Chaffin Family Farm

Our family farm is very diverse and here you can find nearly everything that Feather Down has to offer. We are located in Butte Valley on the northeast side of California’s Sacramento Valley. The entire farm is a 2,000-acre estate located at the base of famed Table Mountain.

Although large in size, the farm always retained a small feel to it due to its centrally located farmhouse in the midst of breathtaking landscapes of olive, citrus and stone fruits orchards.

Farm life follows the rhythm of the seasons so there is always something to do. Guest participation in farm work can vary from just watching to rolling up sleeves and helping with farm chores, harvesting the orchards, tending the farm’s own vegetable garden, feeding animals, or simply collecting eggs. For kids, there are also trees to climb and creeks to explore.

Nearby, are the small towns of Chico and Oroville. Local attractions include Sierra Nevada brewery and several wineries which are only a short drive away. Lake Oroville, a state recreational area, is just minutes from the farm’s doorstep. Something is happening every week in Butte County: festivals, farmer’s markets, live music performances, county fairs, summer theater, local history museum exhibits, car races.

The Farming at Chaffin Family Orchards

The farm produces fruit 365 days a year on its 300-acre orchards. Orchard fruits include over 40 different varieties of cherries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, oranges, pears, avocadoes, figs, persimmons, pomegranates, olives, mandarins, lemons, and grapefruit. All of our fruits are picked daily, weather permitting.

Humanely raised grass fed meats is another important part of our farm ecosystem. Grass fed cows, lamb, goats, and chickens are produced utilizing the native forages on our farm. In this unique farming system our sheep and cows do the mowing of the orchards, chickens handle bugs and deposit manure and our goats handle invasive weeds, prune olives, clear fire breaks, and restore riparian areas.

The farm sells its meats and produce at the Oroville, Chico, and Paradise farmers markets. Everything grown and raised at Chaffin Family Orchards is also available in the farm’s Honesty Shop for your convenience. You will find the farm store well stocked to prepare nutritious breakfasts, energizing luncheons, and wholesome dinners.

The Chaffin Orchards farm family

Chaffin Family Orchards is a fifth generation family farm. UC Berkeley originally owned most of the farmland and Del Chaffin was UC’s first farm manager and started Chaffin Orchards in 1912. He started with olives and cattle and grew from there. Five generations later, his granddaughter and her husband Kurt Albrecht are still running the family farm. Day-to-day farm operations are coordinated by Chris Kerston, who is passionate about sustainable farming techniques and loves telling stories about the estate’s history. Also part of the farm management is Kelsey Maben who is in charge of the Feather Down tents and makes sure that you have a comfortable farm stay in the Feather Down tents. Farm operations are further supported by a great team of passionate multi-generational farm employees who harvest the orchards take care of the farm animals.

Location of the Feather Down Tents

The Feather Down tents are serenely located in the midst of the orchards under the shade of the olive trees and near a meandering creek that crosses our farm. The tents are close to an inviting communal area where the large Feather Down bread and pizza oven is located as well as an area for late night campfires. The orchard grounds are covered in green grass throughout the summer as the soil is irrigated year round.