Hi - John here.
Welcome to Happy Goat.

I figured the best way to explain this place is just to tell you how it actually happened… because none of this went exactly according to plan (which, in hindsight, was probably the plan).

It Started with a Slightly Different Idea…

Back in 2019, I was looking to start a new business. My brilliant idea at the time?
An off-road driving school… using electric vehicles.

Why electric?
Partly because it felt like the future… and partly because I liked the idea of silently sneaking up on terrain instead of announcing yourself like a lawn mower in the wilderness.

So I started looking for land—and that search brought me to Mariposa, where I came across an opportunity to purchase part of a mountain called Mt. Bullion.

Now, Mt. Bullion has some history. During the California Gold Rush, this area was a major hub for mining—named for the gold (“bullion”) being pulled out of the ground. At its peak, thousands of miners worked these hills chasing fortune. These days, it’s a little quieter… though I’d argue what we’re building here is a different kind of gold.

The land itself rises nearly 2,000 feet from its base and offers some pretty incredible views—on a clear day, you can see for miles across the Sierra foothills, all the way toward the Central Valley and beyond.

I was in.

Then It Evolved… (As These Things Do)

What started as an off-road concept quickly expanded into lodging and a restaurant—something more like a glamping resort.

We spent that first year iterating. A lot.
Different ideas, different layouts, different directions.

At one point, someone suggested:
“What if guests could actually eat from a food forest grown right here on the property?”

That idea stuck.

And that’s about the time Jesse Fouch entered the picture.

Enter Jesse

Jesse was working for the California Highway Patrol at the time—but he’s also a sixth-generation farmer and, as I quickly learned, an absolute force of nature.

We originally brought him in to help think through the food side of the project. But what he really brought was a whole new way of thinking about land.

Jesse is an expert in regenerative farming and soil biodiversity—which is a fancy way of saying he understands how to make land come alive again, the way it’s supposed to. He sees things most people miss… in the soil, in the patterns, in the long game.

He’s also—without question—one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. The kind of guy who doesn’t really understand the concept of “clocking out.”

At a certain point, this stopped being a side project for him.

Jesse made the decision to leave CHP…
basically jump off a cliff without a parachute…
and go all in on building this dream with me.

That was a big moment. And honestly, a big bet.

The Shift

Before this, I had spent about a decade building a nonprofit focused on education—using entrepreneurship as a way to teach core K–12 subjects in a more real-world way.

As that organization matured, I found myself asking a familiar question:

What’s next—and how can it matter?

Through a lot of conversations (and probably more than a few long walks around this property), Jesse and I landed on a new vision:

What if this land became a living campus—
a place where students could learn where food actually comes from,
why it matters,
and maybe—just maybe—leave with a different relationship to what they eat?

And yes… we agreed early on that goat snuggles would be a required part of the curriculum.

The Mission Took Shape

From there, Happy Goat really came to life.

The idea was simple, but ambitious:

• Build a regenerative farm
• Use it to educate students and visitors
• And maximize the amount of high-quality food we could provide to the local community

Mariposa County, like many rural areas, faces real challenges with food insecurity—especially among children.

So we structured this as a nonprofit effort, with a twist:

Use tourism to help fund and sustain the mission.

In other words, your visit here helps make everything else possible.

The Part No One Warns You About

What we didn’t fully appreciate at the time…

…was that opening a farm to the public—especially one tied to tourism—comes with a lot of process.

Permits. Approvals. Reviews. Repeat.

What we thought might take a year turned into a five-year journey working alongside the county and community to do this the right way.

There were definitely moments where we wondered if the goats would be the only ones ever enjoying this place.

But we stuck with it.

Where We Are Today

And now, here we are—finally able to share it with you.

In 2024, we donated over 4,000 pounds of fresh food to local families and partner organizations in the area.

In 2025, that number grew to 12,000 pounds—and we’re just getting started.

We’ve also begun hosting students on the farm through partnerships with local organizations like the Master Gardeners—giving kids hands-on experiences with planting, harvesting, and understanding food in a way you just can’t get from a classroom.

And Now… You’re Part of It

That’s really the heart of this whole thing.

Yes, this is a place to relax.
Yes, it’s a place to explore, eat, and spend time with family.

But it’s also a place with purpose.

When you walk the fields, meet the animals, or just sit and take in the view… you’re part of something that’s still growing—literally and figuratively.

Come Say Hi

We’re genuinely excited to have you here.

If you see me or anyone on the team around the farm, don’t hesitate to say hello—we love talking about this place (clearly).

And if you have questions about anything you’re seeing, just ask.

Thanks for being part of the story.
We hope to see you again soon.

— John