Buena Fortuna Gardens
Living Genealogy Seed Bank
OUR STORY
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Nestled in La Ribera, Baja California Sur—just 45 minutes from Los Cabos and minutes from the Sea of Cortez—Buena Fortuna Gardens is an 11-acre botanical sanctuary, living seed bank, and cultural refuge dedicated to the preservation of plant knowledge, ecological harmony, and community resilience.Founded in 1999, Buena Fortuna Gardens has grown into a thriving ecosystem of more than 2,500 plant species sourced from around the world. Each plant carries a story—of nourishment, medicine, ceremony, and survival—carefully cultivated as part of a long-term commitment to biodiversity, education, and regeneration.
At the heart of the gardens is Cozina Botanika, a seed-to-palate restaurant where the harvest informs the menu and food becomes an expression of place. The Nursery and Online Store extend the gardens beyond their borders, offering rare seeds, plants, and botanicals to growers, educators, and stewards worldwide. Through Wisdom Roots Academy, Buena Fortuna shares ancestral gardening practices, permaculture principles, and hands-on learning through workshops, tours, and apprenticeships rooted in lived experience.
Beyond cultivation, Buena Fortuna is a space for connection and creativity. The gardens host intimate gatherings, retreats, holistic weddings, educational programs, seasonal markets, and cultural events—where art, music, storytelling, and wellness unfold naturally beneath open skies. Daily life here is shaped by rhythm: planting, harvesting, teaching, listening, and restoring.
Co-founded by legendary botanist Gabriel Howearth and earth steward Kitzia Kokopelmana, Buena Fortuna Gardens is more than a destination—it is a living legacy. For over two decades, it has stood as a quiet yet powerful example of what is possible when land is treated not as a resource to extract from, but as a partner to learn from.
Buena Fortuna Gardens exists to protect the past, cultivate the present, and seed the future—one plant, one story, and one community at a time.
MISSION STATEMENT
Buena Fortuna Gardens exists to cultivate a world that honors and protects the interconnectedness of all life. Rooted in biodiversity, ancestral knowledge, and regenerative land stewardship, we use culinary and botanical experiences as living pathways to delight, educate, and enlighten.
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Through the preservation of rare and useful plant species, hands-on education, seed-to-plate cuisine, and immersive community experiences, we foster a deeper understanding of humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Every garden bed, shared meal, workshop, and gathering is designed to reconnect people with the origins of nourishment, the wisdom of the land, and the responsibility we carry as stewards of the Earth.
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Our mission is to safeguard botanical heritage while inspiring practical, meaningful action—encouraging individuals and communities to live with intention, resilience, and respect for the ecosystems that sustain us. By bridging culture, ecology, and creativity, Buena Fortuna Gardens serves as a living seed bank not only for plants, but for ideas, traditions, and a more harmonious future.
Kitzia Kokopelmana
Co-Owner & Founder | Seed Steward & Regenerative Landscape Designer
Kitzia is the co-owner and founder of Buena Fortuna Gardens, a living seed bank and regenerative botanical sanctuary rooted in biodiversity, food sovereignty, and long-term care for the land. With more than 25 years of hands-on experience working with plants and ecosystems, her life’s work has been shaped by a deep respect for nature, traditional knowledge, and the quiet intelligence of living systems.
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Her approach to regenerative and ecological landscape design brings together native, edible, medicinal, and heritage plant species into landscapes that are both functional and resilient. Rather than imposing design onto the land, Kitzia works in dialogue with it—observing, listening, and responding over time. At Buena Fortuna Gardens, this philosophy has guided the creation of an evolving ecosystem that supports wildlife, protects genetic diversity, and provides nourishment, medicine, and learning for those who engage with it.
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Central to her work is seed stewardship. Preserving, saving, and sharing seeds is not only a practical act, but a cultural and ethical one—ensuring that plant knowledge and biodiversity remain accessible to future generations. Through Buena Fortuna Gardens, seeds are treated as living ancestors, carrying memory, adaptation, and responsibility forward.
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Kitzia’s work extends beyond cultivation and design into education and community engagement. She shares her knowledge through hands-on guidance, mentorship, and lived example, emphasizing direct relationship with plants and land over rigid systems or trends. Her presence in the garden is constant and embodied, grounded in daily care, observation, and stewardship.
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Buena Fortuna Gardens is not simply a place she founded, but a living expression of her values and her relationship with the land—one rooted in patience, reverence, and the belief that tending biodiversity today is an act of care for generations yet to come.
Quetzal Pakal Howearth
Assistant Operations Manager
Quetzal Pakal Howearth serves as Assistant Operations Manager at Buena Fortuna Gardens, supporting the day-to-day functioning of the space while helping maintain the integrity of its living systems. A certified nature guide with a deep understanding of local ecosystems, he also acts as the garden’s plant curator, caring for both cultivated and native species to ensure their long-term health and diversity.
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In addition to operational oversight, Quetzal supports public relations and visitor engagement, helping communicate the mission, values, and practices of Buena Fortuna Gardens through direct experience and thoughtful interaction. His work helps create meaningful connections between the garden, its visitors, and the broader community.
