Forages

What Forages does

Forages is a Canadian direct-to-consumer consumer goods company that designs, manufactures, and sells home sprouting equipment and organic seeds. Founded in 2016 by mechanical engineer Jason Stevens and product designer Joseph Hofer, the company is headquartered in Elmira, Ontario, and operates a focused single-product-line business centered on its patent-pending Sprout Jar Kit — a 1.2L borosilicate glass jar with stainless steel filtering lid and water-catching bowl, vertical orientation, and an etched day tracker, sold with a 3-year warranty. The kit is priced at $78 (single) with 2-pack and 3-pack bundles at 33% off; a lower-priced v2 was introduced at $69 with a rimless jar and 20% more volume. A secondary revenue stream of consumable organic sprouting seeds (broccoli, alfalfa, and a spring salad mix blend) is sold individually ($9-$11) and as a Seed Starter Pack ($25), and the company publishes a detailed Sprouting Guide covering 11 varieties to support education-led acquisition.

The business runs as a pure-play Shopify e-commerce operation with no retail, marketplace, or third-party distribution. Two warehouse nodes — Ancaster, Ontario for Canada and Niagara Falls, New York for the United States — handle fulfillment, and the company ships only to Canada and the US. GTM is product-led and content-driven: blog articles on sprouting techniques, health benefits, and recipes; organic social on Facebook and Instagram; and published competitive comparison pages. The target buyer is health-conscious individuals seeking homegrown nutrient-dense food, with secondary personas including parents, athletes, and sustainability-focused consumers. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with the only disclosed capital being two small Accelerator Centre grants (notably $10,000 in September 2022). Ownership is concentrated with the two co-founders, and there are no disclosed institutional investors, M&A activity, or leadership changes.

Name

Forages

Legal name

Forages

Website

https://forages.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forages is a Canadian direct-to-consumer brand that designs and sells a patent-pending glass Sprout Jar Kit and organic sprouting seeds for health-conscious consumers seeking to grow fresh, nutrient-dense sprouts at home in five days.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home Sprouting Equipment

NAICS

Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Sprouts & Microgreens Farming (Alfalfa Sprouts, Microgreens, Wheatgrass) (AFAGADAL)

Keywords

• Home sprouting equipment
• Organic sprouting seeds
• Countertop gardening
• Sprouting jar kits
• Indoor food growing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Sprout Jar Kit Hardware Sales: One-time purchase of the Sprout Jar Kit and bundle packs (single, 2-pack, 3-pack) with free seeds included. The main revenue driver with premium pricing at $78-156.
2. Organic Seeds Sales: Replacement seed packs including Organic Broccoli, Organic Alfalfa, and Spring Salad Mix. Seed Starter Pack offers bundled variety at $25.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Forages designs, manufactures (via contract production), and sells a patent-pending Sprout Jar Kit — a borosilicate glass and stainless steel countertop sprouting system — alongside organic sprouting seeds, direct to consumers through its Shopify storefront. The kit enables home growing of fresh sprouts in roughly five days without soil, replacing store-bought sprouts with a reusable, plastic-free setup.

