For centuries, acorns were one of the most important foods for Native Californians, though obtaining acorn products has been difficult. Until now, individuals either gathered and processed acorns themselves or paid steep prices, sometimes up to $50 per pound, from a handful of small producers. Manzanita Cooperative, a new worker-owned company based in Mendocino, hopes to change that and make acorn products accessible and affordable to everyone. They are launching North America’s largest acorn processing facility later this year. The cooperative has already secured harvest rights to over 20,000 acres of old growth oak forests on private lands around the North Coast that have previously gone unharvested. Additionally, they obtained a loan to support building their facility and are seeking investors to support product launches.

“We are bringing the native foods of our region to the mainstream for the first time since the Gold Rush” said Jed Wheeler, CEO of Manzanita Cooperative. “Acorn has been a staple worldwide for millennia and is still a major crop in southern Europe, Asia, and North Africa. California has the best food grade acorns in the world, but no acorn industry to speak of. We’re going to change that narrative. Californian Oak trees can survive heat, drought, floods, fire, and more while producing high quality food with no irrigation. They’re an essential part of a climate adapted food-security strategy for California and the world – as well as being keystone species that support tremendous biodiversity.”

Committed to sustainable foraging practices that preserve delicate ecosystems, Manzanita Cooperative’s wild foods program operates through ethical partnerships with landowners and Native American communities.

In recent years, interest in acorn, also known as Oaknut, as a food crop has surged due to the growing demand for locally sourced foods and scientific evidence showcasing its myriad health benefits. While established acorn industries thrive in Korea, China, Spain, and Portugal, Italy’s government has advocated for reintroducing acorns as a crop. In the US, limited supply has hindered acorn consumption due to labor-intensive traditional processing methods. By adapting machinery from other nut crops – and with a few key patent pending innovations – Manzanita’s new facility will become North America’s largest acorn processor from its inception.

Acorns are a nutrient powerhouse offering better nutritional density than many grains, along with proven health benefits. They have a low glycemic index ideal for diabetics and weight loss, alongside proven benefits for the microbiome, lungs, liver, and heart. Once processed to remove most tannins, acorns can be eaten as a hot cereal, polenta, toasted as an almond substitute, made into nut butter, or ground into flour. They particularly shine in baked goods like amazing cookies, muffins, and breads.

Native Californian oaks are highly resistant to drought, fire, and disease, require no irrigation once established, and produce far more food per acre than irrigation-intensive non-native tree nuts like almond. As the climate changes and California’s available water for agriculture shrinks, Manzanita Cooperative believes climate-adapted native crops like acorn are an essential part of an adaptation strategy to avoid food shortages. Other native nuts, such as Bay nut, hazelnut, and pine nut, provide expansion opportunities. Manzanita Cooperative will initially employ 15 worker-owners across the economically depressed North Coast region, with a planned expansion to 85 full-time worker-owners by 2030.

As the first large-scale domestic producer of acorn products, Manzanita Cooperative will offer an essential domestic supply of this critical climate-adapted crop through sustainable foraging practices safeguarding delicate ecosystems through ethical partnerships with landowner and Native American communities.