Els Cooperrider
Els was born in a small village in the Netherlands. She emigrated to the US with her family and came to Mendocino County when she was 16. Els studied Botany at UC Berkeley and worked her way through Bachelors and Masters degrees in research laboratories. With her husband and two sons, she owns and operates the first certified organic brewpub in the United States, Ukiah Brewing Co. & Restaurant.
Els has been active in the local community and was the mastermind behind the successful
Measure H, banning the growing of genetically engineered organisms in Mendocino County. The GMO ban is the first in the Americas. Earlier, Els was a leader in the successful fight to stop the California Department of Transportation from spraying our roadsides with toxic herbicides. Concerned about Mendocino County’s future and its dependency on petroleum, Els began a program on Public Radio called The Party’s Over, exploring alternatives to a society dependent on oil.