Forager
Local Line (formerly Forager) is a subscription-based procurement-to-pay platform that connects local farms, food hubs, and CSAs with wholesale grocers, restaurants, and distributors, processing 3,000+ daily orders for 100,000+ users via flat-fee SaaS rather than a marketplace take-rate.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Forager does
Forager, now operating under the brand Local Line, is a digital procurement-to-pay platform that connects local farms, food hubs, and CSAs directly with wholesale buyers including grocers, restaurants, and food distributors. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, the company provides two interconnected product modules: a supplier-side sales platform for farms and food hubs (e-commerce, CSA subscriptions, price lists, fulfillment, payments, and reporting) and a buyer-side procurement platform (supplier discovery, online ordering, multi-supplier order management, and 50+ reports with lot-level traceability for food safety compliance). The platform is positioned as shared infrastructure rather than a marketplace — it charges flat monthly subscription fees (starting at $79/month) and does not take a percentage of transaction value, with buyers and suppliers retaining their relationships, data, and margins. Distribution is delivered through direct enterprise sales, self-serve SMB onboarding (7-day free trial), and channel partnerships with Sysco Marketplace, Gordon Food Service Endless Aisle, and US Foods Direct, alongside technology integrations with QuickBooks, Square, Mailchimp, Routific, and Zapier. The company reports 100,000+ platform users, 3,000+ daily orders, enterprise customers including Chipotle, Roche Bros., SweetGreen, Tops, and Price Chopper, and has raised approximately $4.6M in total disclosed funding, including a $4 million round in May 2021 led by Duncan Saville with participation from ICM Limited and Coastal Enterprises Inc.
Forager firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forager
- Legal name
- Forager
- Website
- https://goforager.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Local Line (formerly Forager) is a subscription-based procurement-to-pay platform that connects local farms, food hubs, and CSAs with wholesale grocers, restaurants, and distributors, processing 3,000+ daily orders for 100,000+ users via flat-fee SaaS rather than a marketplace take-rate.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forager industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Farm-to-Fork Commerce Software
- NAICS
- Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251), Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Wholesale-to-Business Online Ordering (B2B Food E-Commerce) (AFAIAMAD)
Keywords
Where Forager is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forager business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: Fixed monthly subscription plans for farms, food hubs, and buyers. The company explicitly states no percentage of revenue is taken - customers keep their margins. Plans start from $79/month with tiered pricing based on number of price lists, vendors, and users. No setup fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Entry-level plan for farms and small operations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Forager product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forager (operating the Local Line platform) sells a B2B farm-to-fork commerce SaaS that connects local farms, food hubs, CSAs and CPG producers with wholesale buyers such as grocers, restaurants and distributors. The platform provides supplier discovery, online ordering, multi-supplier order management, CSA subscriptions, lot-level traceability, payments, and 50+ reports, and is sold via fixed monthly subscriptions starting at $79/month with no percentage-of-revenue fees. It is not a marketplace; buyers and suppliers keep their relationships, data, and margins, while the platform layers into existing procurement workflows via API and EDI integrations and channel partnerships with Sysco, Gordon Food Service, and US Foods.
Product overview
Local Line is a unified farm-to-fork commerce platform that serves both suppliers (farms, food hubs, CSAs, CPG producers) and buyers (grocers, restaurants, distributors) in the local food supply chain. The platform consists of two interconnected modules: the Supplier Software (sales platform for farms and food hubs) providing e-commerce, CSA subscriptions, price lists, fulfillment, payments, and reporting; and the Buyer/Procurement Software enabling supplier discovery, online ordering, order management, and 50+ reports with food safety tools. The platform differentiates itself by not being a marketplace - it charges flat monthly subscriptions rather than taking a cut of sales, and buyers/sellers retain their relationships and data. The platform integrates with existing ERP/OMS systems via API and EDI, and offers channel connections to Sysco Marketplace, US Foods Direct, and Gordon Food Service Endless Aisle.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Local Line Platform (Farm-to-Fork Commerce Platform) Unified farm-to-fork commerce SaaS enabling farmers, food hubs, restaurants, and grocers to source and sell direct. Combines e-commerce, CSA subscriptions, price lists, fulfillment, payments, reporting, supplier discovery, online ordering, multi-supplier order management, and 50+ built-in reports with food-safety traceability. Sold via flat monthly subscriptions (plans from $79/month) with a 7-day free trial and no revenue-share fees.
- Supplier Software (Sales Platform for Farms & Food Hubs) All-in-one sales platform for farms and food hubs to sell direct to buyers and end customers. Includes e-commerce storefronts, CSA subscription management, price lists, fulfillment, integrated payments, and supplier-side reporting. Designed for produce farms, CSA operations, ranchers, boutique producers, regional food hubs, and CPG producers.
