Sustainable Food Lab

What Sustainable Food Lab does

Sustainable Food Lab (SFL) is a U.S.-based non-profit membership organization founded in 2004 and headquartered in Hartland, Vermont. Its mission is to shift sustainability from a niche concern to a mainstream practice in the food system, working through pre-competitive collaboration across food sectors, value chains, and regions. SFL serves primarily large food and beverage companies (including PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever, Mars, General Mills, KFC, and Keurig Dr Pepper), alongside NGOs, farmer support organizations, and small-scale farmers. It runs named initiatives—Scale Lab, Cool Soil Initiative, Living Income Community of Practice, Trusted Advisor Partnerships, Soil Health Leadership Lab, Crop Diversification in the Corn Belt, and the ICO Coffee Private Public Taskforce—that span regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, living income, and supply-chain sustainability.

Its core technology asset is the Cool Farm Tool, an online calculator for on-farm GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quantity. The tool uses peer-reviewed, scientifically robust models sensitive to farm and field-scale management choices, supports what-if scenario analysis, and offers API and aggregate-data export capabilities. SFL co-founded the Cool Farm Tool and its home, the Cool Farm Alliance, with Unilever and the University of Aberdeen in 2008; the Alliance was spun off as an independent not-for-profit membership organization in 2014 and now has 150+ members, supports 17 languages, and is used in 150 countries. Additional IP includes the Living Income Toolkit (developed with GIZ and ISEAL) and the Lean Research Field Guide.

SFL operates a tiered membership revenue model: $20,000 annually for organizations with revenue at or above $1 billion, $10,000 for organizations with revenue between $200 million and $1 billion, and $5,000 for NGOs, research organizations, and companies with revenue under $200 million. Member benefits include discounted project consulting, strategic advice from SFL staff, access to a global sustainability network, and entry into invite-only programs (Soil Health Leadership Lab, Trusted Advisor Partnerships, Impact Lab). Beyond membership dues, SFL receives project and program funding from foundations (Walton Family Foundation, McKnight Family Foundation, Nature United), government donors (BMZ/GIZ), and corporate co-investment in specific landscape initiatives. Distribution is direct: a small sales-and-advisory team engages enterprise sustainability leaders and NGO executives, supported by thought-leadership content (LinkedIn, newsletter, blog), Leadership Summits, Learning Journeys, and webinars.

Name

Sustainable Food Lab

Legal name

Sustainable Food Lab

Website

https://sustainablefoodlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sustainable Food Lab is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2004 that convenes food and beverage companies, NGOs, and farmers to shift food-system sustainability from niche to mainstream through pre-competitive collaboration, regenerative agriculture initiatives, and tools like the Cool Farm Tool.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Consulting Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Resilient Livelihoods & Climate-Smart Food Security (BPADAJAH), Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG)

Keywords

• Sustainability consulting services
• Pre-competitive collaboration
• Regenerative agriculture programs
• Sustainable supply chain advisory
• Farmer livelihood initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Fees: Sustainable Food Lab is a non-profit organization. Membership is open to companies and organizations committed to pursuing sustainability goals and shared learning. All members contribute an annual membership fee. Member benefits include project consulting at discounted member rates, strategic advice from Food Lab staff, access to global network of professionals and initiatives, and membership in invite-only Food Lab programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sustainable Food Lab is a non-profit membership organization that provides sustainability consulting and pre-competitive collaboration services to food and beverage companies, NGOs, and farmer support organizations. Its core offerings center on four service lines (Pre-Competitive Collaboration, System Leadership, Values-Based Consulting, and Impact Strategy & Measurement) and a portfolio of named initiatives such as the Scale Lab, Cool Soil Initiative, Living Income Community of Practice, Trusted Advisor Partnerships, and Soil Health Leadership Lab. Members pay tiered annual dues and receive consulting, strategic advice, network access, and invitation-only program participation.

