The Nourished Group

What The Nourished Group does

The Nourished Group is a privately held, US-based B2B marketing platform serving the gluten-free and specialty-diet food industry. Founded in 2007 by Jen Cafferty originally as Gluten-Free Cooking Expos and rebranded to its current name in 2019, the company has built a 15-year track record connecting niche food brands with a tightly defined consumer audience through four coordinated service lines: (1) a B2B Gluten-Free Directory connecting manufacturers with co-packers, ingredient suppliers, and service providers, with tiered listings starting at $250; (2) in-person Nourished Festivals held across 8 US cities annually with designated gluten-free, nut-free, plant-based, paleo, and keto zones; (3) Email Marketing Campaigns reaching 250,000+ engaged gluten-free and specialty-diet subscribers; and (4) an Online Nourished Festival virtual event platform launched in September 2020 that emulates the consumer show digitally and reaches 100,000+ attendees.

Underlying the platform is the Showmetry technology stack, which powers the B2B directory and the virtual festival environment with customizable booths, live video, chat, scheduled buyer meetings, and analytics dashboards. The company also operates the Find Me Gluten Free app, integrated through a 2013 partnership under which its founder Jason Elmore joined as CTO; that network now helps 3 million people annually find safe places to eat across 36+ countries. Revenue is generated through directory subscriptions, festival exhibitor and sponsorship fees, and email advertising, with the customer base spanning large CPG exhibitors (Barilla, Bob's Red Mill, HelloFresh, Schär, King Arthur Flour, Banza, Zevia, Daiya Foods, Canyon Bakehouse, Enjoy Life Foods, Lundberg, Kite Hill, Go Raw) and a long tail of SMB specialty-diet brands, totaling 600+ brands served annually.

The company is founder-led (Jen Cafferty as Founder & CEO), operates as a small remote team of approximately 4+ identified key members, has no disclosed institutional funding, no disclosed revenue, no patents, and no AI/ML capabilities in evidence. Its competitive position is grounded in domain specialization, multi-channel audience ownership, and an integrated consumer network rather than scale or capital intensity.

Name

The Nourished Group

Legal name

Nourished Group

Website

https://nourished.group

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Nourished Group is a US-based B2B marketing platform serving gluten-free and specialty-diet food brands through a B2B directory, in-person festivals across 8 US cities, email campaigns to 250,000+ consumers, and a virtual event platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty-diet food marketing services

NAICS

Food (Health) Supplement Retailers (456191)

SIC

Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Functional Packaged Foods (Gluten-Free, Keto, Organic, Medical/Allergen-Friendly) (CRADAAAI)

Keywords

• Gluten-free directory
• Specialty diet marketing
• Food brand festivals
• B2B food directory
• Consumer trade shows

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Directory Listings: Multiple tier directory listings starting at $250 for gluten-free brands to list their company. Includes promotional visibility to thousands of GF brands, customizable listings with images and videos, and direct buyer meeting functionality.
2. Festival Exhibitor Fees: Brands pay to exhibit at Nourished Festivals, both in-person (Illinois, New Jersey) and virtual events. Fees vary by show type and include sponsorship opportunities in designated zones (Kids Zone, Influencer Zone, etc.).
3. Email Marketing Campaigns: Email marketing campaigns reaching 250,000+ gluten-free consumers. Includes newsletter ads and targeted email campaigns tailored to brand budgets and needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Nourished Group operates a multi-channel marketing services platform for the gluten-free and specialty-diet industry, built around four offerings: a B2B Gluten-Free Directory that connects brands with co-packers, ingredient suppliers, and service providers; in-person Nourished Festivals held across US cities; an Online Nourished Festival virtual event platform built on its Showmetry technology; and Email Marketing Campaigns to a 250,000+ subscriber gluten-free consumer list. The company monetizes by selling directory listings (starting at $250), festival exhibitor booths, and targeted email/newsletter ad placements to gluten-free, nut-free, plant-based, paleo, and keto food brands.

