Shemesh Farms began in 2013 at the Shalom Institute in Malibu, California with a vision of creating a social enterprise (started in 2015) that provides meaningful employment and community to adults who have diverse abilities.

Following the Woolsey Fire and the destruction of the Shalom Institute, we launched a satellite site at Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue (MJCS) in 2019.  In October of 2023, we moved up the road and across the street from Zuma Beach to the Malibu United Methodist Church (MUMC), located at 30128 Morning View Drive.

As a community, Farm Fellows (our Shemesh Farm employees), volunteers, and staff harvest and craft herb blends, honey, and other organic products. Together we strategize product development, branding, marketing, packaging, and sales. Our farm and enterprise are built upon a foundation of sustainability, inclusion, and interconnectedness. When you volunteer, make a purchase or a donation, you help us to continue to hire more young adults with diverse abilities and support our sustainable enterprise.

Shemesh Farms is supported by a generous grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, as well as the generosity from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Erwin Rautenberg Foundation, the Diane and Guilford Glazer Philanthropies, Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, and from individual donors and sales.