Empower Fresh

What Empower Fresh does

EmpowerFresh Company is a US-based SaaS vendor that sells an AI-powered produce management platform to independent grocery retailers and the wholesalers that supply them. The platform is purpose-built for the fresh produce department and bundles four core modules: AI-Assisted Ordering, which predicts demand using historical sales data, weather patterns, and local events; Effective Ad Planning, which forecasts item-level promotional performance at desired prices; Real-Time Margin Alerts, which flags items falling outside desired margin or shrink parameters; and EmpowerFresh University, a video-based staff training and certification library. The company extends the same platform into the wholesale distribution channel via the E-Fresh Order Guide and eFresh Connect products, replacing scan guns and paper guides with tablet-based ordering that links distributor pricing and assortment directly to retailer workflows.

The technology stack is proprietary machine learning applied to retailer POS, scan, weather, and event data, with integrations to commonly used retail and wholesaler systems. Customer-reported operational outcomes include a 3% sales gain, 80% reduction in out-of-stock items, 25% reduction in shrink, 10% reduction in inventory dollars, and 20% labor efficiency gain. EmpowerFresh monetizes through annual SaaS subscriptions sold via a quote-based, demo-led enterprise motion with white-glove implementation, training, and ongoing US-based support. Distribution combines direct sales to independent grocers with channel partnerships through wholesalers such as Associated Wholesale Grocers, Russ Davis Wholesale, Affiliated Foods, and Four Seasons Produce, and trade association relationships with IGA, NGA, and ROFDA. Founded around 2021 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company remains privately held with no disclosed institutional funding rounds beyond a small Digital Sandbox KC grant.

Name

Empower Fresh

Legal name

EmpowerFresh Company

Website

https://empowerfresh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EmpowerFresh is a Kansas City-based SaaS company that sells an AI-powered produce management platform, including demand forecasting, ad planning, margin alerts, and staff training, to independent grocery retailers and the wholesalers that supply them across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Produce Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRAFAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adaptive Learning & Personalization Engines (EDAFAFAB)

Keywords

• AI produce management
• Grocery inventory software
• Produce ordering platform
• Fresh food forecasting
• Independent grocer SaaS

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription: EmpowerFresh operates as a 100% US-based SaaS solution for fresh food inventory management, charging subscription fees for access to their AI-powered produce management platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empower Fresh is a 100% US-based, AI-powered SaaS platform that helps independent grocers and their wholesale suppliers manage fresh produce. It combines AI-assisted ordering, demand forecasting, real-time inventory and margin alerts, AI-driven ad planning, and a video-based training program (EmpowerFresh University) to reduce shrink, optimize inventory, and improve margins in the produce department. The company also offers the E-Fresh Order Guide / eFresh Connect ordering system for wholesalers serving independent grocers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EmpowerFresh University: Training platform offering video-based courses and certifications in produce handling, cutting techniques, and inventory management.
• E-Fresh Order Guide
• eFresh Connect

Products and services

• EmpowerFresh Platform (AI Produce Management SaaS) The core AI-powered SaaS platform that helps independent grocers manage fresh produce departments through forecasting, ordering, inventory management, shrink/financial insights, ad planning, margin alerts, and staff training; delivered with white-glove US-based implementation and ongoing support.
• EmpowerFresh University Video-based training and certification platform within the EmpowerFresh suite covering produce cutting techniques, inventory management, and produce-department operations, accessible from a dedicated dashboard.
• E-Fresh Order Guide / eFresh Connect Live tablet-based ordering platform for wholesale produce distributors servicing independent grocers, replacing scan guns and paper order guides with real-time digital ordering, ad planning, and a connected workflow between wholesalers and their retail customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3% sales gain
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Russ Davis WholesalecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2026Russ Davis Wholesale, a Wadena, Minn.-based fresh produce supplier serving retailers across the Midwest, collaborated with EmpowerFresh for the Kowalski's Markets deployment. The partnership enables Russ Davis to extend AI-powered ordering technology to their retail customers.
• Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Partnership with AWG to help independent retailers gain operational precision comparable to national chains. AWG retailers leverage EmpowerFresh technology for AI-driven forecasting, margin tracking, and shrink control while maintaining local touch.
• Affiliated Foods Inc. (AFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership built on shared commitment to strengthen regional grocers through innovation. Integrating EmpowerFresh's AI forecasting and financial tools to help AFI and its retail partners achieve better consistency, reduce shrink, and deliver fresher product.
• Four Seasons ProducecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShared vision of helping independents achieve efficiency of national chains while maintaining local retail strengths. Four Seasons' fresh distribution expertise combined with EmpowerFresh's data-driven forecasting creates powerful combination for regional grocers.
• Crazy Fresh ProduceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDivision of Russ Davis Wholesale Inc., supporting independent grocers for over 70 years. Partnership with EmpowerFresh enables Crazy Fresh to offer innovative ordering technology to their retail partners and communities.
• IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerIGA is a Red Oval Partner with EmpowerFresh. IGA News featured the company's AI capabilities in grocery, highlighting how AI-assisted produce ordering streamlines operations and boosts sales.
• ROFDA (Retail Own Brands and Fresh Food Distributors Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEmpowerFresh is an active participant at ROFDA conferences, connecting with independent grocers, wholesalers, and industry leaders. Hosted podcast episode 'Revolutionizing Grocery & the Future with Industry Leaders at ROFDA 2024'.
• NGA (National Grocers Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEmpowerFresh exhibited at NGA Show 2025 in Las Vegas, connecting with passionate grocers and industry leaders. Featured in IGA News coverage of NGA activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Afresh Technologies: Afresh builds an AI-powered fresh-food ordering, forecasting, and inventory platform for grocers — the closest direct competitor to EmpowerFresh, targeting the same daily produce ordering workflow at independent and regional supermarket chains.
• Invafresh: Invafresh provides fresh food management, demand forecasting, and inventory optimization software to grocery retailers — a direct peer in produce and fresh-category planning for mid-market and enterprise grocery operators.
• Upshop (formerly Stanchion / Aptos Retail): Upshop offers in-store inventory, ordering, and replenishment software for grocers including fresh and perishable categories — overlapping directly with EmpowerFresh's produce ordering and inventory visibility use cases.
• ECRS: ECRS is a POS and back-office retail automation provider serving independent and mid-market grocers, with category management and inventory tools that overlap EmpowerFresh's retailer-facing platform and its independent-grocer go-to-market.

Emerging players

• Simbe Robotics: Simbe builds the Tally robot and retail-shelf intelligence platform that scans store inventory in real time; it complements EmpowerFresh's ordering workflow with autonomous in-store inventory visibility for grocers.
• Shelf Engine: Shelf Engine applies predictive analytics to automate ordering for perishable and fresh food categories at grocers and food-service; it overlaps with EmpowerFresh's AI-driven produce ordering but with a stronger orientation to perishable forecasting.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Yonder (formerly JDA Software): Blue Yonder is a large supply-chain and retail planning incumbent offering demand forecasting, replenishment, and category management across grocery; it overlaps EmpowerFresh on forecasting and ordering but at much broader scale and across larger retailers.
• Relex Solutions: Relex provides unified supply chain and retail planning — including fresh-food forecasting and replenishment — to grocers and wholesalers globally; it competes with EmpowerFresh in produce-specific forecasting while serving a much wider planning footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/empowerfresh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empower-fresh-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empower Fresh