CHRIS A. LOBO

Chris A. Lobo is a 9th-generation Mission Indian, with ancestral ties to three Mission Tribes: Juaneño, Luiseno, and Diegueño. As one of the core families of San Juan Capistrano, his lineage can be traced through Mission sacramental records to at least eight village sites documented as early as 1709, before sustained contact with outsiders.

Currently, Lobo is an active citizen of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians. His family has been intimately involved in tribal affairs since the early 1900s. His great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles were fierce advocates for Indian rights, serving in leadership roles within the Mission Indian Federation and Tribe. Notably, Lobo’s uncle, Clarence H. Lobo, served as Chief of the Juaneños for 39 years, advocating for federal acknowledgment of their people and ancestral territory. In more recent times, Lobo has honored this legacy by being elected to the Tribal Council, where he served for 10 years as Secretary/Treasurer (1997-2007), representing the tribe at all levels of government—city, county, state, federal, and tribal.

Lobo's beverage experience spans more than 38 years, beginning as an opening team member at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point and culminating in a 15-year tenure as Beverage Director of Operations, which he completed in 1999. In 2002, he founded his own wine company, Native Wines, focusing on sales and marketing. During this time, he collaborated with many iconic brands and some of the finest restaurants and retailers in the region.

This unique combination of extensive wine experience and deep familial ties to his tribe makes the NATIVE HANDS project truly one of a kind.