San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition

Name

San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition

Legal name

San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition

Website

https://slvlocalfoods.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Systems and Local Agriculture Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (11)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA), Farm-to-Consumer Cooperative Markets (Local Producer Co-ops) (CRAHALAG)

Keywords

• Local food systems
• Farmers market operations
• Food hub distribution
• Community agriculture programs
• Food access initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Alamosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. EPA Grant Funding: Received $200,000 EPA grant in 2022 for food waste processing project using anaerobic digestion at the Colorado campus to create Renewable Energy Park.
2. Foundation and Government Grants: Primary revenue from grants including Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, USDA, and LiveWell Colorado.
3. Donations and Colorado Gives Day: Receives charitable donations through Colorado Gives Day and direct contributions to support programs like Cooking Matters, Valley Roots Food Hub, and Rio Grande Farm Park.
4. Program Revenue: Revenue from farmers market operations (Mercadillo en el Rio), food hub distribution services, and community programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition operates a community-based local food system ecosystem in the six-county San Luis Valley region of southern Colorado. It connects local farmers, food-insecure residents, schools, and community organizations through the Rio Grande Farm Park (community farming and education), Valley Roots Food Hub (regional food distribution and online marketplace), Mercadillo en el Rio (weekly farmers market with SNAP/EBT acceptance), Cooking Matters (nutrition education), Farm-to-School Program (14 districts), and community-driven strategic planning (Local Foods Local Places). Revenue is generated through grants, donations, and program operations rather than commercial sales.

Product overview

San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition operates a multi-component local food system ecosystem centered around its core programs: Rio Grande Farm Park (a community farming and education space), Valley Roots Food Hub (regional food distribution), Cooking Matters (nutrition education), Mercadillo en el Rio (farmers market), Local Foods Local Places (strategic planning), and the SLV Community Food & Agriculture Action Plan (policy roadmap). Supporting programs include the MoKi food truck, Local Roots Guide directory, Tax Credit Assistance, and PhotoVoice community engagement. These programs work together to foster an equitable local food system that restores health to people, community, economy, and ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rio Grande Farm Park: A farming park and community space for agricultural education, farmers markets (Mercadillo en el Rio), and local food production.
• Valley Roots Food Hub
• Local Foods Local Places
• Mercadillo en el Rio
• Cooking Matters

