New Roots

What New Roots does

New Roots is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2009/2010 in Louisville, Kentucky, that operates Fresh Stop Markets, a cooperative economics model delivering bi-weekly shares of local organic produce to food-insecure neighborhoods. Shareholders sign up through a custom iOS/Android mobile application that handles address-based market matching, income- and household-size-based sliding-scale pricing (from $6 to $40 per share), and automatic recurring payments two weeks in advance. Local organic farmers harvest and deliver produce to pop-up markets at churches, community centers, and businesses in fresh-food-insecure neighborhoods, where shareholders pick up 6-9 varieties of seasonal produce; SNAP/EBT is accepted. The pre-committed payment structure eliminates farmer risk and waste while guaranteeing shareholder access regardless of ability to pay, with 77% of Kentucky-era shares going to limited-resource or SNAP households and ~$160,000 per year flowing to local farmers. The organization ended direct Kentucky operations at the end of 2023 after 16 years and has since pivoted to a HUB model, licensing its playbook and mobile app to Sponsoring Organizations (nonprofits, businesses, hospitals) that operate markets in their own communities, with Atlantic City and Phillipsburg, NJ markets launching in 2025 via partnerships with C.R.O.P.S NJ and Norwescap. Revenue is composed of sliding-scale shareholder payments, individual donations, and grants from foundations including Whole Cities Foundation, Brown-Forman Foundation, Gheens Foundation, American Heart Association, USDA Southern SARE, and the NJ Economic Development Authority. The organization runs with a small core staff of three (Executive Director Karyn Moskowitz, Business Manager Amy Edgington, Asset Manager Travis Brown) plus a Board of Directors of up to 15 voting members.

Name

New Roots

Legal name

New Roots, Inc.

Website

https://newroots.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New Roots is a 501c3 nonprofit that operates Fresh Stop Markets, bi-weekly pop-up farm-fresh produce markets serving limited-resource and SNAP-eligible households in food-insecure neighborhoods, using a custom mobile app for sliding-scale subscriptions and pre-paid farmer commitments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Access / Food Justice

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (44523), Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Food Subscription/CSA & Produce Box Retail (CRAHAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Farm-to-Consumer Cooperative Markets (Local Producer Co-ops) (CRAHALAG), Organic Produce & Farm Market Retail (CRAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Community food markets
• Farm fresh produce
• Food justice programs
• Sliding scale shares
• Organic produce delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Shareholder Produce Shares: Shareholders pay for bi-weekly produce shares on a sliding scale ($6-$40). Payment is made two weeks in advance through automatic recurring payments via the mobile app. This provides consistent income for farmers with no risk or waste.
2. Donations: Grassroots donations from individuals and organizations to cover operational costs including staff wages, app maintenance, market development support, and helping new Sponsoring Organization partners
3. Grants and Foundation Funding: Grant funding from organizations including Whole Cities Foundation, Brown-Forman Foundation, Gheens Foundation, American Heart Association, and other donors for market development and operational support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New Roots operates Fresh Stop Markets, a food justice initiative where community-driven, volunteer-run farm-fresh food markets pop up bi-weekly at local churches, community centers, and businesses in fresh food insecure neighborhoods. Shareholders pre-pay on a sliding scale ($6-$40) for shares of 6-9 varieties of seasonal, local, organic produce sourced from regional farmers. Operations are supported by a custom iOS/Android mobile app that handles shareholder registration, income-based pricing, and recurring payments.

Product overview

New Roots operates Fresh Stop Markets as its core initiative—a food justice program where volunteer, community-driven farm-fresh food markets pop up bi-weekly at local churches, community centers, and businesses in fresh food insecure neighborhoods. The program is supported by the New Roots Fresh Stop Market mobile smartphone app, which handles shareholder registration with address-based market matching, income-based sliding scale pricing, automatic recurring payments, and share management. Together, the Fresh Stop Markets and mobile app form a cooperative economics model connecting local organic farmers directly to shareholders who pay in advance for seasonal produce shares.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fresh Stop Markets: Community-driven, farm-fresh food markets that pop up bi-weekly at local churches, community centers and businesses in fresh food insecure neighborhoods. Shareholders commit to pay two weeks ahead of time on a sliding scale for a share of produce.

Products and services

• Fresh Stop Markets Community-driven, volunteer, farm-fresh food markets that pop up bi-weekly at local churches, community centers, and businesses in fresh food insecure neighborhoods. Shareholders pay two weeks in advance on a sliding scale ($6-$40) for a share of 6-9 varieties of seasonal, local, organic produce sourced from partner farmers.
• New Roots Fresh Stop Market Mobile App Custom mobile smartphone application for iOS and Android that guides shareholders to the closest Fresh Stop Market, processes signup with address, determines share pricing based on income and household size via sliding scale, manages automatic recurring payments, and allows skipping shares.

