking Moai walking groups, Purpose Workshops, Cooking Demonstrations, RealAge testing, and volunteer opportunities designed to help individuals engage with Blue Zones Power 9 principles and improve personal health.
• Community Policy Development Policy collaboration service working with policymakers, community members, and advocacy groups to create policies that enhance infrastructure, reduce tobacco use, and increase access to healthy food. 196 local policy initiatives were completed in Monterey County.
• Blue Zones Community Certification Community-level certification recognizing measurable success in well-being transformation through evidence-based best practices in the built environment, food and tobacco policy, and social connection. Monterey County achieved certification as the first county in California.

Quantifiable outcome

• Community well-being score improved by 3.7 points since 2019, with each point associated with ~2% reduction in ER visits and ~1% reduction in total healthcare costs
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AARPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009AARP partnered with Blue Zones, LLC and United Health Foundation in 2009 to apply Power 9 principles in Albert Lea, Minnesota — the first Blue Zones Project pilot community. The pilot achieved remarkable results, with participants adding nearly 2.9 years to their average lifespan in just one year.
• National GeographiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004National Geographic partnered with Dan Buettner and longevity researchers in 2004 to identify and document the five original Blue Zones around the world where people lived measurably better and longer. National Geographic's involvement provided the research with credibility, global reach, and media exposure that established the Blue Zones concept internationally.
• National Institute on AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004The National Institute on Aging partnered with Dan Buettner and National Geographic in 2004 to identify and study longevity hotspots (Blue Zones) around the world. As the primary U.S. federal agency for research on aging, its involvement provided scientific rigor and credibility to the Blue Zones research methodology.
• Sun Street CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSun Street Centers, a prevention services organization, partnered with Blue Zones Project on tobacco policy initiatives, with Director Reyna Alcala advocating for youth empowerment through policy strengthening to reduce tobacco and vaping among young people.
• Fullwell (formerly SPUR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFullwell (formerly SPUR), represented by Senior Manager Grecia Marquez-Nieblas, partnered with Blue Zones Project on food policy initiatives including integrated EBT programs that expanded access to healthy food while maintaining dignity for community members.
• Salinas City Center AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSalinas City Center Association, with District Coordinator Greg Hamer, partnered with Blue Zones Project on built environment policies, receiving support for tables, chairs, and hopscotch installations to create a vibrant, lively downtown streetscape that encourages walking and community gathering.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sharecare: Digital well-being platform combining biometric data, health content, and rewards to drive behavior change for employers, health plans, and providers. Closely comparable business model: well-being-as-a-service sold to enterprise customers with measurable engagement and outcomes metrics.
• Castlight Health: Enterprise health-navigation platform helping employees make better healthcare and lifestyle decisions while giving employers measurable population-health ROI. Directly comparable in selling outcome-based well-being programs to large self-insured employers.
• Vitality Group: Insurance- and employer-facing wellness platform that uses incentives and behavioral economics to drive healthier lifestyles. Highly comparable in that it partners with health plans and large employers to translate population-health outcomes into lower medical costs, the same value proposition Blue Zones sells to sponsors.
• Albert Lea Blue Zones Project (sister community): The 2009 pilot community that launched the entire Blue Zones Project national rollout and demonstrated 2.9 years of average lifespan gain in one year. The most directly comparable peer: identical methodology, identical sponsor-driven non-profit funding model, identical certification framework.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Zones, LLC: The national parent organization that licenses the Power 9 framework, Life Radius approach, and Blue Zones Community certification used by the Monterey County chapter. Operates 70+ community programs across North America and is the central holder of the underlying IP and methodology.
• Tivity Health (formerly Healthways): Population-health company that sells well-being and condition-management programs to health plans and employers, including the SilverSneakers fitness network. Comparable in that it monetizes senior and community health engagement at scale, and is increasingly partnering with regional health systems on prevention programs.
• Rally Health (Optum): Consumer digital-health engagement platform owned by Optum/UnitedHealth Group that incentivizes healthy behavior through personalized recommendations and rewards. Comparable as an at-scale enterprise well-being platform targeting the same employer/payer buyers.

Emerging players

• Wellable: Corporate wellness platform offering challenges, content, and device integrations to employers for employee well-being engagement. Comparable in serving mid-market employers with turnkey well-being programs, though smaller and software-only versus Blue Zones' community-certification model.
• MeYou Health: Well-being company that builds evidence-based daily-action programs (e.g., the Daily Challenge) deployed through health plans and employers. Comparable in delivering habit-formation interventions to broad populations with measurable outcomes.
• Health Enhancement Systems: Workplace well-being program provider offering themed campaigns and engagement tools to employers. Comparable in targeting employer wellness with population-level behavior change, though at a smaller scale and with a content/campaign delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bzpmontereyco
• Facebookfacebook.com/bzpmontereyco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bluezones

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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