Products and services

• Rio Grande Farm Park A community farm park space in Alamosa where families learn, play, and grow food; hosts farmers, volunteer workdays, educational programs, and the Mercadillo en el Rio farmers market. Provides land access, production infrastructure, and education for small and socially disadvantaged farmers.
• Valley Roots Food Hub A distribution center connecting local food to homes and businesses across the San Luis Valley region, featuring an online ordering platform for locally sourced products. Distributes products including Mama Daisy Tomatillo Salsa and other local producer goods.
• Cooking Matters A program hosted by the coalition through partnership with Share Our Strength that empowers families to cook nutritious meals on a budget through hands-on cooking classes and nutrition education.
• Mercadillo en el Rio Farmers Market A weekly farmers market held at the Rio Grande Farm Park in Alamosa (Wednesdays July-September), bringing the community together for fresh local produce, prepared foods, crafts, live music, and farm tours. Accepts SNAP benefits and Double Up Food Bucks.
• SLV Community Food & Agriculture Action Plan A community-built roadmap guiding policy, systems, and environment change for food and agriculture in the San Luis Valley over 5 to 10 years, funded through the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and The Colorado Trust.
• Local Roots Guide A directory listing producers and retailers in and around the San Luis Valley, helping consumers find local food sources.
• Farm-to-School Program A program supporting local food procurement at area school districts through a Value Chain and Outreach Coordinator who connects 14 school districts with local producers and supports agricultural education and student nutrition programs.
• Tax Credit Assistance Program Technical assistance program helping local food businesses apply for equipment purchase reimbursements worth up to 75% of qualifying equipment costs (cold storage, displays, delivery vehicles, POS systems, greenhouses, processing equipment). Open to locally owned corner stores, grocers, farm stands, and small family farms.
• MoKi Food Truck A mobile food truck program supporting local food access and education in the San Luis Valley.
• PhotoVoice Community Engagement A community engagement program using photo documentation to give voice to community members about food and agriculture issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ pounds of fresh produce donated to regional food pantries over 3 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Rio Grande Farm ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe coalition hosts and manages the Rio Grande Farm Park, a public space for farming, education, and community engagement. Originally called the Healthy Living Park, it was purchased in 2016 through a collective campaign involving Trust For Public Land, Mayan Community, County of Alamosa, City of Alamosa, and community members.
• Valley Roots Food HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in 2015 in Mosca at the White Rock Specialties potato warehouse, the Valley Roots Food Hub serves as the distribution center connecting local food to homes and businesses throughout the region.
• Colorado State University ExtensionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting agricultural education and extension services in the San Luis Valley.
• Nourish ColoradomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization strengthening connections between farms, ranches, and communities for equitable food access. Collaborates on agricultural funding advocacy.
• The Trust For Public LandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in 2016 to purchase the Rio Grande Farm Park through a collective campaign with community partners.
• La PuentemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal nonprofit offering food bank services, hot meals, and the Valley Educational Gardens Initiative (VEGI). Coalition collaborates on food access programs.
• Adams State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner in the San Luis Valley, collaborating on student engagement and community programs.
• Rocky Mountain Farmers UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural advocacy organization; Nick Perchess from Valley Roots Food Hub serves on the RMFU board.
• American Farmland TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization working to protect farmland and promote sustainable agriculture practices.
• Mountain Roots Food ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Mountain Roots Food Project in Gunnison to fulfill a Local Food Promotion Program USDA grant serving the region.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the SLVmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived produce donations during 2020 pandemic; collaborative partner in youth food education programs.
• Share Our Strength (Cooking Matters)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition hosts the SLV chapter of Cooking Matters, empowering families to cook nutritious meals on a budget.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Liveable FutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner through the Food Policy Networks initiative supporting food policy and systems change.
• White Rock SpecialtiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPotato warehouse in Mosca where Valley Roots Food Hub was established in 2015; ongoing partnership hosting the food hub.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• La Puente: Alamosa-based nonprofit running a food bank network, hot meal programs, and the Valley Educational Gardens Initiative (VEGI). Direct local collaborator with overlapping food access and food system work in the San Luis Valley.
• Valley Educational Gardens Initiative (VEGI): La Puente's gardening and food education program in the SLV. Operates the Community Garden and works with SLVLFC staff on food access; comparable small-team, grant-funded, food-and-farming education model.
• Rocky Mountain Farmers Union: Regional agricultural advocacy and cooperative development organization; Valley Roots Food Hub GM Nick Perchess serves as Vice President. Comparable member-supported model serving Colorado and New Mexico farmers.
• Colorado Farm to School: Statewide initiative housed at Nourish Colorado that coordinates farm-to-school activities. SLVLFC's 14-district Farm-to-School program operates under the same funding and policy umbrella, making this a direct peer in scope and constituency.
• Nourish Colorado: Statewide Colorado food systems nonprofit focused on equitable food access, farm-to-school, and food policy advocacy. Comparable mission, funding model (grants + donations), and state-level policy engagement to SLVLFC.
• Mountain Roots Food Project: Gunnison, CO-based food coalition that partnered with SLVLFC on a USDA Local Food Promotion Program grant. Operates similar farm-to-consumer, food access, and education programs in a comparable rural Colorado region.

Broad incumbents

• American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit focused on farmland protection and sustainable agriculture. Partnered with SLVLFC and operates at a much larger scale across the U.S., but shares the mission of preserving agricultural land and supporting local food systems.
• National Farm to School Network: National information, advocacy, and networking hub for farm-to-school initiatives. Comparable Farm-to-School focus but at a national policy and capacity-building scale rather than a single regional implementer.
• Share Our Strength (Cooking Matters): National anti-hunger nonprofit that runs the Cooking Matters program hosted locally by SLVLFC. Operates at far greater scale but represents the parent network through which the SLV Cooking Matters chapter is delivered.

Regional players

• Care and Share Food Bank: Southern Colorado regional food bank serving 31 counties including the SLV; receives produce donations from Rio Grande Farm Park farmers. Comparable food assistance mission but at a much larger, distribution-focused scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/info
• Instagraminstagram.com/slvlocalfoods
• Xx.com/slvlocalfoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-luis-valley-local-foods-coalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition