Cash Wise
Cash Wise Foods is a regional grocery chain owned by Coborn's, Inc. operating 13 full-service grocery stores and 8 liquor stores across Minnesota and North Dakota, serving household grocery and corporate business customers through in-store retail, online ordering, Instacart delivery, and a mobile app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1921
- HeadquartersWaite Park, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cash Wise does
Cash Wise Foods is a regional grocery retail brand owned and operated by Coborn's, Inc., a family-owned Midwestern grocery operator whose roots trace to 1921. The company runs 13 full-service grocery stores plus 8 liquor-only locations concentrated in Minnesota and North Dakota, supported by an omnichannel platform comprising a proprietary e-commerce storefront, iOS and Android mobile applications, and same-day home delivery fulfilled through Instacart. In-store departments span produce, meat and seafood, dairy, bakery, deli, prepared foods, sushi, floral, and pharmacy; ancillary services include catering, party trays, custom cakes, and business accounts for corporate customers.
The technology stack combines owned retail infrastructure with third-party integrations: Instacart powers delivery and a portion of curbside pickup fulfillment, FoodStorm underwrites catering and special-occasion online ordering, and the Cash Wise app aggregates shopping, loyalty, weekly ads, and digital coupons. Payment options are intentionally broad, including Venmo, PayPal, Klarna BNPL, FSA/HSA, and EBT SNAP (with item-level eligibility filtering for online orders). The MORE Rewards loyalty program, family-cart sharing (up to four contributors), and a portfolio of private label brands (Four Brothers premium, Simply Done, Full Circle, Tippy Toes, Paws, Wide Awake, Top Care, Food Club) round out the consumer proposition.
The business model is a traditional retail grocery transaction model, supplemented by subscription delivery (Instacart+ $99/yr or $9.99/mo), delivery fees ($7.99 for non-members), and pickup fees waived above $35 orders. Customer segments include individual consumers as the primary base and a secondary business-to-business vertical serving office-grocery needs. Revenue concentration is dispersed across millions of grocery consumers across the 21-store footprint, with selective retail expansion and ongoing digital surface buildout rather than large platform plays.
Cash Wise firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cash Wise
- Legal name
- Cash Wise Foods
- Website
- https://cashwise.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1921
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cash Wise Foods is a regional grocery chain owned by Coborn's, Inc. operating 13 full-service grocery stores and 8 liquor stores across Minnesota and North Dakota, serving household grocery and corporate business customers through in-store retail, online ordering, Instacart delivery, and a mobile app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Cash Wise is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waite Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices23 records
Markets served
Cash Wise business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Grocery Sales: Cash Wise generates primary revenue through retail sales of groceries, produce, meat, seafood, dairy, bakery, deli items, frozen foods, beverages, snacks, and household goods across its physical store locations and online ordering platform.
- Pharmacy Services: In-store pharmacy services providing prescription medications and health-related products.
- Business Account Orders: Corporate grocery supply services with same-day pickup or delivery for business customers, including tax exemption capabilities and team member management.
- Specialty Foods and Catering: Catering services, party trays, sushi trays, special occasion packages, and custom cakes for events.
- Liquor Sales: Separate liquor store operations selling beer, wine, and spirits at select locations with both in-store and online purchasing options.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Delivery |
| Subscription | Monthly | Instacart+ Membership |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Curbside Pickup |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Cash Wise product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cash Wise is a regional grocery retail chain operating physical supermarkets and an e-commerce storefront selling groceries, fresh produce, meat and seafood, dairy, bakery, deli, frozen foods, household items, and pharmacy products across Minnesota and North Dakota. It supplements in-store shopping with online ordering for Instacart-fulfilled home delivery and curbside pickup, supported by a loyalty rewards program, private label brands, catering, and corporate business accounts.
Product overview
Cash Wise is a regional grocery chain operating 23 retail locations across Minnesota and North Dakota, offering a comprehensive omnichannel retail experience centered around its core online grocery delivery and pickup service powered by Instacart. The company operates as part of Coborn's, Inc., a family-owned enterprise established in 1921. The product portfolio includes two separate online storefronts (Cash Wise Foods and Cash Wise Liquor), in-store deli and bakery departments, catering services via FoodStorm for party trays and special occasion packages, the Four Brothers premium private label brand, and the Incredible Value private label umbrella (Simply Done, FoodClub, Tippy Toes, Wide Awake, Paws, Full Circle). Supporting services include pharmacy, business accounts for corporate ordering, SNAP EBT online shopping, gift cards, custom cakes, floral arrangements, and the MORE Rewards loyalty program. The Cash Wise mobile app enables online shopping, in-store mode navigation, and rewards tracking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Four Brothers: Chef-crafted collection of premium products made from fresh ingredients, including Four Brothers Dollar Buns, Four Brothers BBQ, and Four Brothers Fruit Dip.
