Open Harvest Co-op

What Open Harvest Co-op does

Open Harvest Cooperative is a member-owned grocery store founded in 1975 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a single physical retail storefront in the Telegraph District (330 S 21st St, Suite 104), open daily from 8 AM to 9 PM following a February 2024 relocation that cost approximately $4.2M and came in under budget. The co-op sells groceries, produce, deli and prepared foods, bakery, and seafood, with 63%+ of total sales sourced from local or organic products and $1.3M+ in local product sales annually. It is supported by 70+ local vendors within 200 miles or Nebraska and ancillary services including curbside pickup (3 days/week, $5 service fee), catering (5-day advance order), gift cards, and a deli with daily soups.

The business model rests on a cooperative ownership structure in which owner-members pay $25/year in equity to receive voting rights, board election participation, and tiered discounts (additional 10% off Co+op Deals, 15% case quantity discount, owner-only coupons). The co-op added 600+ new owners around the 2024 store opening. Beyond consumer retail, it operates a business account program supplying case quantities to local restaurants and caterers at a 15% discount, and a Community Cooperation Program that extends owner discounts to partner Lincoln businesses. Governance is executed by a 9-member elected Board of Directors; Amy Tabor serves as General Manager. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed — operational tooling consists of Stripe (payments), Mailchimp (newsletters), SurveyMonkey (annual survey), and Paylocity (HR), with no AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or mobile app in evidence.

Name

Open Harvest Co-op

Legal name

Open Harvest Cooperative

Website

https://openharvest.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Harvest Co-op is a member-owned cooperative grocery store in Lincoln, Nebraska, founded in 1975, selling local and organic groceries, deli, and prepared foods through a single retail storefront serving health-conscious local shoppers, owner-members, and small food-service businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grocery Retail

NAICS

Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Food and Beverage Retailers (445)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers (CRAHAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB), Farm-to-Consumer Cooperative Markets (Local Producer Co-ops) (CRAHALAG)

Keywords

• Cooperative grocery store
• Organic food retail
• Local produce sales
• Community-owned grocery
• Natural foods market

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Grocery Sales: The primary revenue stream is retail sales of groceries, produce, deli items, and prepared foods to shoppers at the physical store location. The co-op emphasizes local and organic products, with over 63% of total sales being local or organic products. Local product sales exceeded $1.3M.
2. Co-op Owner Equity Memberships: Owner-members pay an annual equity investment of $25 per year. This provides voting rights, governance participation, and owner benefits including additional discounts. The co-op had 600+ new owners join in the last fiscal year around the new store opening.
3. Catering & Special Orders: The deli offers catering services for meetings, gatherings, and events. Orders must be placed 5 days in advance. Catering generates additional revenue from prepared food orders, distinct from in-store retail sales.
4. Curbside Pickup Service Fee: A $5 service fee is charged on all curbside pickup orders. Curbside pickup is available three days per week (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays). This is a processing/fulfillment fee on top of the cost of groceries ordered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Open Harvest Co-op Grocery is a member-owned cooperative grocery store in Lincoln, Nebraska that sells local and organic food products, including grocery, produce, deli, prepared foods, and bakery items. The store operates a single physical retail location in the Telegraph District (relocated February 7, 2024) and supplements in-store retail with curbside pickup, catering pre-orders, gift cards, and a $25/year owner-membership program that grants voting rights and discounts. Over 63% of total sales come from local or organic products sourced from 70+ Nebraska vendors within 200 miles.