Product overview

Sustainable Food Lab operates as a non-profit sustainability consulting organization rather than a software product company. Its offerings consist of consulting services and collaborative initiatives organized around pre-competitive collaboration, system leadership, values-based consulting, and impact strategy & measurement. The portfolio includes named programs/initiatives such as Scale Lab, Cool Soil Initiative, Living Income Community of Practice, Trusted Advisor Partnerships, Soil Health Leadership Lab, and Crop Diversification in the Corn Belt. The organization also supports the Cool Farm Tool, an online calculator for on-farm GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity and water quantity. Membership tiers are available at $20K, $10K, and $5K annually based on organization size.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scale Lab: Examines how companies can contribute to the growth of regenerative agriculture to sustain the fertility and productivity of the land.
• Cool Soil Initiative
• Sustainable Vanilla Initiative
• Living Income Community of Practice
• Trusted Advisor Partnerships
• STEP Up for Ag
• Soil Health Leadership Lab
• Impact Lab

Products and services

• Pre-Competitive Collaboration Building and facilitating collaborations across food sectors, value-chains, and regions to address systemic challenges that no single company or organization can solve alone. Aimed at food and beverage companies, NGOs, and farmer support organizations that want to co-invest in landscape-scale sustainability initiatives.
• System Leadership Designing professional learning opportunities that facilitate open dialogue, build peer networks, and develop innovative thinking among sustainability leaders. Includes Leadership Summits, Learning Journeys, workshops, and peer group calls.
• Values-Based Consulting Partnering with food companies to develop sustainable sourcing strategies, putting sustainability into practice through advisory engagements. Member benefit available at discounted member rates.
• Impact Strategy & Measurement Building data-driven measurement tools and frameworks that guide impact-oriented decisions for food companies and supply chain partners. Aimed at organizations that need to quantify and report on environmental and social outcomes.
• Annual Membership Program Tiered annual membership program ($5K for NGOs/small orgs under $200M, $10K for mid-size $200M-$1B, $20K for $1B+ organizations) providing project consulting at discounted rates, strategic advice, access to global network, and membership in invite-only programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cool Soil Initiative expanded to 1.5 million acres in Australia
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

