CustomVine
CustomVine is a privately operated food and cooking blog (customvine.com) launched in 2013, publishing free recipes, cooking tips, and kitchen product reviews for a global audience of home cooks, monetized primarily through Amazon affiliate links.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersWalnut Creek, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CustomVine does
CustomVine is a privately operated food and cooking content website (customvine.com), launched in 2013 and based in Walnut Creek, California. The site publishes articles covering recipes, cooking techniques, kitchen equipment reviews, beverages (coffee, tea), and adjacent food-and-lifestyle topics, authored by James J. Richards. The content is freely accessible to a global consumer audience, with monetization executed primarily through embedded Amazon affiliate links within product-related articles; an email newsletter subscription captures reader emails for ongoing engagement. There is no commercial product, no SaaS offering, no enterprise customer base, and no disclosed pricing model.
The underlying technology is a standard CMS-driven blog (built on the Jetpage platform per the site footer) with no proprietary software, no API surface, no app, and no disclosed integrations. The content cadence is modest and intermittent, with articles dating into mid-2024. There is no evidence of AI/ML components, data assets, or technical differentiation. Ownership appears to be a single founder-operator structure with no institutional investors, parent company, or disclosed equity partners; one $0 funding event is recorded in 2014.
A material data conflict exists between the firmographic summary (which describes CustomVine as a winery company providing custom wine production and fulfillment for restaurants) and all other primary evidence (the live website, content library, management roster, technology description, and product overview), which consistently describe a consumer food blog. The firmographic description is not supported by any other source and is treated as unreliable; this analysis is grounded in the consistent primary-source evidence.
CustomVine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CustomVine
- Legal name
- CustomVine
- Website
- https://customvine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CustomVine is a privately operated food and cooking blog (customvine.com) launched in 2013, publishing free recipes, cooking tips, and kitchen product reviews for a global audience of home cooks, monetized primarily through Amazon affiliate links.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CustomVine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Walnut Creek
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CustomVine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
CustomVine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CustomVine is a food and cooking content blog that publishes free articles, recipes, cooking techniques, and kitchen product reviews for home cooks and food enthusiasts. It monetizes primarily through affiliate links (e.g., Amazon) embedded in its content rather than selling products or services directly.
Product overview
CustomVine is a food and cooking blog website that publishes articles, recipes, and tips about various food topics including coffee, grilling, cooking techniques, and food comparisons. It operates as a content platform rather than a traditional software product company, with content authored by James J. Richards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CustomVine Food & Cooking Blog A free, publicly accessible blog publishing food and cooking articles including recipes, cooking techniques, beverage guides, kitchen equipment reviews, and food comparisons, aimed at home cooks and food enthusiasts. Content is authored by James J. Richards.
- Email Newsletter (Exclusive Tips) A free email subscription offering exclusive food and cooking tips and content updates to subscribers.
Companies that use CustomVine
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
CustomVine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CustomVine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights2 records
CustomVine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Serious Eats: Long-established food/cooking content site publishing recipes, cooking techniques, and equipment reviews. Directly comparable to CustomVine as a monetized food content property targeting home cooks.
- Simply Recipes: Recipe and cooking-technique content site with affiliate monetization. Closely matches CustomVine's model of free recipes and equipment guidance for home cooks.
- Smitten Kitchen: Solo-operator food blog with recipes, cooking tips, and an email list. Highly comparable structure to CustomVine as a single-author food content site.
- Pinch of Yum: Food blog monetized via affiliate links, sponsored content, and an email subscriber base. Direct analog to CustomVine's SEO/affiliate-driven model.
- Budget Bytes: Solo-built food blog monetized through recipes, affiliate links, and a cookbook extension. Structurally identical to CustomVine, including the founder-built, niche-authority path.
- Sally's Baking Addiction: Solo-authored food blog with recipes, equipment reviews, and affiliate links — same content-and-commerce format CustomVine uses.
- Cookie and Kate: Single-author vegetarian food blog with recipes, cooking tips, and an email list. Comparable in scale, monetization model, and audience to CustomVine.
- Minimalist Baker: Recipe blog with strong SEO positioning, affiliate links, and an email list — directly analogous to CustomVine's publishing and monetization mechanics.
Broad incumbents
- Bon Appétit: Large-scale food media brand covering recipes, cooking techniques, and product reviews. Comparable content categories but with vastly larger scale, professional staff, and brand recognition — sets the competitive ceiling CustomVine faces in search.
- Epicurious: Established food content platform with recipes, equipment reviews, and cooking guides. Operates in the same content verticals as CustomVine but with institutional backing and significantly larger audience reach.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
CustomVine social profiles
Digital presenceCustomVine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CustomVine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CustomVine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CustomVine 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 CustomVine
What does CustomVine do?
CustomVine is a food and cooking content blog that publishes free articles, recipes, cooking techniques, and kitchen product reviews for home cooks and food enthusiasts. It monetizes primarily through affiliate links (e.g., Amazon) embedded in its content rather than selling products or services directly.
Is CustomVine a public or private company?
CustomVine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CustomVine founded?
CustomVine was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CustomVine based?
CustomVine is headquartered in Walnut Creek, United States, in the North America region.
Who are CustomVine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Serious Eats, Simply Recipes, Smitten Kitchen, Pinch of Yum, Budget Bytes, Sally's Baking Addiction, Cookie and Kate and Minimalist Baker. Broad incumbents are Bon Appétit and Epicurious.
Does CustomVine have an API?
No public API is recorded for CustomVine.