- MORE Rewards
- Simply Done
- Full Circle
- Food Club
- Top Care
- Tippy Toes
- Paws
- Wide Awake
- Meal Easy
Products and services
- Online Grocery Delivery & Pickup Full-service online grocery ordering platform offering same-day home delivery fulfilled by Instacart and curbside pickup at Cash Wise store locations across Minnesota and North Dakota, with order tracking, substitution options, digital coupons, and Family Carts shared-cart functionality. Targeted at household grocery shoppers in the MN/ND trade area.
- Cash Wise Liquor
- Deli
- Bakery
- Catering & Meals Entertaining
- Party Trays
- Special Occasion Packages
- Four Brothers Private Label
- Incredible Value Private Label Brands
- Pharmacy
- Business Account
- SNAP EBT Online Shopping
- Cash Wise Mobile App
- MORE Rewards Loyalty Program
- Gift Cards
- Custom Cakes
- Floral
- Meal Solutions
- Wellness Services
Companies that use Cash Wise
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cash Wise technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature4 records
Cash Wise partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- InstacartcoreInstacart serves as the delivery fulfillment partner for Cash Wise's online grocery orders. For delivery orders, Instacart personal shoppers pick and deliver orders to customers. The partnership enables same-day delivery service across Cash Wise store locations with integrated ordering through Cash Wise's website and mobile app.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cash Wise competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Trader Joe's: Specialty grocer with a private-label-heavy differentiated assortment, with locations in MN metros. Competes for differentiated, brand-loyal shoppers and on curated assortment — adjacent rather than head-to-head but a relevant share-of-wallet competitor.
- Walmart: Largest US grocer by share with stores across Cash Wise's MN/ND markets. Competes aggressively on price, assortment, and increasingly on pickup/delivery, shaping the price ceiling and customer expectation baseline for regional grocers.
- Kroger: Largest US pure-play grocery chain with industry-leading loyalty (Boost) and private label (Simple Truth, Private Selection) programs. Sets competitive benchmarks for digital, loyalty, and private label strategy.
- Whole Foods Market: Premium natural/organic grocer owned by Amazon, with locations in MN metros. Competes for higher-income household grocery share and on fresh/prepared foods quality — areas where Cash Wise's Four Brothers and bakery compete.
- Target: Mass merchant headquartered in Minneapolis with a substantial grocery and pickup/drive-up business. Competes for share of grocery wallet, particularly in Minnesota metros where Cash Wise operates.
Direct peers
- Lunds & Byerlys: Family-owned upscale Minnesota-based grocery chain operating ~20 stores in the Twin Cities metro. Comparable as a regional Midwest grocer competing for similar household shoppers, with comparable private label and prepared foods emphasis.
- Hy-Vee: Employee-owned Midwest grocery chain operating hundreds of full-service stores across MN, ND, and surrounding states. Directly comparable as a regional supermarket competitor with similar omnichannel, pharmacy, and private label strategies in Cash Wise's core markets.
- Hornbacher's: Sister banner of Cash Wise under Coborn's, Inc., operating full-service grocery stores in North Dakota and Minnesota. Direct comparable in identical trade areas with overlapping assortment, loyalty, and online ordering infrastructure.
- Coborn's: Flagship banner of Cash Wise's parent company Coborn's, Inc., operating grocery stores across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Closest direct comparable — same corporate parent, same markets, similar full-service supermarket format and omnichannel capabilities.
- Aldi: Aggressive discount grocery chain with deep penetration across Minnesota and North Dakota. Direct competitor on price and private label depth, particularly for value-oriented shoppers and Staples/banner overlap markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cash Wise social profiles
Digital presenceCash Wise financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cash Wise leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cash Wise subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Cash Wise funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cash Wise M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cash Wise
What does Cash Wise do?
Cash Wise is a regional grocery retail chain operating physical supermarkets and an e-commerce storefront selling groceries, fresh produce, meat and seafood, dairy, bakery, deli, frozen foods, household items, and pharmacy products across Minnesota and North Dakota. It supplements in-store shopping with online ordering for Instacart-fulfilled home delivery and curbside pickup, supported by a loyalty rewards program, private label brands, catering, and corporate business accounts.
Is Cash Wise a public or private company?
Cash Wise is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Cash Wise founded?
Cash Wise was founded in 1921. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cash Wise based?
Cash Wise is headquartered in Waite Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cash Wise make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Grocery Sales are the primary driver. The others are pharmacy Services, business Account Orders, specialty Foods and Catering and liquor Sales.
Who are Cash Wise's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Trader Joe's, Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods Market and Target. Direct peers are Lunds & Byerlys, Hy-Vee, Hornbacher's, Coborn's and Aldi.
Does Cash Wise have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cash Wise.