Our Story

About Us

Howdy, I'm April Rivas and I'm the boss lady behind Rivas Ranch. Growing up on a California cattle ranch, I was raised by the last of the Vaqueros - my father and grandfather. But let me tell ya, I wasn't exactly thrilled about it. In fact, I couldn't wait to high-tail it outta there.  I moved to the Napa Valley after high school and professionally trained as a chef, spending the next 20+ years creating sustainable farm to fork menus and restaurant concepts before starting ATC Food Safety in 2011. 

Moving out the Central Valley of Northern California, I started hobby farming, raising small livestock like chickens, ducks, rabbits, and pigs and learning the husbandry and humane processing necessary to bring these animals to table. This turned out to be a pivotal moment in my reconnection to agriculture but by 2021, being a backyard hobby farmer had run its course. With both kids now out of high school, and I was burnt out from all the pandemic insanity. Maybe I just needed a change, maybe it was a midlife crisis, but the idea of getting down and dirty and back to farming as a way of life sparked a fire in my soul that I could not put out. I packed up my life, sold most of my shit, and moved east, to North Carolina and started a farm, aka Rivas Ranch.

Little did I know, my love for farm-to-fork cuisine would eventually lead me back to my roots in agriculture.  I am on a mission to make small farms a part of everybody's table. This family venture has given me the opportunity to combine decades of passion for food, farming, and my expertise in food safety while returning to the familiarity of my childhood. 

Thanks for your interest in being a part of my story and the new generational Rivas legacy, not as migrant workers this time, but as owners and innovators. So join me on this wild ride, and let's make some tasty food together!