Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative

Name

Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative

Legal name

Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative

Website

https://outpost.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural and Organic Grocery Retail

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Co-ops with Online Ordering & Pickup/Delivery (CRAHALAH), Food Co-ops with In-Store Prepared Foods & Deli (CRAHALAF), Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers (CRAHAEAJ)

Keywords

• Natural foods retail
• Organic grocery store
• Consumer cooperative
• Prepared foods cafe
• Bulk foods department

Headquarters

HQ city

Mequon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Grocery Sales: Core revenue from selling natural, organic, and local food products across 4 retail locations including produce, bulk goods, prepared foods, and specialty items.
2. Cafe and Food Service: Fresh prepared foods including juices, smoothies, coffee, soups, sandwiches, and custom cakes from in-store cafe operations at all locations.
3. Co-op Membership Dues: Owner membership fees with Initial Payment option of $30 or Full Fair Share of $200, providing owner benefits and community ownership structure.
4. Catering and Special Orders: Custom cake ordering and special/case orders for events and gatherings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative operates four consumer-owned retail grocery stores in the Milwaukee metropolitan area selling natural, organic, and local food products including produce, bulk goods, packaged groceries, and specialty items. The offering is extended through in-store cafes serving made-from-scratch prepared foods, juices, smoothies, sushi, coffee, and custom cakes, alongside online ordering with curbside pickup and home delivery via an Instacart partnership. The business is owned by 23,000+ member-owners under a cooperative governance model.

Product overview

Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative operates as a consumer-owned grocery retail chain with four store locations in the Milwaukee metropolitan area (Mequon, Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and Bay View). The cooperative offers a unified grocery shopping experience combining retail natural foods retail with integrated services including online ordering with curbside pickup, home delivery via Instacart, cafe and prepared foods service, custom cake ordering, bulk foods, and an extensive digital recipe resource library. The co-op model emphasizes community ownership with over 23,000 active owner-members, and the company supplements its core retail operations with community giving programs and local vendor partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grocery Retail Stores
• Online Ordering with Curbside Pickup E-commerce platform that lets customers shop online and pick up their orders curbside at any of the four Outpost store locations.
• Home Delivery via Instacart Grocery home delivery service for Outpost products fulfilled through the Instacart platform.
• Cafe and Prepared Foods Made-from-scratch prepared foods served at in-store cafes across locations, including fresh juices, smoothies, coffee, daily soups, grab-and-go items, and a full made-to-order menu at the Bay View location, made with organic, local, and seasonal ingredients without artificial additives.
• Custom Cakes Custom cake ordering service offering vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options made without artificial colors, flavors, or trans fats, available for events and special occasions.
• Bulk Foods Department In-store bulk purchasing program offering grains, cereals, soups, and other pantry staples that customers can buy in custom quantities.
• Cooperative Membership / Ownership Owner membership program allowing community members to become co-op owners with an initial payment of $30 or a full fair share of $200, granting loyalty benefits, double loyalty points for members age 62+, and participation in cooperative governance.
• Special Orders and Case Orders Custom ordering service letting customers place special orders for specific products or purchase entire cases of items for events and gatherings.
• Gift Cards Gift card purchasing option redeemable at any Outpost store location.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.6M worth of food donated to Hunger Task Force through Buy A Bag program since 1999
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hunger Task ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive community partners since the late 1990s sharing common goal of ending hunger. Programs include Milk Money (since 2016), Think Outside the Lunchbox summer fundraiser (since 2003), Thanksgiving and Holiday Meal Boxes (since 2008), and Buy A Bag for the Hungry (since 1999). Outpost shoppers have provided over $2.6M worth of food through Buy A Bag program.
• Family Sharing of Ozaukee CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongest standing food pantry in Ozaukee County operating upscale resale shop to fund pantry operations. Outpost Mequon has been collecting food donations since store opened in 2014.
• Food For HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing free medically tailored meals over 12-month program combined with weekly wellness coaching to underserved communities in Milwaukee's Harambee/Bronzeville neighborhoods. Outpost conducted Round Up campaigns in February-March raising $3,390 in 2024.
• NourishMKEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly Friedens Food Pantries. Outpost participant and supporter of annual Empty Bowls fundraiser since 2022. Continues selling handcrafted bowls made by local artists to support four Milwaukee food pantries year-round.
• Kinship Community Food CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in basement of St. Casimir church in Riverwest. Outpost works to help raise funds and organize volunteer activities supporting their food programs.
• Teens Grow GreensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development organization transforming experiences that cultivate belonging, life skills, and connections to leadership opportunities. Community partner supporting teen development through food and gardening.
• InstacartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHome delivery partnership enabling customers to order Outpost products online for delivery to their homes through Instacart platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PCC Community Markets: Seattle-area consumer-owned natural foods cooperative with multiple stores, strong local/organic sourcing, and member governance; mirrors Outpost's cooperative model and natural foods positioning.
• Willy Street Co-op: Madison, Wisconsin-based consumer-owned natural foods cooperative operating multiple retail locations with similar focus on organic, local, and member-owned governance; the closest direct Midwest peer to Outpost.
• Lakewinds Food Co-op: Minnesota-based natural foods cooperative with multiple retail locations, similar local/organic sourcing strategy, member ownership, and prepared foods offerings — directly comparable Midwest co-op.

Others

• National Co+op Grocers: Cooperative wholesale and services organization supporting independent food co-ops across the U.S.; relevant as Outpost's likely procurement and back-office partner rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Trader Joe's: National specialty grocer with curated natural/organic-leaning private label assortment; competes for the same health-conscious, natural-foods shopper as Outpost.
• Sprouts Farmers Market: Specialty natural and organic grocer with hundreds of stores nationwide; competes in the same natural-foods category as Outpost but at significantly larger scale and lower price positioning.
• Whole Foods Market: National natural and organic grocery chain owned by Amazon; competes head-on with Outpost's natural/organic assortment but at vastly greater scale, with stronger digital infrastructure and broader private label.
• Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage: National natural and organic grocery chain emphasizing strict product standards; competes with Outpost's natural/organic positioning across multiple states with deeper capital.

Regional players

• Metcalfe's Market: Wisconsin-based independent natural and specialty grocer with multiple Madison-area stores; competes with Outpost regionally on natural/organic assortment in adjacent Wisconsin markets.

Emerging players

• Good Grocer: Twin Cities-based pay-what-you-can natural foods concept combining retail grocery with food access mission; thematically comparable to Outpost on mission-driven natural foods and community focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/outpostcoop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/outpostnaturalfoods
• Facebookfacebook.com/outpostnaturalfoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/outpostnaturalfoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/outpost-natural-foods-cooperative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative