Urban Greens Food Co-op

What Urban Greens Food Co-op does

Urban Greens Food Co-op is a community-owned consumer cooperative operating a single full-service grocery market at 93 Cranston Street in Providence, Rhode Island, since June 2019. The co-op sells fresh produce, bulk goods, deli/prepared foods, and specialty items sourced from local and regional farmers and producers, targeting Rhode Island residents who want community-governed, locally rooted grocery retail. As of 2021 it had grown to more than 2,900 member-owners through two share tiers — a $160 Standard Membership (or $40/year over four years) yielding a 5% monthly discount, and an $80 Food-For-All Membership (or $10/year over eight years) for federal low-income guideline households yielding a 10% discount on all purchases.

The business is governed democratically by member-owners, who elect a board of directors (a 2020 election drew a record 511 owner-votes) and vote on major initiatives. Revenue is generated through three streams: retail grocery sales (physical store plus shop.urbangreens.com e-commerce and curbside pickup), membership share purchases, and specialty pre-order programs including a $35 monthly UG Cheese Share box and weekly Friday dinner pickups. Distribution is anchored by the physical storefront (open 8am–8pm daily) and extended through a CartwheelRI delivery partnership and SNAP/EBT acceptance since July 2019, with complementary services such as a free compost drop-off program run with Groundwork Rhode Island. The co-op is a member of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (60 food co-ops, ~290,000 members, ~$625M in regional revenue) and joined the Rhode Island Worker Cooperative Alliance at its November 2024 launch.

Technology adoption is intentionally limited: no proprietary platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no mobile app — operations rely on commodity e-commerce, payment processing, and Zoom for governance. The company has cycled through three general manager transitions between 2022 and 2026 (Joe Doura, Rob Drake, Scot DeStasio as interim, and Jenny M. Wilson effective January 2026), with the 2025 interim engagement by Columinate consultant Scot DeStasio aimed at financial stabilization, store-condition improvements, and expanded grab-and-go assortment. The company is a private cooperative incorporated in Minnesota with no parent entity and no external institutional capital beyond its original $1M+ pre-opening community raise.

Name

Urban Greens Food Co-op

Legal name

Urban Greens Co-op Market

Website

https://urbangreens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Greens Food Co-op is a community-owned consumer cooperative operating a single full-service grocery market in Providence, Rhode Island since 2019, serving more than 2,900 member-owners and the broader Rhode Island public with locally sourced, sustainable products across retail, e-commerce, and CartwheelRI delivery channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative grocery retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Traditional Grocery Stores (Small-Format/Corner Grocers) (CRAHAAAC)

Keywords

• Community grocery store
• Member-owned cooperative
• Local food market
• Fresh produce retail
• Specialty cheese share

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Grocery Sales: Core revenue from selling groceries, produce, and prepared foods across all categories at standard retail pricing in the physical store and online.
2. Membership Shares: Member-owner shares sold at $160 (standard) or $80 (Food-For-All), with optional installment plans, providing one-time share revenue and ongoing member engagement.
3. Specialty Pre-order Programs: Periodic pre-order programs such as Cheese Share boxes ($35 each), holiday turkeys, fish fry Friday dinners, and catering kitchen offerings, sold through dedicated order forms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Greens operates a member-owned grocery market selling fresh, locally sourced, and sustainably produced food through a single physical storefront in Providence, RI, open daily 8am–8pm. The co-op supplements retail grocery sales with member-owner share programs, specialty pre-order programs (Cheese Share, Friday dinners), SNAP/EBT and WIC acceptance, an online storefront for select purchases, curbside pickup, and a third-party delivery partnership.

Product overview

Urban Greens Food Co-op operates as a community-owned grocery cooperative offering fresh, local, and sustainably-sourced food products. The core offering is the physical retail store at 93 Cranston Street, Providence, serving daily from 8am-8pm since June 2019. The co-op supplements its grocery operations with several member programs: Standard and Food-For-All memberships providing discount benefits and ownership rights; the UG Cheese Share specialty subscription box; weekly Fresh Deals; and Friday dinner pre-orders. Additional services include SNAP/EBT acceptance, a free compost drop-off program, and community workshops. The co-op also maintains an online shopping platform (shop.urbangreens.com) for select purchases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Greens Co-op Market (grocery market) Full-service community-owned grocery market in Providence, RI, offering fresh produce, bulk bins, deli, prepared foods, and locally and sustainably sourced products to Rhode Island shoppers and member-owners.
• Standard Membership
• Food-For-All Membership
• UG Cheese Share
• Friday Dinner Pre-Order

