In the Spring of 1980 Chris Shepherd was living in an Anthroposophic community called Rancho Califia on High Winds Ranch located in the Ojai valley just north of Los Angeles. The basis of the community’s structure was a prosperous and hard-won organic farming operation. They raised goats, geese, ducks and grew organic lemons. It was there that Chris truly fell in love with agriculture and discovered its transformative power if wielded properly. He met many likeminded people both visiting and living in the community. Travelers would come and share stories of communities and people working to better the world through agriculture. One such story was of the Finca Irlanda in Chiapas, Mexico – a Biodynamic Coffee farm – one of the first in the world.

Chris jumped on the opportunity to travel to Mexico and meet the Peters family, who had been the stewards of the 300 acre Finca Irlanda since its inception in 1928. The trip was a success and the partnership that resulted created Café Altura – the first organic coffee company – the first importer of Organic and Biodynamic coffee into the United States in 1984.

Forty years and many millions of pounds of coffee later, Chris continues to pursue his passion for organic agriculture. He is the President of Clean Foods, Café Altura’s parent corporation. He holds a bachelors degree in Sociology from CSUN. To this day he remains committed to growing great coffees in a regenerative and sustainable manner, for the prosperity of producers, consumers and the planet.