Chris Capaul

Grown by: Chris Capaul

The Sacramento Valley has always been bean country. With its warm climate and fertile soils, it has nurtured butter beans and other heirlooms for generations. Among the farmers carrying that legacy forward is Chris Capaul, whose family has been farming here since 1915. His fields are rooted in history, but his approach is anything but stuck in the past.

A Century of Family Farming

Chris still keeps the original horse-drawn bean cutter his grandfather used more than a century ago. That artifact is more than a keepsake, it’s a reminder of how much has changed. While much of California agriculture has consolidated into massive farms, Chris has stayed small and innovative, keeping alive varieties that would otherwise be forgotten.

His father once grew Speckled Bayo beans, and Chris continues that tradition by stewarding rare and specialty beans in his own fields. He rotates crops like vine-type baby butter beans with rice, building soil health and supporting local watersheds while practicing natural weed control.

Baby Butter Beans: Sweet, Velvety, Versatile

Forget everything you think you know about lima beans. These California-grown Baby Butter beans are tender, vegetal, and velvety, grown in harmony with rice rotations that make them thrive in the Valley’s warm summers. Their sweet, delicate flavor makes them a natural fit for everything from rustic stews to elegant gratins. Pair them with seasonal vegetables and you’ll wonder why they ever got a bad reputation in the first place.

Black Valentine Beans: A Century-Old Classic

If the name sounds romantic, the flavor seals the deal. Black Valentine beans were first introduced in 1897 and quickly earned a reputation for their rich, chocolaty taste and meaty texture. Chris has spent years refining this bean in Sacramento’s unique climate, selecting seeds for flavor and resilience.

Cook them slowly and you’ll be rewarded with a pot of beans that tastes deep, robust, and a little wine-like. They shine in Cuban-style black beans, Brazilian feijoada, or simply spooned over rice with olive oil. These are beans that taste like the past, unpolished, soulful, and true.

Why It Matters

Every bag of beans from CJ Capaul Ranch represents more than food, it’s part of a farming lineage that stretches back over a hundred years. Chris honors that legacy while pushing forward with soil-first, sustainable practices that respect the land. In a time when heirloom beans are disappearing, his work preserves not just varieties but an entire way of farming.