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,900 member-owners served as of 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rhode Island Worker Cooperative Alliance (RIWCA)minorOthers · 22 November 2024Urban Greens joined RIWCA, a coalition of Rhode Island co-ops and supporting organizations, at its launch event. Board member Derek Bowman spoke on behalf of Urban Greens at the launch.
• City of ProvidencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2021Urban Greens partnered with the City of Providence and community organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic to distribute over 21,000 meals to families impacted by the pandemic. The co-op also received PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan support.
• MDS (Mario Antimone, Jr.)minorOthers · 1 January 2021MDS, led by president Mario Antimone, Jr., has been instrumental in helping the Co-op source affordable packaging solutions for several years, saving the store upwards of 75% on single-use paper and plastic products by leveraging relationships with large distributors.
• Groundwork Rhode Island (Harvest Cycle Compost)minorOthers · 1 January 2021Urban Greens partners with Groundwork Rhode Island's Harvest Cycle compost program, offering customers a free compost drop-off service (kitchen scraps only, limited to 3 gallons/week per household) for co-op members and SNAP recipients.
• Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG)minorOthers · 1 January 2021SEG hosted a meeting between co-op board president Philip Trevvett, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and other social impact entrepreneurs, providing a platform for Urban Greens to discuss the impact of co-ops on the local economy.
• CartwheelRI Delivery ServicecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 December 2020Partnership with CartwheelRI to provide grocery delivery services to Urban Greens customers across Rhode Island, enabling online ordering and home delivery of co-op products.
• Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA)coreOthers · 1 January 2019Urban Greens is a member of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA), a regional coalition of 60 food co-ops across New England and New York State representing ~290,000 members and ~$625M in annual revenue. NFCA provides best-practice sharing, advocacy, and co-op community events such as Co-op Month.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hunger Mountain Co-op: Member-owned Vermont food co-op focused on local, organic, and community-driven retail. NFCA member with a comparable single-region footprint and tiered membership model aligned with Urban Greens' cooperative structure.
• Seward Co-op: Minneapolis-based member-owned food co-op operating two stores. Like Urban Greens, Seward is incorporated as a cooperative association and emphasizes local producers, sustainability, and inclusive access programs; a strong operational analog.
• BriarPatch Food Co-op: Grass Valley, California-based food co-op and the most recent prior employer of Urban Greens' former GM Rob Drake. Member-owned grocery with similar focus on local, organic, and sustainable sourcing, making it a directly comparable operational model.
• Co-op Food Stores (Hanover/Lebanon NH): New Hampshire member-owned grocery cooperative operating multiple stores in the Upper Valley region. NFCA-affiliated peer with similar community-owned model, locally sourced products, and democratic governance.
• City Market (Burlington): Vermont-based member-owned food co-op with two locations, an NFCA member, and a deep focus on local sourcing, sustainability, and community impact. Comparable to Urban Greens in governance, mission, and membership-driven retail model.
• GreenStar Food Co+op: Member-owned grocery cooperative serving Ithaca and surrounding communities with multiple stores, locally sourced products, and a tiered membership structure. Directly comparable to Urban Greens as a community-owned food co-op with democratic governance and a local-sourcing emphasis, though larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Whole Foods Market: Amazon-owned specialty grocery chain emphasizing natural, organic, and local products. Overlaps with Urban Greens on product mix and Providence-area customer base, but operates as a for-profit incumbent rather than a member-owned co-op.
• PCC Community Markets: Largest member-owned grocery co-op in the US, operating multiple stores in the Seattle area. Comparable cooperative business model, organic/sustainable sourcing emphasis, and member governance, though substantially larger in scale and footprint.

Regional players

• Eastside Marketplace: Independent neighborhood grocery store in Providence, RI, serving the East Side community with specialty and locally sourced products. Directly competes for Providence grocery basket share with Urban Greens, with similar neighborhood-anchor positioning.

Others

• Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA): Regional association of 60 food co-ops across New England and New York State representing 290,000 members and ~$625M in collective revenue. Urban Greens is a member; NFCA provides peer benchmarks, advocacy, and best-practice sharing that contextualize Urban Greens' operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/urbangreens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-greens-food-co-op

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 Urban Greens Food Co-op