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Quetzal is also an artisan bread maker, contributing to farm-to-table practices that honour traditional skills, nourishment, and sustainable food systems. He plays an active role in harvesting and daily garden work, and leads youth programs focused on environmental education, hands-on learning, and stewardship. Through this combination of practical involvement and mentorship, he helps foster a deeper relationship between people, land, and culture.
Aloe Gabriel Howearth
Marketing Assistant
Aloe Gabriel Howearth supports marketing and communications at Buena Fortuna Gardens, assisting with content preparation, visual materials, and foundational brand support. His role focuses on helping communicate the identity and values of the project through clear, practical contributions that support ongoing outreach without distraction from the core work on the land.
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Working alongside the core team, Aloe helps organize, prepare, and maintain materials used across digital platforms and on-site communications. This includes supporting visual consistency, basic content formatting, and behind-the-scenes coordination that enables information to be shared accurately and efficiently.
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His involvement contributes to a cohesive public presence for Buena Fortuna Gardens, reinforcing clarity and continuity in how the project is presented. By handling essential marketing support tasks, Aloe helps ensure that stewardship, education, and daily operations remain the central focus, while the gardens’ work and values are communicated in a steady, reliable manner.
Seasonal Collaborators 2026
Buena Fortuna Gardens is supported throughout the year by seasonal collaborators who contribute their time, skills, and energy to the ongoing care and evolution of the land. These individuals join the project for defined periods, working alongside the core team in areas such as garden stewardship, seed saving, construction, documentation, education, and daily operations.
Seasonal collaborators are an essential part of the living rhythm of Buena Fortuna Gardens. Through shared work, learning, and presence, they help sustain the garden while gaining hands-on experience rooted in ecological practice, community, and respect for the land.
Darrell Frey
Seasonal Teacher, Volunteer Coordinator & Food Production Lead
Darrell Frey is a seasoned permaculture educator and practitioner with more than four decades of experience in sustainable land design and ecological farming. At Buena Fortuna Gardens, he leads seasonal teaching programs and coordinates volunteers, guiding hands-on learning in regenerative agriculture, permaculture principles, and resilient food production systems.
His teaching emphasizes practical application, long-term thinking, and working in alignment with natural processes rather than against them.
Darrell is the author of Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm and co-author of The Food Forest Handbook, both widely respected resources within the permaculture community for their clear, experience-based approach to perennial food systems and integrated farm design. His writing reflects decades of experimentation and refinement, offering frameworks that balance ecological health with productive, economically viable landscapes.
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He founded and continues to manage Three Sisters Farm and Permaculture in Western Pennsylvania, one of North America’s longest-running permaculture projects. There, he applies permaculture design across bioshelter systems, food forests, market gardening, and ecological landscape planning, demonstrating how regenerative systems can function across climates and scales. In addition to his work on-site, Darrell consults and teaches permaculture design throughout the United States and internationally, supporting communities, farms, and projects in building resilient, nature-aligned food systems rooted in observation, stewardship, and long-term care.
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www.threesisterspermaculture.com
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Frida Gouri
Kitchen Manager
Frida Gouri is the Kitchen Manager at Buena Fortuna Gardens, where she oversees all kitchen operations, menu planning, and food preparation with precision and care. She brings extensive hands-on experience across a wide range of international cuisines, artisan breads, and handcrafted food products, developed through years of working in diverse culinary environments.
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Her approach is rooted in respect for traditional techniques—slow fermentation, scratch cooking, and thoughtful preparation—while remaining open to creative and adaptive methods. Frida places strong emphasis on fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients, allowing the harvest from the gardens to directly shape what is prepared and served. This ensures that the kitchen remains responsive to the land, the climate, and the rhythms of the growing season.
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At Buena Fortuna Gardens, Frida’s work extends beyond cooking. She plays an integral role in supporting the garden’s holistic vision by transforming raw ingredients into nourishing meals and value-added products that reflect intention, balance, and sustainability. Through her leadership, the kitchen becomes a space of connection—where food, community, and the values of care, diversity, and culinary excellence come together in everyday practice.
Paul Allen
Documentary Lead & Creative Strategist
At Buena Fortuna Gardens, Paul Allen leads documentary development and creative strategy, working across photography, film, website design, and overall digital direction. His work focuses on shaping how the project is communicated beyond the land itself, translating its values, vision, and daily realities into clear, authentic narratives. He approaches storytelling with an emphasis on accuracy, respect, and long-term relevance, ensuring the work reflects lived experience rather than surface-level representation.
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Alongside his creative role, Paul is actively involved on-site, contributing to planting, construction, and hands-on project support. His approach is rooted in participation rather than observation, guided by the belief that meaningful stories emerge through shared labor, time, and a genuine relationship with place. This embedded presence allows his creative output to remain grounded, informed, and closely connected to the rhythms of the gardens.
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Paul is an author, long-term traveler, and brand developer, and the founder of Wandering Monkey, a creative platform centred on exploration, reflection, and purposeful living. He is the author of A Traveller’s Guide to Life, and his perspective has been shaped by more than 25 years of living, working, and traveling abroad. Through Cactide Productions, he is developing documentary projects that explore land, culture, and legacy, beginning with Legado de Vida: Buena Fortuna’s Living Seed Bank, with The Spirit of Guaycura planned as a larger project examining place, history, and continuity in Baja California Sur.
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