- Buyer / Procurement Software for Wholesale Buyers Direct-from-farm procurement software for wholesale buyers that enables supplier discovery, real-time online ordering, multi-supplier order management, purchase terms per supplier, consolidated ordering, spend tracking, and 50+ built-in reports including lot-level traceability for food safety compliance. Includes API and EDI integrations with ERP/OMS systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- 33% average farmer annual sales growth on Local Line
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Forager
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forager technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature9 records
Forager partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Roche Bros. SupermarketsMajor grocery chain partner using the platform for local sourcing. Roche Bros. uses Local Line to expand their Local Grower program, sourcing products directly from local farms. Featured in case studies as a key customer reference.
- ChipotlecoreNational restaurant chain using Local Line for local produce sourcing. Chipotle's Senior Director of Produce Erin Massa is featured as a customer reference, praising the platform's flexibility and speed of feature development.
- SyscocoreSysco Marketplace listing partnership where Local Line suppliers can list products for Sysco's customer base. Major food distribution partnership expanding market reach.
- Gordon Food Service (GFS)coreGFS Endless Aisle channel partnership enabling Local Line suppliers to reach Gordon Food Service customers through the Endless Aisle program.
- US FoodscoreUS Foods Direct channel partnership enabling Local Line suppliers to sell to foodservice customers via US Foods Direct platform.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Forager competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Barn2Door: SaaS platform that helps farmers sell direct to consumers and wholesale buyers via branded online stores. Most directly comparable to Local Line on the supplier side of the platform, serving similar farm and CSA customers with subscription and e-commerce features.
- Local Food Marketplace: Software platform for food hubs, farms, and buyers to manage local food sales and ordering. Closely comparable to Local Line as a multi-sided procurement and e-commerce tool focused on regional food systems.
- Food4All: Online marketplace and ordering platform connecting local farms with wholesale and retail buyers. Overlaps with Local Line on supplier discovery, ordering, and farm-to-buyer commerce in regional food supply chains.
- GrubMarket: Digital food supply chain platform providing sourcing, logistics, and software to connect producers with food service and retail buyers. Comparable as a B2B food commerce platform serving similar wholesale buyer segments with technology-enabled procurement.
Emerging players
- Indigo Agriculture: Agricultural marketplace and digital platform connecting growers to grain buyers using biological and digital tools. Comparable on the producer-to-buyer commerce axis, though oriented toward row crops rather than produce and direct food retail.
- Farmers Business Network: Farmer-to-buyer commerce network providing inputs, agronomy, and grain marketing services to producers. Comparable as a digital intermediary in agricultural commerce, though primarily serving crop producers rather than the produce/local food niche.
- SokoFresh: Digital platform providing cold-chain and market access solutions for smallholder producers in emerging markets. Thematically comparable to Local Line in digitizing farm-to-buyer commerce, though operating in different geographies and segments.
Broad incumbents
- Sysco: Largest US broadline foodservice distributor, operating Sysco Marketplace as a channel partner to Local Line. Comparable as both a buyer and channel for local food, and a potential competitor should Sysco build or acquire a competing supplier-discovery platform.
- US Foods: Major US broadline foodservice distributor and a channel partner via US Foods Direct. Overlaps with Local Line as a foodservice buyer and represents both partnership opportunity and competitive threat.
- Gordon Food Service: Major North American broadline foodservice distributor operating the GFS Endless Aisle program for local supplier listings. Comparable as a large enterprise customer and channel partner with capability to replicate Local Line functionality in-house.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forager social profiles
Digital presenceForager financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forager leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Forager funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forager M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forager
What does Forager do?
Forager (operating the Local Line platform) sells a B2B farm-to-fork commerce SaaS that connects local farms, food hubs, CSAs and CPG producers with wholesale buyers such as grocers, restaurants and distributors. The platform provides supplier discovery, online ordering, multi-supplier order management, CSA subscriptions, lot-level traceability, payments, and 50+ reports, and is sold via fixed monthly subscriptions starting at $79/month with no percentage-of-revenue fees. It is not a marketplace; buyers and suppliers keep their relationships, data, and margins, while the platform layers into existing procurement workflows via API and EDI integrations and channel partnerships with Sysco, Gordon Food Service, and US Foods.
Is Forager a public or private company?
Forager is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Forager founded?
Forager was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Forager based?
Forager is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forager make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Revenue.
Who are Forager's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Barn2Door, Local Food Marketplace, Food4All and GrubMarket. Emerging players are Indigo Agriculture, Farmers Business Network and SokoFresh. Broad incumbents are Sysco, US Foods and Gordon Food Service.
Does Forager have an API?
Yes. Local Line offers an API and EDI integrations for connecting with existing ERP and OMS platforms. The platform is designed to layer into existing procurement operations and includes advanced API and EDI integrations. They mention having a team ready to assist with integration implementation. Developer documentation is at Not specified.
What industry is Forager in?
Forager's product category is Farm-to-Fork Commerce Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAD, B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms, with a secondary code of AFAIAMAD, Wholesale-to-Business Online Ordering (B2B Food E-Commerce). Its NAICS code is 4251 and its SIC code is 5141.