43 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NestlécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest food companies globally, partnering with Sustainable Food Lab on sustainability initiatives including regenerative agriculture and supply chain programs.
• PepsiCocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal food and beverage company engaged with Sustainable Food Lab on regenerative agriculture investments and supply chain programs. Jim Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo, has discussed the company's regenerative agriculture strategy in SFL publications.
• General MillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor food company with active partnerships on regenerative agriculture and landscape collaborations. Steve Rosenzweig from General Mills is cited in Scale Lab findings on voluntary landscape scale approaches.
• MARScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal confectionery and pet care company that co-founded the Cool Soil Initiative in 2018 with Mars Petcare funding, Kellogg, and Food Agility CRC, Charles Sturt University.
• ISEAL AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational sustainability standards alliance. Kristin Komives, Director of Programmes at ISEAL Alliance, serves as a testimonial provider and the two organizations collaborate on sustainability standards and systems.
• UnilevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal consumer goods company with long-standing involvement in sustainability. Unilever co-founded the Cool Farm Alliance with SFL and University of Aberdeen in 2008. Also involved in living income and regenerative agriculture programs.
• UnilevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of the Cool Farm Alliance in 2008, along with Sustainable Food Lab and University of Aberdeen. The Cool Farm Tool originated from this collaboration and later moved to become an independent organization in 2014.
• Practical Farmers of IowacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa-based farmer organization that is a key partner in the Small Grains in the Corn Belt initiative. SFL works with PFI on crop diversification, farmer capacity building, and data collection. PFI co-hosts learning journeys and provides farmer networks.
• Cool Soil Initiative (CSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormed in 2018 with funding from Mars Petcare, Kellogg, and Food Agility CRC, Charles Sturt University. An initiative of Sustainable Food Lab focused on climate-smart agriculture in Australia, now covering area the size of Belgium.
• Cool Farm AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent not-for-profit membership organization (community interest company) that owns, manages, and improves the Cool Farm Tool. Daniella Malin serves as Head of Impact and Collaboration. SFL staff frequently use the Cool Farm Tool with companies and supply chain partners in various projects.
• Ben & Jerry'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified B Corporation ice cream company that has rolled out innovative living income and climate resilience programs through Sustainable Food Lab. Also supports sustainable sourcing initiatives.
• Stonyfield OrganicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic dairy company engaged in sustainable agriculture programs through SFL's network. Britt Lundgren, Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture, participated in Impact Lab.
• Niman RanchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable ranching company participating in Impact Lab through sustainability professionals and sustainable sourcing programs.
• Keurig Dr PepperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeverage company with sustainability programs. Whitney Kakos, Senior Director of Sustainability, is a testimonial provider for SFL. Colleen Popkin participated in Impact Lab.
• Root CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural financing organization serving smallholder farmers. Listed as a partner organization on the SFL website.
• Rainforest AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational non-profit environmental organization focused on sustainable agriculture certification. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• AB InBevminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal beverage company with regenerative agriculture and supply chain sustainability programs. Katie Hoard, Global Agricultural Development Manager, and Nicholas Mylet participated in Impact Lab.
• Heifer InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational non-profit organization focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational agricultural research organization. Listed as a partner organization on the SFL website.
• International Coffee OrganizationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntergovernmental organization for coffee. SFL facilitates a technical work stream for the ICO Coffee Private Public Taskforce, focused on achieving living income in the coffee sector.
• Global Coffee PlatformminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder platform for sustainable coffee. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• Sustainable Coffee ChallengeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative focused on sustainable coffee production. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• University of AberdeencoreTechnology or IntegrationCo-founded the Cool Farm Alliance with SFL and Unilever in 2008. The Cool Farm Tool was incubated at SFL with expertise from the University.
• North Dakota State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Trusted Advisor Partnership was conceived in 2022 through a collaboration between Sustainable Food Lab, Dr. Abbey Wick, and North Dakota State University.
• Charles Sturt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian university that partnered on the Cool Soil Initiative (CSI), formed in 2018 with funding from Mars Petcare, Kellogg, and Food Agility CRC.
• Vanex (Vanilla Exporters Association of Uganda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of vanilla exporters in Uganda. Listed as a partner organization on the SFL website.
• idh (Sustainable Trade Initiative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization focused on transforming markets for sustainability. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• CRS (Catholic Relief Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational humanitarian organization with agricultural development programs. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• Platform for Agriculture + Climate TransformationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on agricultural climate transformation. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• King Arthur Baking CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialty baking company committed to sustainable sourcing. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• CabotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairy cooperative owned by farm families in New York and New England. Listed as a partner on the SFL website.
• Step Up for AgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEP Up for Ag powers Farmer Support Organizations who deliver measurable, scalable impact. A corporate program providing capacity building to farmer support organizations managed by Sustainable Food Lab.
• Trusted Advisor Partnership Canadian PrairiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil health training accelerator developed with Nature United support, with corporate partners PepsiCo, General Mills, Grupo Bimbo Canada, and newly joined Oatly, Bob's Red Mill, and Grain Millers.
• Living Income Community of PracticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA network and toolkit for companies to help smallholder farms afford a decent standard of living and improve their outcomes. Co-hosted by Sustainable Food Lab with GIZ and ISEAL.
• NescafécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal coffee brand of Nestlé. SFL documented Nescafé's systemic approach in Lampung, Indonesia, demonstrating ecological, economic, and social regeneration through collaborative sustainability work.
• KFCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFast food company. Nira Johri, Chief Sustainability Officer at KFC, has worked closely with Sustainable Food Lab for nearly a decade as a testimonial provider.
• SmithfieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPork producer. SFL has been working with Smithfield, KWS, National Pork Board, and Practical Farmers of Iowa to investigate feeding hybrid rye to hogs as part of regenerative agriculture programs.
• KWSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed company that developed hybrid rye. Partnering with SFL, Smithfield, National Pork Board, and Practical Farmers of Iowa to investigate feeding hybrid rye to hogs in the US.
• National Pork BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry organization that commissioned a literature review on feeding hogs hybrid rye, conducted by University of Illinois, as part of SFL's hybrid rye research program.
• OatlyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish oat milk company. Joined the Canadian Prairies TAP initiative in 2025. Also referenced in US Oats for Oatly case study documenting small grains in the Corn Belt.
• Bob's Red MillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatural foods company. Joined the Canadian Prairies TAP initiative in 2025 as a new partner committed to sustainable sourcing and soil health.
• Grain MillersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrain processing company. Joined Canadian Prairies TAP in 2025, with two of its agronomy team enrolled in the first training cohort. Longstanding commitment to sustainable agriculture in Canada.
• Value Change Initiative (VCI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium convened by VCI that SFL contributed to on project-based and inventory GHG accounting. SFL participated in working group conversations and final product development alongside partners General Mills, Regrow, Indigo, SustainCERT, and Gold Standard.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CERES: CERES is a US sustainability non-profit network of investors, companies, and NGOs. It runs convenings and working groups on supply chain sustainability, climate disclosure, and food systems — the same pre-competitive, member-supported model SFL uses, with overlapping food-industry corporate members.
• ISEAL Alliance: ISEAL is the global membership association for credible sustainability standards and a confirmed SFL partner (co-hosting Living Income Community of Practice). Both organizations occupy the same "standards + convening + capacity-building" niche for sustainability systems, sharing key corporate and NGO members.
• SAI Platform: SAI Platform is the pre-eminent food-and-beverage industry membership organization for sustainable agriculture. SAI Platform and SFL both convene major FMCG companies around sustainable-sourcing standards, regenerative agriculture, and farmer-level measurement — nearly identical business model and target member base.
• Forum for the Future: Forum for the Future is a UK-based non-profit that convenes multi-stakeholder partnerships on sustainability — including major food industry programs. Both organizations monetize a similar "trusted convener + systems change partner" model for large corporations pursuing pre-competitive sustainability work.