Product overview

Open Harvest Co-op Grocery operates as a single-location cooperative grocery store in Lincoln, Nebraska, founded in 1975. The business offers a unified grocery retail operation centered on local and organic products (63% of sales), supported by several integrated services: in-store grocery retail, curbside pick-up ordering, catering services, deli and prepared foods including daily soups, a cooperative ownership membership program, gift cards, case order discounts, a community cooperation program with local business partners, and a local vendor marketplace featuring over 60 Nebraska producers. The company relocated to a new Telegraph District location in February 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grocery Retail Full-service grocery retail assortment of conventional and specialty food products (produce, dairy, meat, eggs, baked goods, beverages, pantry staples) with 63%+ of total sales from local or organic products sourced from 70+ Nebraska vendors within 200 miles. Sold to walk-in shoppers at the single Lincoln, NE storefront open daily 8 AM – 9 PM.
• Curbside Pickup Online order and curbside pickup service allowing customers to submit a shopping list via an online request form and pick up groceries 3x/week (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, 12 PM – 6 PM). A $5 flat service fee is added per order; credit card and gift card payment only.
• Catering Deli catering service for meetings, gatherings, and events. Orders are placed online (or via printable PDF menu) and require 5-day advance notice; confirmation is sent by email by the Deli Team, and pickup is scheduled at the store.
• Deli and Prepared Foods In-store deli department selling daily rotating soups (e.g., Mulligatawny, White Chicken Chili, Chicken Noodle, Tomato & Garden Vegetable, Quinoa Sweet Potato Chili, Loaded Baked Potato, Tomato Basil) and a Grab N Go prepared-foods selection for walk-in customers.
• Co-op Ownership Program Annual owner-equity membership at $25/year that grants voting rights to elect the 9-member Board of Directors plus owner benefits: an additional 10% off Co+op Deals, exclusive owner-only coupons, 15% case quantity discount, and owner appreciation days.
• Gift Cards Open Harvest gift cards redeemable for in-store grocery purchases, available for purchase in any dollar amount with a mail delivery option for out-of-town purchasers.
• Business Accounts Formal business account program for local restaurants, caterers, and food-service businesses to order case quantities of products at a 15% discount. Requires a separate business account application; invoiced on delivery with Net 14 or Net 30 payment terms.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.3M+ in local products sold, representing 63%+ of total sales
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Co+op Grocers (NCG)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOpen Harvest participates in the Co+op Deals program, a national cooperative grocery program run by National Co+op Grocers. This partnership provides access to nationally negotiated deals and savings programs that are passed on to co-op customers, enhancing competitive pricing against conventional grocery chains.
• Lone Tree FoodsminorOthersLone Tree Foods is a local food distributor based in Lincoln, NE that connects local producers with retail outlets. They are listed as a vendor/supplier relationship and also referenced as a resource in the local vendor onboarding guide. Lone Tree Foods facilitates the distribution of local farm products to the co-op.
• Local Vendor Network (70+ vendors)coreOthersOver 70 local vendors and producers within 200 miles or Nebraska supply the co-op with products including produce, meat, dairy, eggs, baked goods, beverages, and artisan goods. Vendors must meet co-op product standards including organic, non-GMO, sustainable, and local sourcing criteria. Vendors complete an application process and must provide liability insurance.
• Certified Naturally Grown (CNG)minorOthersCertified Naturally Grown is a third-party certification organization for small-scale farmers using organic practices. The co-op gives preference to Certified Naturally Grown produce and references CNG as an alternative to USDA Organic certification for smaller local farms. Listed as a resource for vendors in the local vendor guide.
• Non-GMO ProjectminorOthersReferenced as a third-party certification option for vendors seeking to verify non-GMO status. The co-op uses the Non-GMO Project Verified standard as one criterion for evaluating products, alongside USDA Organic certification.
• Cooperative Community Fund (OHCCF)minorOthersOpen Harvest Cooperative Community Fund is an endowment established by Open Harvest in 2007 to aid in developing new cooperatives throughout the nation and support local nonprofits. Funded through contributions from Open Harvest, matches by other co-ops, and donations from shippers through the SEED program. Represents the co-op's outward cooperative development mission.
• Rural Food Business Toolkit / Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA)minorOthersThe co-op references the Center for Rural Affairs' Rural Food Business Toolkit as a resource for potential local vendors and producers. CFRA supports rural food entrepreneurs in developing their businesses, which aligns with the co-op's mission to support local producers.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seward Co-op: Minneapolis-based community-owned natural foods co-op operating two stores. Comparable in cooperative structure, organic/local product mix, and member-ownership-driven customer engagement model.
• Lakewinds Food Co-op: Chanhassen, Minnesota member-owned co-op with multiple locations. Comparable natural-organic grocery assortment, owner-member benefits program, and community-giving focus.
• Willy Street Co-op: Madison, Wisconsin member-owned co-op with multiple stores. Directly comparable cooperative business model, organic/local focus, and community-ownership positioning, with a larger scale that provides a useful growth benchmark.
• New Pioneer Co-op: Iowa City-based community-owned natural foods cooperative with two stores. Closely comparable in ownership model, product mix, vendor relationships, and customer base to Open Harvest, and one of the most operationally similar co-op grocers in the Midwest.
• Wheatsfield Co-op: Ames, Iowa natural foods co-op with a single retail store serving a college town. Highly comparable to Open Harvest in scale, format, local-organic emphasis, and member-ownership model.
• Bloomingfoods Co-op Market: Bloomington, Indiana community-owned natural foods cooperative. Comparable in member-ownership structure, local-organic sourcing emphasis, and single-region operating footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Whole Foods Market: Amazon-owned national natural and organic grocery chain. Comparable organic/specialty positioning with vastly greater scale, supply chain, and e-commerce capabilities; sets the broader competitive bar for natural-organic retail in the U.S.
• Natural Grocers: Public specialty natural and organic grocery chain (NYSE: NGVC) operating across the U.S. Comparable in natural-organic product focus but with chain scale, formal pricing, and standardized assortment that contrasts with the co-op's community-owned model.

Regional players

• Hy-Vee: Employee-owned Midwestern grocery chain with a strong presence in Nebraska. Competes for the same Lincoln grocery customers and has been rapidly expanding its organic and locally-sourced product assortment, directly challenging Open Harvest's differentiation.

Others

• National Co+op Grocers (NCG): National cooperative services organization serving as Open Harvest's GTM and buying partner through the Co+op Deals program. Not a direct competitor but an essential industry infrastructure partner that defines Open Harvest's competitive positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/openharvest
• Facebookfacebook.com/OpenHarvest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-harvest-co-op-grocery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Open Harvest Co-op