InHouse Ventures, an impact investment fund that focuses on the natural food sector run by Healdsburg, announced it has acquired organic coffee and tea company, Taylor Maid Farms for an undisclosed amount.

Founded on a 100 acres organic farm in Occidental, California in 1991, Taylor Maid Farms has grown from producing a line of four coffees to partnering with a network of farmers to become a leading producer of organic specialty coffee and tea and has developed many industry innovations.

“Our fund is focused on acquiring businesses that can have strong environmental and social impact,” said David Cooper, Managing Partner of InHouse Ventures. “Taylor Maid Farms was a perfect fit for our group, as they share our values around taking care of people and planet. We are extremely excited to continue building on the foundation that the Martin’s started nearly 25 years ago.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, however, InHouse plans to leave all Taylor Maid leadership teams in place following the closing of the transaction, including the current chief executive, Rob Daly, who will continue to lead the company.

“For the past nine months, I’ve worked closely with the InHouse Ventures team,” said Daly. “Being able to continue my journey in coffee with a dynamic and creative group is exciting. I look forward to amplifying our connection to the community and providing amazing coffee along the way. When you consider their strong background in building brands, and national consumer products, we feel there is a lot of opportunity in front of us.”

Moving forward, InHouse plans to strategically foster Taylor Maid’s growth into a top supplier of organic specialty coffees in Sonoma County and the Northbay market area.

“We believe Sonoma County is a perfect location to build a food movement,” said Ted Robb, Chairman of InHouse and InHouse Ventures. “Taylor Maid Farms is a great local brand, with deep roots in organics, and this acquisition gives us an opportunity to engage with our community through a shared love of coffee. We couldn’t be happier to have their team join us.”

Adding U.S. organic coffee to its portfolio could prove to be a strong strategic move for InHouse. Demand for organic beverages in the U.S. is climbing at a time when U.S. supply can not meet demand. In terms of monetary value, organic coffee is the largest category of overall U.S. organic imports, growing to a value of US$332.5 billion and accounting for 5.7% of all coffee imports by 2014 according to data from the Organic Trade Association.

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Lynda Kiernan