ReGen Brands Recap #82

Benina Montes @ Burroughs Family Farms

Regenerative Almonds Farmed For The Future

On this episode, Kyle and Anthony interview Benina Montes, the Founder and Co-Owner of Burroughs Family Farms.

Burroughs Family Farms is redefining what it means to farm sustainably, bringing a regenerative organic approach to almond production. Based in California’s Central Valley, the Burroughs family cultivates almonds, walnuts, olives, and raises pastured livestock on over 1,000 acres of land. Their almond product lineup includes whole almonds, almond butter, and an almond milk concentrate. They also sell olive oil and eggs from their diversified farm. You can find these goodies on their website, Amazon, and in select Whole Foods and natural grocers across the West Coast.


Five Generations of Farming and A New Generation of Organic

The Burroughs family farming legacy goes back five generations, with Benina’s great-grandfather starting a milk delivery business in California's East Bay area. He then started his own dairy farm and later diversified into beef cattle and other crops. They planted their first almond trees in the 1980s, spurred by high demand and improved irrigation technology. 

Fast forward to the early 2000s, a major turning point emerged: the family split the farm in two — one half stuck to conventional farming, while Benina's side transitioned to organic farming. Benina’s brother and sister transitioned their dairy businesses over a few years and in 2006, Benina worked with a consultant to chart a transition plan for the almonds. Benina saw how well the trees responded to no chemical spraying and enjoyed the more proactive approach of organic farming. By 2015, the entire 1,000+ acre farm was certified organic.

"In 2003, we went organic while the other side of the family didn’t. That’s when we really started questioning the way things were done. It set us on this path toward regenerative farming." – Benina


What A Regenerative Almond Farm Looks Like

Benina was sold on organic farming but was hesitant about regenerative when her parents first brought it up. A California State East Bay study comparing conventional to regenerative agriculture practices in almonds changed her mind. The study found up to six times better water penetration into the soil on the regenerative farms. This sold Benina as almonds are a water-intensive crop and more water penetration is crucial for reducing irrigation, which is particularly important in drought-prone California.

Moving from organic to regenerative organic farming wasn’t a giant leap for the Burroughs Family but it still took some trial and error, particularly in integrating animals into the process. Benina describes how the farm implements the principles of regenerative agriculture today: 

  • Keeping the soil covered, living roots in the ground and integrating animals: They allow vegetation to grow in the alleyways between the almond trees year round, keeping the soil protected and cool during hot summer months. They then utilize sheep to graze in these alleyways, eating and stomping down the vegetation and naturally fertilizing the ground.  

  • Diversifying plant species: In addition to almonds, the farm also grows walnuts and olives, which help create a more biodiverse ecosystem. They have also planted hedgerows around the farm to increase on-farm biodiversity

  • Minimizing Soil Disturbance: Outside of initial tree planting, no tilling is required for almond production, so there is little soil disturbance to begin with. Burroughs Family Farm’s prior transition to organic also means they already stopped using any synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. 

The farm’s transition to regenerative is already bearing good results. Their soil organic matter has more than doubled. The farm has also been able to significantly reduce its water use. Benina says their irrigation use is about 40% less than their neighbor farms. While their yields may not be as high, their costs are significantly lower, increasing their overall farm profits. 

Burroughs Family Farm is unique in that they hold multiple certifications including Regenerative Organic Certified®, Regenified™, and Naturland. Benina believes it's important to support different pathways to regenerative agriculture and that multiple certification options open up more opportunities for farmers to transition their land. While there’s growing interest in almond farmers, the regenerative acreage in California is still small compared to the massive size of the overall almond industry. Burroughs Family Farms shares their learnings and practices by hosting an annual Regenerative Tree Nut Field Day, where farmers, brands, and retailers come to learn firsthand what regenerative almond farming looks like in action. 


Why Harvesting Techniques Are So Key

The real challenge of regenerative almond farming lies in the harvesting process. The traditional method is centered around bare ground cultivation, which completely clears the alleyways between the trees to make collecting the almonds off of the ground easier. 

"The whole industry is built around bare ground, which goes against everything we're trying to do with regenerative farming. We're making it work by using better harvesting methods, but the future lies in tech that keeps the almonds off the ground altogether." – Benina

Finding an efficient way to harvest almonds while allowing alleyway soil coverage was an iterative process for Burroughs Family Farms. First, they used mowers, making multiple passes up and down the alleyways to clear the vegetation for harvest. Then, they tried an approach where they would sweep vegetation to the middle of the alley and use flamers to singe the top of the grass under the trees until it was relatively bare.

Now, the family is trying a whole new approach utilizing a Tol harvester that shakes the almonds out of the tree and captures them in the windrow (watch this video to see the process in action!). This eliminates the need for additional clearing of the alleyway, reducing mowing and sweeping, and allowing the soil to remain covered which greatly improves soil health and organic matter. Benina believes the future of the almond industry lies in this kind of technology improvement that makes regenerative practices viable from a financial and labor standpoint. 


Minimally Processed & People-Focused Products

Burroughs Family Farms focuses on low or single-ingredient products that are minimally processed and packed with nutrients. Their almond butter contains just one ingredient: roasted almonds. They select high-oil varieties of almonds, which naturally produce a more flavorful product without the need for added oils, sugars, or preservatives.

Burroughs Family Farm’s CPG  journey began with selling to independent natural retailers in the Bay Area. A major milestone came when they landed their products in Whole Foods stores across California. Benina fondly recalls the moment she walked into Whole Foods with her long-bearded, cowboy-hat-wearing dad, so proud to see his family name on the jars of almond butter. The Whole Foods team even visited the farm to see their regenerative practices in action, further solidifying the partnership. 

Burroughs Family is making waves in the industry with its innovative almond milk concentrate product. Removing the step of adding water greatly reduces the package size and weight for shipping and storage. One 16-ounce pack creates seven quarts of almond milk. 


50% Market Share For Regen

Benina and the ReGen Brands team agree: for this vision to become a reality, retailers and distributors need to step up and actively support regenerative brands. This means finding creative ways to make these products accessible, from reducing slotting fees to cutting back on free fills. It means not just prioritizing regenerative brands to get on the shelf, but also placing them in prime locations and investing in point-of-sale marketing to educate consumers on the benefits of regenerative products. ReGen Brand’s State of Regenerative CPG Report details more opportunities for the industry to come together to promote regenerative products. 

Ultimately, to achieve this transformation, Benina believes multi-stakeholder collaboration is key. She is excited about partnering with organizations like the Alice Waters Institute which promotes regenerative food in California schools. Burroughs Family Farms is also a member of the ReGen Brands Coalition, where Benina is building relationships with other regenerative brands and devising opportunities for more collective action to advance all regenerative CPG. 

“I think that's going to have to be a big coalition—a lot of teamwork. The whole 'it takes a village' approach. We’re going to need retail partners, distribution partners, production, and farmers. We've got to get everybody on the same page, rowing the boat in the same direction." – Benina


This ReGen Recap was written by Katey Finnegan

You can check out the full episode with Benina Montes HERE.

Subscribe to future episodes of the ReGen Brands Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. You can help support our mission of growing regenerative CPG brands with a 5-star rating!

Stay engaged in the conversation by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The ReGen Brands Weekly, and connecting with us on LinkedIn: ReGen Brands, Kyle, and AC.