Happy Dirt

What Happy Dirt does

Happy Dirt is a Durham, North Carolina-based organic produce grower, packer, and shipper founded in 2004 by Sandi Kronick as Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) and rebranded to its current name in December 2019. The company aggregates harvests from more than 140 partner farms nationwide, sourcing 69% of its produce from North Carolina and 85% from East Coast farms, and distributes 60+ organic commodities annually. Happy Dirt sells primarily to wholesale grocery retailers (with Whole Foods Market named as a customer) and chefs/foodservice operators, with a secondary direct-to-consumer channel through its online market at market.happydirt.com. Distribution is handled via Happy Dirt's own truck fleet in the Southeast region and via LTL/FTL freight shipping across the US and Canada.

The company is farmer-and-staff owned, with 16 farmer-owners and two staff-owners, and farmers serve on the board and help guide business decisions. Happy Dirt's product portfolio spans three sourcing tiers — North Carolina produce, regional East Coast produce, and beyond-regional produce for seasonal gaps — plus a curated assortment of pantry and specialty items from aligned purveyors. The company holds a stack of certifications including USDA Organic, Primus GFS food safety, GAP, Certified B Corporation, and Certified Living Wage Employer. Its core technology is non-proprietary: no software platforms, algorithms, or technical systems are described beyond the online ordering storefront.

Happy Dirt operates a sales-led, enterprise field-sales go-to-market motion targeting wholesale buyers, led by a VP of Sales & Purchasing and a Sales Manager, with sales support, purchasing, and logistics functions layered underneath. Pricing is contact-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with bespoke B2B produce contracts. Under the September 2024 strategic partnership with Lady Moon Farms, Happy Dirt extends its grower-buyer platform by assisting the 2,100+ acre Lady Moon Farms in business development and sales efforts, enabling year-round organic programs across the East Coast.

Name

Happy Dirt

Legal name

Happy Dirt

Website

https://happydirt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Happy Dirt is a Durham, NC-based organic produce distributor that grows, packs, and ships 60+ commodities sourced from 140+ partner farms, selling wholesale to grocery retailers and chefs across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Organic Produce Wholesale (AFAIAJAA), Local / Farm-to-Wholesale Produce Aggregation & Distribution (AFAIACAG), Natural, Organic & Health Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAK)

Keywords

• Organic produce distribution
• Wholesale produce supply
• Farm-to-retail logistics
• Organic vegetable sourcing
• Fresh produce shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Organic Produce Sales: Happy Dirt grows, packs, and ships organic produce to wholesale buyers including retailers and chefs. Revenue is generated through the sale of fresh organic fruits, vegetables, and pantry goods, with 69% of produce sourced from North Carolina and 85% from East Coast farms.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Happy Dirt grows, packs, and ships organic produce to wholesale buyers by aggregating harvests from a network of 140+ partner farms. The company sources 69% of its produce from North Carolina and 85% from East Coast farms, distributing more than 60 different commodities year-round, supplemented by curated pantry and specialty items from aligned purveyors. Distribution reaches grocery retailers, chefs, and foodservice operators via direct field sales, an own-fleet regional truck delivery network in the Southeast, and LTL/FTL freight shipping across the US and Canada, with an online market (market.happydirt.com) serving direct consumers.

Product overview

Happy Dirt is an organic grower, packer, and shipper that operates as a B2B produce distribution platform. The company offers a unified portfolio consisting of: an online ordering platform (Happy Dirt Online Market) for wholesale buyers to purchase organic produce; a core product line spanning three sourcing tiers (North Carolina produce, Regional East Coast produce, and Beyond produce from outside the region); grocery and specialty pantry items from aligned purveyors; and value-added products such as Altar Cross Blueberry Jam. The platform connects hundreds of farmers and customers throughout North America, with 69% of produce sourced from North Carolina and 85% from the East Coast. Happy Dirt previously operated as Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) before rebranding in December 2019.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Sweet Potatoes Multiple varieties of organic sweet potatoes (Covington, Murasaki, Garnet, Bonita, and Hatteras) sourced from Happy Dirt's North Carolina farmer-partners and sold wholesale to grocery retailers and foodservice buyers.
• Organic Blueberries Organic blueberries sourced from North Carolina farm-partners including Altar Cross Farms, available seasonally and sold wholesale to grocery retailers and foodservice operators.
• Organic Muscadine Grapes Organic Triumph and Supreme muscadine grapes sourced from Moccasin Creek Vineyard in North Carolina, sold wholesale to grocery retailers and other buyers.
• Organic Regional East Coast Produce Regional organic produce sourced from farms across the East Coast, including lettuces, herbs, citrus, stone fruit, and specialty peppers, aggregated and sold wholesale to grocery retailers and chefs.
• Organic Produce Beyond Regional Certified organic produce sourced from outside the East Coast region to fill seasonal gaps and meet broader customer demand, including tropical fruits, avocados, and out-of-season items.
• Grocery and Specialty Pantry Items Curated selection of pantry and specialty items from farmers and purveyors with clean ingredients and shared values, including artisan cheeses, condiments, teas, honey, kombucha, and specialty sauces.
• Happy Dirt Online Market (B2B Ordering Platform) B2B wholesale ordering platform accessed at market.happydirt.com for retailers, chefs, and direct consumers to purchase Happy Dirt organic produce and pantry items, featuring weekly availability and featured products.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lady Moon FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2024Happy Dirt and Lady Moon Farms announced a strategic partnership in September 2024. Happy Dirt assists Lady Moon Farms with business development and sales efforts, strategically growing areas of Lady Moon Farms' business that have been under-represented, whether regionally or by store type. Lady Moon Farms, founded in 1988 and operating farms in Chambersburg, PA and Punta Gorda, FL with 2,100+ acres of organic production, is a second-generation family business. The partnership enables Happy Dirt to offer year-round organic programs across the East Coast. Both companies share values around sustainable organic farming and supporting family farmers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/happydirtfoods
• Facebookfacebook.com/happydirtproduce
• Instagraminstagram.com/happydirtproduce/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/happydirtproduce

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Happy Dirt