Regional players

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: EMF's food and circular-economy work convenes large food brands on regenerative and circular sourcing. While UK-rooted and broader, it competes for food-industry member mindshare and convening budgets in adjacent sustainability discussions.

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund (Food & Agriculture Programs): WWF runs major market-transformation programs (e.g., Markets Institute) that work with the same global food companies on sustainable sourcing and regenerative agriculture. It is much larger and broader than SFL, but competes for the same corporate partnership dollars and convening attention.
• World Resources Institute: WRI is a major global research organization producing widely used frameworks for food, land use, and climate (e.g., GHG Protocol, Coolfood). It is broader than SFL but shapes the same corporate sustainability agenda SFL's members operate within, and supplies measurement standards SFL relies on.
• The Nature Conservancy (Agriculture): TNC operates large-scale row-crop regenerative-agriculture initiatives (e.g., reThink Soil, Soil Health Roadmap) with food companies and farmer support organizations — directly overlapping SFL's US soil-health and climate-smart agriculture programs, with greater capital resources.

Emerging players

• Food Tank: Food Tank is a non-profit focused on food system transformation through research, convening, and storytelling. It overlaps with SFL's food-system thought-leadership function but lacks SFL's deep corporate-program execution capability and measurement tools.
• Soil Health Institute: SHI is a research and convening non-profit dedicated to soil health measurement, standards, and on-farm adoption — directly comparable to SFL's Soil Health Leadership Lab and Cool Farm Tool soil-carbon work. Smaller and more research-focused, it overlaps closely in US row-crop soil-health programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-food-lab
• Facebookfacebook.com/sustainablefoodlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Sustainable Food Lab