story of Limoneira & Renewable Energy
A Chipotle partner since 2010, Limoneira inspired the solar panels and other new technology featured in the film.
Meet Limoneira
Limoneira has been a valued Chipotle partner and supplier since 2010. They supply us with fresh lemons that we use in our restaurants every day. Limoneira has found success with their sustainable farming practices and believes sustainability will help them address current and future challenges.
Learn About Their Renewable Energy Projects
In 2008, Limoneira completed two state-of-the art solar projects. They started that journey in 2004 when they wanted to set a goal of taking their operations ‘off grid’. Today, they are currently 50% renewable and plan to be 100% renewable in the next 5 to 7 years. Limoneira also has a goal to reduce 86,150 tons of CO2 over the next 25 years with the help of renewable energy and packaging reduction. They are also working with a sustainability consultant and focusing on the future of their environmental program.
The Importance of Sheep Grazing
Because sheep are naturally suited for the job of solar grazing, Limoneira uses sheep in their solar orchards and allows them to graze for 7 hours a day. The sheep enjoy the shade of the solar panels on hot days and are able to graze freely. Grazing the orchards helps to achieve an environmentally friendly field while also being a good practice of animal husbandry. Animal husbandry is the science of breeding and caring for farm animals including animal care, health and hygiene, and maintaining farm infrastructure. Limoneira chose English pygmy sheep because they can’t jump on the solar panels and they're small enough to fit under most of them.