National Co+op Grocer

Name

National Co+op Grocer

Legal name

National Co-operative Grocers Association (NCG)

Website

https://ncg.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grocery Cooperative Services

NAICS

General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers (424410)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Stakeholder Grocery Cooperatives (CRAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers (CRAHAEAJ), Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops (CRAHALAE)

Keywords

• Cooperative services
• Grocery purchasing cooperative
• Retail food co-ops
• Natural and organic grocery
• Co-op business services

Headquarters

HQ city

Iowa City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Member Dues: Members pay annual dues assessed based on sales volume, calculated as $1,000 plus 0.10% (1/10th of a percentage) of annual sales, capped at $30,000. Start-up co-ops without sales pay $500 in base dues until operating for four full quarters.
2. Equity Investment: Members invest in NCG's equity through purchasing one $500 voting share of common stock plus base equity calculated at 0.10% of the member's annual sales volume (adjusted every three years). When authorized by NCG's Board, surplus from NCG's net earnings each year is allocated to member equity accounts based on their patronage.
3. Purchasing Contracts and Promotional Programs: NCG functions as a purchasing co-op, leveraging collective buying power to secure competitive prices from distributors (UNFI, KeHE) and vendors. Programs include Co+op Deals and Co+op Basics promotional programs offering co-op shoppers discounts on thousands of items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Co+op Grocers (NCG) is a business services cooperative that unifies retail food co-ops across the United States by leveraging collective purchasing power, providing national distribution contracts with UNFI and KeHE, running promotional programs (Co+op Deals, Co+op Basics), delivering financial benchmarking via CoMetrics, and offering development consulting for both established and start-up co-ops. The organization is 100% owned by and accountable to its 169 member co-ops operating 241 storefronts in 40 states.

Product overview

National Co+op Grocers (NCG) operates as a business services cooperative offering a suite of programs and platforms for retail food co-ops. The core offerings include Partner Co+nnection (a vendor portal for managing promotional programs), Grocery.coop (consumer-facing website), Co+op Deals (national promotions program), Core Sets/Co+op Basics (purchasing program), and CoMetrics financial benchmarking services. These work together to unify food co-ops by optimizing operational and marketing resources, strengthening purchasing power, and providing data-driven business intelligence to member co-ops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Partner Co+nnection
• Grocery.coop
• Co+op Deals
• Co+op Basics (Core Sets)
• CoMetrics Financial Benchmarking
• Co+op Forest Carbon Offset Program
• Co+nvergence Annual Conference

Quantifiable outcome

• 6.2% sales growth in 2025 vs 2.9% for average US grocery stores
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, strategic and core.

• Project PotluckminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 November 2025NCG and industry partners raised $191,785 for Project Potluck, a nonprofit organization run by and for People of Color (POC), supporting food security initiatives.
• Project DrawdownstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2017NCG and industry partners raised $143,575 for Project Drawdown, a nonprofit coalition working to identify and scale climate solutions. Funds support research fellowships, school curriculums, and collaboration with the Commonwealth of Nations.
• Climate CollaborativestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 2017NCG joined with Climate Collaborative to announce an awards program for natural products companies demonstrating exemplary leadership on climate change. NCG contributed $100,000 in 2016 to help launch Climate Collaborative and is an underwriter of the awards program.
• UNFI (United Natural Foods Inc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNCG has national purchasing contracts with UNFI that enable member co-ops to access competitive pricing through collective buying power. UNFI is a major food distributor serving grocery stores and pharmacies across the U.S. The contract allows co-ops to share liability for each other's purchases through a self-insurance fund managed by NCG.
• KeHE DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNCG provides purchasing contracts with KeHE as an alternative distribution option for member food co-ops, complementing the UNFI relationship.
• CoMetricscoreTechnology or IntegrationCoMetrics is a technology cooperative and NCG's trusted partner in financial data warehousing and benchmarking. Co-ops must have eight recent fiscal quarters of history in CoMetrics before application submission deadline.
• Food Co-op InitiativestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Co-op Initiative is an independent, non-profit organization that works with community groups across the country to help them organize new retail food cooperatives. NCG refers start-up co-ops to FCI for pre-development support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI): UNFI is NCG's primary national distribution partner and the largest wholesale distributor of natural, organic, and specialty foods in North America. It is directly comparable as a wholesale grocery distribution and purchasing-services provider that serves retail food co-ops, natural product retailers, and conventional grocers with overlapping distribution and promotional services.
• KeHE Distributors: KeHE is NCG's secondary national distribution partner and a major wholesale distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products. Comparable to UNFI and NCG as a wholesale channel partner serving retail food co-ops and natural product retailers with national distribution and category management services.
• Food Co-op Initiative: Food Co-op Initiative is a non-profit organization that works with community groups to organize new retail food cooperatives. Directly comparable to NCG as it focuses on co-op development, startup support, and education—NCG's Development Co+operative refers startup co-ops to FCI for pre-development support.
• Cooperative Grocer Network: Cooperative Grocer Network is the trade publication and peer learning community for retail food co-ops in North America. Directly comparable to NCG as a co-op-focused organization providing education, networking, and resources to retail food co-ops, with overlapping member base.
• CoMetrics: CoMetrics is a technology cooperative and NCG's trusted partner in financial data warehousing and benchmarking for food co-ops. Directly comparable as a cooperative services technology provider serving the same food co-op membership base with financial benchmarking and operational data services.

Broad incumbents

• National Grocers Association (NGA): NGA is the national trade association representing independent retail and wholesale grocers across the US. Comparable to NCG as a membership-based industry organization providing advocacy, networking, and operational support to independent grocers, though it serves a broader conventional and natural retail base.
• International Cooperative Alliance (ICA): ICA is the global non-profit association representing cooperatives worldwide, referenced in NCG's website footer. Comparable as a broader cooperative umbrella organization providing governance principles, advocacy, and international network access for cooperative businesses.
• Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG): AWG is the largest cooperative food wholesaler in the US, owned by regional retail grocery members. Comparable to NCG as a member-owned grocery cooperative providing purchasing, distribution, and operational support to independent retail grocers, though serving a broader conventional retail base.

Emerging players

• SPINS: SPINS is a data and analytics company providing product data, market intelligence, and promotional scorecards for the natural products industry. Comparable to NCG's data and promotional intelligence capabilities through its integration with NCG's Partner Co+nnection portal.
• DotCoop: DotCoop operates the .coop top-level domain and administers the dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence, which NCG has won. Comparable as a cooperative-ecosystem services provider supporting cooperative identity and recognition in the broader cooperative economy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/coop.strongertogether
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncga
• Pinterestpinterest.com/coopgrocery
• Xx.com/strongrtogethr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 National Co+op Grocer