Quantifiable outcome

• 715 families (2145 individuals) accessing fresh produce annually with 77% from limited resources or SNAP
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• C.R.O.P.S NJcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025C.R.O.P.S NJ (Community Rebuilding Ourselves Producing Sustainability) of Atlantic City partnered with New Roots in early February 2025 to launch the first Fresh Stop Market under New Roots' new business model. They host the Atlantic City Fresh Stop Market at 167 S. Tennessee Avenue.
• NorwescapcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Norwescap of Phillipsburg, NJ partnered with New Roots scheduled for June 2025 to operate a Fresh Stop Market. Norwescap is a community action partnership organization.
• Foodshed AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Foodshed Alliance of Hope, NJ is listed as a 2025 Sponsoring Organization partner of New Roots Fresh Stop Markets.
• Rootbound FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwned by Bree Pearsall and Ben Abel in Oldham County, KY. Provides nearly 50% of the produce purchased by Fresh Stop Markets. 35% of their farm's income comes from New Roots. Started in 2010 as tenant farmers on 160 acres.
• Barr FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperated by Adam and Rae Strobel Barr in Rhodelia, KY on land in Adam's family since 1835. Seventh-generation farm producing 40 different varieties of vegetables plus pasture-raised chickens and grass-fed cows.
• Valley Spirit FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBegan in 2015 by Monroe and Fiechter families on 118 acres in Henry County, KY. Grows exceptional produce, mushrooms and pastured meats including black angus cattle and pastured pork.
• Heine Brothers CoffeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLouisville coffee company that partnered with New Roots to help employees access Fresh Stop Market produce and support the market in making fresh food available to neighbors in the Portland Neighborhood.
• GE AppliancesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing support for Fresh Stop Markets.
• Hunts Berry FarmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner65-acre organic blueberry farm in Big Spring, KY owned by Bob and Linda Hunt. Provides blueberries during the six-week Kentucky blueberry season.
• AppleWorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrchard in Trafalgar, Indiana founded in 1989 by Rick and Sarah Brown. Sells fruit directly to Fresh Stop Market shareholders.
• GrassCorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily farm in Perry County, Indiana founded in 2001 by Stan and Martha Steckler. Provides pasture-raised eggs to Fresh Stop Markets.
• Stuckwish Family FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourth-generation family farm in Vallonia, Indiana operated by Vernon, Lonn and Ryan Stuckwish. GAP certified and provides produce.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hungry Harvest: Produce subscription service that rescues surplus and misshapen produce and delivers it on a recurring basis, with a mission to address both food waste and food access. Combines CSA-style subscription with food access mission similar to New Roots.
• The Food Trust: Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on increasing access to affordable, nutritious food through farmers markets, healthy corner stores, and food access programs. Operates at larger scale but addresses the same fresh food insecurity problem through market-based interventions.
• Farm Fresh To You: California-based organic produce subscription box delivering CSA-style shares directly to homes and offices. Comparable subscription mechanics and organic farm sourcing, though commercially rather than mission-oriented.
• Local Roots NYC: NYC-based CSA and produce delivery service offering weekly/bi-weekly farm shares with sliding scale options and focus on local farmer sourcing. Closest direct operational analogue to Fresh Stop Markets.
• Wholesome Wave: National nonprofit that pioneered Double Value SNAP incentive programs and partners with farmers markets and CSAs to increase fresh food access for low-income families. Directly comparable mission and CSA/farmers-market delivery model.
• Corbin Hill Food Project: NYC-based nonprofit running a similar CSA-style produce share program serving low-income communities with sliding scale pricing and pre-committed farmer payments. Operates on a comparable food justice model with share-based subscriptions.

Broad incumbents

• Misfits Market: National subscription produce delivery service focused on "ugly" and surplus produce. Operates at much larger scale than New Roots in produce subscription but is commercial rather than mission-driven and does not use a sliding scale or community market model.
• Imperfect Foods: Subscription-based grocery delivery service specializing in surplus and imperfect produce. Overlaps with New Roots on produce subscription mechanics but at vastly larger commercial scale and without the food access / sliding scale community model.

Emerging players

• Community Farm Alliance: Kentucky-based nonprofit partnering with New Roots on the Kentucky Double Dollars SNAP incentive program. Adjacent player in the same food access ecosystem with overlapping farmer and community networks.

Others

• Whole Cities Foundation: Foundation established by Whole Foods Market that funds nonprofits improving fresh food access. Listed as a New Roots donor and part of the broader funding ecosystem supporting food access nonprofits like New Roots.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NewRootsKY
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewRoots

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 New Roots