Califia Farms Wasn't Supposed to be Milk - Now it's an Empire

About this episode

The episode discusses how Califia Farms transformed from a struggling startup into a leading plant-based beverage brand by pivoting to almond milk.

When there wasn’t enough fruit to make a juice business viable, Califia Farms co-founder Greg Steltenpohl looked out the window of his Central Valley factory and noticed something: demand for almond milk was quietly exploding. That pivot—from citrus to almonds—transformed a struggling startup into one of America’s leading plant-based beverage brands, with products in more than 20,000 stores nationwide. Now CEO Dave Ritterbush, the former Quest Nutrition chief who guided that company to a $1 billion acquisition, is placing new bets on organic lines, nutrient-dense formulations, and a foodservice strategy built not on retailers but on baristas.

People in this episode

Guests: Greg Steltenpohl, Dave Ritterbush

Topics covered

• almond milk
• plant-based beverages
• startup pivot
• foodservice strategy

Keywords

• Califia Farms
• organic lines
• nutrient-dense formulations
• baristas

Mentioned in this episode

Products: almond milk, plant-based beverages

Places: Central Valley, America

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