Cash Wise

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.

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Waite Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Pharmacy Services: In-store pharmacy services providing prescription medications and health-related products.
3. Business Account Orders: Corporate grocery supply services with same-day pickup or delivery for business customers, including tax exemption capabilities and team member management.
4. Specialty Foods and Catering: Catering services, party trays, sushi trays, special occasion packages, and custom cakes for events.
5. Liquor Sales: Separate liquor store operations selling beer, wine, and spirits at select locations with both in-store and online purchasing options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• InstacartcoreTechnology or IntegrationInstacart 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

Broad 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/coborns
• Facebookfacebook.com/CashWise
• Instagraminstagram.com/cashwisefoods
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cashwisefoods
• Xx.com/cashwisefoods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Cash Wise