Product overview

Forages offers a focused portfolio of home sprouting products centered on the Sprout Jar Kit, a patent-pending all-in-one system for growing fresh sprouts on kitchen countertops. The core Sprout Jar Kit ($78 single, with 2-pack and 3-pack bundle options at 33% discount) includes a borosilicate glass jar, stainless steel filtering lid with food-grade silicone gasket, stainless steel water-catching bowl, and illustrated sprouting guide. The companion Seed Starter Pack ($25) bundles three organic seed varieties (Broccoli, Alfalfa, Spring Salad Mix) that can each be grown in the kit. Individual organic seed packs (Broccoli $11, Alfalfa $9, Spring Salad Mix $11) are available for replenishment. The ecosystem is complemented by the Sprouting Guide, an educational resource detailing growing instructions for 11 sprout varieties. The products emphasize sustainable, plastic-free design with durable materials (borosilicate glass and stainless steel) backed by a 3-year warranty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sprout Jar Kit The flagship all-in-one patent-pending sprouting system for home consumers, consisting of a 1.2L borosilicate glass jar, stainless steel filtering lid with BPA-free silicone gasket, stainless steel water-catching bowl, and step-by-step sprouting guide. Designed for countertop sprout cultivation with vertical orientation, built-in day tracker, and dishwasher-safe components. Covered by a 3-year warranty.
• Sprout Jar Kit (v2) An updated version of the Sprout Jar Kit featuring a rimless jar design with 20% more volume, maintaining the same materials (borosilicate glass, stainless steel lid and bowl, silicone gasket) and patent-pending design. Priced at $69.00 USD.
• Seed Starter Pack A bundle of three organic sprouting seed varieties containing Organic Spring Salad Mix (100g), Organic Broccoli (100g), and Organic Alfalfa (125g). Each seed pack provides enough seeds for 5 jars or 20 servings. Priced at $25.00 with a 13% discount from $29.00.
• Organic Broccoli Sprouting Seeds Organic, non-GMO broccoli sprouting seeds in a 100g (3.5oz) bag, sufficient for 5 full jars in the Sprout Jar Kit. Medium difficulty to grow; requires 2-4 hour soak, twice daily rinsing, and 5-7 day harvest. Contains high levels of sulforaphane known for cancer-fighting properties. Priced at $11.00.
• Organic Alfalfa Sprouting Seeds Organic, non-GMO alfalfa sprouting seeds in a 125g (4.4oz) bag, sufficient for 5 full jars in the Sprout Jar Kit. Easy difficulty to grow; requires 6-12 hour soak and 5-6 day harvest. Rich in vitamins A, B-complex, C, calcium, potassium, and iron. Priced at $9.00.
• Organic Spring Salad Mix Sprouting Seeds A blend of organic broccoli, radish, red clover, and alfalfa sprouting seeds in a 100g (3.5oz) bag, sufficient for 5 full jars in the Sprout Jar Kit. Easy to grow with a 5-6 day harvest. Combines mild alfalfa/clover flavors with spicy broccoli/radish kick. Priced at $11.00.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sprouts ready in 5 days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Our Trees Our FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor every Forages product purchased, the company plants a tree through Our Trees Our Future initiative. This strategic tree-planting program aims to help alleviate poverty, create long-term sustainability, and promote environmental stewardship in Uganda. This partnership reinforces Forages' sustainability mission and differentiates the brand as environmentally conscious.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Sprouting Company: Sells home sprouting kits and seeds in a similar price range, with comparable positioning around health and home growing. Directly competes with Forages in the consumer sprouting kit category, particularly in North America.
• True Leaf Market: Specialty retailer of sprouting seeds, sprouting jars/trays, and microgreens supplies. Directly comparable in product mix (seed packs + sprouting hardware) and in the same DTC-plus-Amazon channel structure.
• Handy Pantry: Long-standing sprouting supplies specialist selling jar lid kits, trays, and certified organic sprouting seeds. Closely comparable product assortment targeting the same home-sprouting customer.
• Mountain Rose Herbs: Sells organic sprouting seeds and sprouting equipment alongside a broader herbs and botanicals catalog. Comparable as a DTC supplier of organic seeds and sprouting hardware to health-conscious consumers.

Emerging players

• Botanical Interests: Specialty seed company offering organic sprouting and microgreens seeds. Overlaps with Forages on the seed-replenishment side and is expanding into kit-style bundles.

Broad incumbents

• AeroGarden: Established indoor hydroponic growing brand offering countertop garden systems. Comparable as a kitchen-counter growing solution for fresh produce, though at a higher price point and broader category scope.
• Click and Grow: Smart indoor garden company selling automated plant pods and growing units. Comparable target customer (kitchen-counter fresh produce) but with broader, higher-tech systems.
• Rise Gardens: Indoor hydroponic garden systems with seed pods and grow kits. Comparable in enabling home-grown fresh food but at higher price points and capacity for full meals.
• W. Atlee Burpee & Co. Major seed and gardening supply company with broad distribution. Comparable in the seeds category (including sprouting/microgreens) but with a much wider product portfolio and retail footprint.

Others

• Ball (Mason Jars): Iconic mason jar brand whose jars are widely used as low-cost DIY sprouting containers. Indirect competitor — represents the do-it-yourself alternative to Forages' premium kit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/byforages
• Instagraminstagram.com/byforages
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forages

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Forages