Product overview

The Nourished Group operates a multi-service marketing platform for the gluten-free and specialty diet industry, consisting of four core offerings: (1) a B2B Gluten-Free Directory connecting brands with co-packers, ingredient suppliers, and service providers; (2) Nourished Festivals - in-person consumer trade shows across US cities; (3) Email Marketing Campaigns targeting over 250,000 engaged gluten-free consumers; and (4) Online Nourished Festivals - a virtual event platform. The platform is built on their Showmetry technology and also powers the Find Me Gluten Free app, which helps over 3 million people annually find safe dining options in over 36 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• B2B Gluten-Free Directory A specialized B2B directory connecting gluten-free brands with co-packers, ingredient suppliers, and service providers (logistics, packaging, labels, certification programs). Features include multiple listing levels, buyer meetings, chat functionality, and search capabilities; listings are promoted to over 5,000 gluten-free brands.
• Nourished Festivals In-person consumer trade shows and festivals focused on gluten-free and specialty-diet products, held across multiple US cities. Events include designated zones for gluten-free, nut-free, plant-based, paleo, and keto products, with product sampling, direct-to-consumer sales, influencer/blogger zones, and kid-friendly areas.
• Online Nourished Festivals Virtual festival platform reaching over 100,000 attendees that emulates a traditional consumer show online. Features customizable virtual booths with live video, recipe and coupon sharing, product showcases, chat and scheduled calls, a robust analytics dashboard, and gamification to engage attendees.
• Email Marketing Campaigns

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 brands reached annually with marketing services
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Find Me Gluten Free (Jason Elmore)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Jason Elmore, founder of Find Me Gluten Free, partnered with Nourished Group in 2013. Find Me Gluten Free is a celiac-friendly dining app and website that helps people find safe places to eat. Jason now serves as CTO of Nourished Group, bringing technology expertise and the Find Me Gluten Free network which helps 3 million people annually across 36+ countries.
• Conflux Co-LearningminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConflux Co-Learning coordinated COVID-19 response webinars for the Nourished Group team, including sessions on remote selling best practices, SBA and disaster loans, and crisis management strategies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Specialty Food Association: Operates the Fancy Food Shows and serves as the trade body for specialty food manufacturers in the US. Most directly comparable to The Nourished Group's B2B directory and trade show business, though SFA covers broader specialty food categories beyond just gluten-free.
• New Hope Network (Informa Markets): Organizes Natural Products Expo West and Expo East, the largest natural and specialty food trade shows in the US. Directly competes with The Nourished Group's festival offering for the same brand exhibitor and consumer attendee base, with broader natural products coverage.
• Celiac.com: Long-standing gluten-free consumer community and content destination. Competes with The Nourished Group's community-building efforts and offers a content/media alternative for gluten-free brands seeking consumer engagement.

Emerging players

• Beyond Celiac: Nonprofit celiac disease advocacy organization building consumer engagement and research funding. Overlaps with the gluten-free community Nourished Group cultivates, though focused on advocacy rather than brand marketing services.
• Project NOSH: B2B media outlet covering the natural and specialty food industry. Comparable to the directory's B2B networking and news function for natural food brands, though operating primarily as editorial media rather than a directory marketplace.

Broad incumbents

• Thrive Market: Online membership-based retailer specializing in natural, organic, and gluten-free products. Competes for the same specialty-diet consumer wallet and brand relationships, though via direct retail rather than trade show/directory marketing services.
• Whole Foods Market: National specialty/natural food retailer owned by Amazon. Serves as a key distribution channel for many of the same gluten-free brands that partner with The Nourished Group, representing a broader incumbent in the specialty food ecosystem.

Others

• KeHE Distributors: Major specialty food distributor with focus on natural, organic, and gluten-free brands. Comparable ecosystem player serving many of the same CPG brands that exhibit at Nourished Festivals, though through wholesale distribution rather than consumer marketing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Nourished_Group
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6Xu53Jc9PtGqgtcVnEWEQQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/nourishedgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nourishedgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Nourished Group