Seattle Urban Farm Company

What Seattle Urban Farm Company does

Seattle Urban Farm Company (SUFCo) is a Seattle-based, privately held garden products company founded in 2007 by Colin McCrate. The company designs, manufactures, and sells garden trellises and complementary supplies, anchored by the proprietary Freyr Trellis, a powder-coated aluminum trellis designed for vertical and horizontal string trellising that supports up to six tomato plants or multiple crop types simultaneously. Companion SKUs include jute twine, hemp twine, compostable cotton garden netting, and a recently added line of Garden Gnome-themed apparel. The company also publishes gardening books ('Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard,' 'Grow More Food,' and 'High-Yield Vegetable Gardening') and produces the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast, which has aired 123+ episodes hosted by co-owner Hilary Dahl.

SUFCo operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model through its owned shop at shop.seattleurbanfarmco.com, with nationwide shipping, and supplements this with a wholesale channel for retailers and nurseries and Amazon distribution for books. The customer base is primarily individual home gardeners, with secondary segments in restaurants/food service (e.g., Parfait, Ravishing Radish — both historical service clients) and multi-family residential customers. Marketing is content-led, relying on the podcast, blog, Instagram, YouTube, and an email newsletter to build authority and drive product demand.

In March 2025, the company spun off its garden services division (vegetable garden coaching and edible garden maintenance) to Operations Manager Morgan Gerstenberger, who now operates it as Seattle Kitchen Gardens. As a result, SUFCo is now a focused garden products and tools business, while retaining a cross-referral partnership with Seattle Kitchen Gardens. The company has 11-50 employees, no external funding rounds, and is led by founders Colin McCrate and Hilary Dahl with co-founder Brad Halm also referenced in management data.

Name

Seattle Urban Farm Company

Legal name

Seattle Urban Farm Company

Website

https://seattleurbanfarmco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Seattle Urban Farm Company designs and sells the powder-coated aluminum Freyr Trellis plus compostable garden supplies, apparel, and gardening books via direct-to-consumer e-commerce to home gardeners and small commercial buyers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Garden Products and Supplies

NAICS

Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers (4442)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Lawn & Garden Equipment Retail (Mowers, Trimmers, Blowers) (CRAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Garden trellises
• Garden supplies
• Vegetable gardening
• Garden tools
• Edible gardening

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct sales of garden products including the Freyr trellis, garden netting, hemp twine, jute twine, and other gardening supplies through their online storefront at shop.seattleurbanfarmco.com. Products are shipped directly to consumers.
2. Book Sales: Sale of gardening books authored by Colin McCrate: 'Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard' (Mountaineers Books, 2012), 'Grow More Food' (Storey Publishing, 2022), and 'High-Yield Vegetable Gardening'. Books are sold through their website, Amazon, fine booksellers, and plant nurseries.
3. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale accounts for retailers interested in carrying Seattle Urban Farm Company products. Contact for wholesale is through [email protected].
4. Garden Services (Discontinued): Garden services including vegetable garden coaching and edible garden maintenance were previously offered but transitioned to Seattle Kitchen Gardens in March 2025. Colin and Hilary now focus exclusively on garden products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Seattle Urban Farm Company designs, manufactures, and sells durable garden products direct-to-consumers, with the Freyr powder-coated aluminum trellis as its flagship offering. The product line also includes compostable natural-fiber garden supplies (jute twine, hemp garden twine, cotton garden support netting), two published gardening books, and garden-themed apparel, all distributed through the company's online storefront and selective wholesale channels.

Product overview

Seattle Urban Farm Company (SUFCo) is a garden products company offering a focused portfolio centered around the Freyr Trellis system and complementary garden supplies. The core product line includes the Freyr Trellis (powder-coated aluminum garden trellis for vertical growing), natural fiber support materials (jute twine, hemp twine), and compostable cotton garden netting. The company also publishes two books on vegetable gardening and produces the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast. As of 2022, the company shifted focus to garden products only, with garden services (maintenance and coaching) now operated by Seattle Kitchen Gardens. The business serves both residential home gardeners and commercial clients in the Seattle area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freyr Trellis A powder-coated aluminum garden trellis designed to support fruiting crops and flowers via vertical and horizontal string trellising. Supports up to six tomato plants or multiple crop types simultaneously and is built for long-term durability with compostable hemp or jute string options.
• Jute Twine Natural jute twine compatible with the compostable Freyr trellis string system, allowing all plant debris to be composted at season end with no single-use plastic.
• Hemp Garden Twine (150m spool) A 150 meter (1,000 ft) spool of hemp twine designed for garden support and composting applications, compatible with the Freyr trellis system.
• Compostable Cotton Garden Netting Cotton garden support netting available in two sizes for vertical and horizontal plant support, fully compostable at end of season.
• Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard (Book) Beginner-friendly guide to vegetable gardening authored by founder Colin McCrate; published by Mountaineers Books. Sold via the company website, Amazon, fine booksellers, and plant nurseries.
• Grow More Food: A Vegetable Gardener's Guide to The Biggest Harvest Possible (Book) Advanced vegetable gardening guide by Colin McCrate focused on maximizing garden yields; published by Storey Publishing. Sold via the company website, Amazon, fine booksellers, and nurseries.
• Garden Gnome Apparel Garden-themed sweatshirts and t-shirts featuring garden gnome designs (Grey, Sand, Light Blue Carrot variants), sold through the company's online shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports up to 6 tomato plants per trellis
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Seattle Kitchen GardenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025As of March 2025, Seattle Kitchen Gardens (operated by former Operations Manager Morgan Gerstenberger) took over management of SUFCo's garden services programs (vegetable garden coaching and edible garden maintenance). Colin and Hilary now focus exclusively on garden products and tools. Lead gardeners Liz and Shiloh continue working with Seattle Kitchen Gardens, ensuring service continuity for existing clients. The companies maintain a close relationship with cross-referrals and shared expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hoss Tools: DTC specialist retailer of wheel hoes and quality garden tools aimed at serious home gardeners. Comparable in focusing on durable, professional-grade gardening products sold direct to engaged home growers.
• Lee Valley Tools: Long-established direct-to-consumer and catalog retailer of woodworking and gardening tools, with a strong emphasis on durable, design-forward products. Shares the high-quality-DTC garden tools positioning.
• Botanical Interests: DTC seed and gardening supply brand focused on home gardeners, with strong content and educational positioning on each seed packet. Comparable educational-product overlap and DTC channel.
• Johnny's Selected Seeds: Employee-owned direct-to-consumer retailer of seeds, tools, and gardening supplies serving serious home gardeners and small farmers. Comparable DTC garden supplies catalog and customer segment.
• Gardener's Supply Company: Employee-owned direct-to-consumer garden products retailer offering a broad assortment of tools, trellises, raised beds, and growing supplies online. Highly comparable in DTC model, channel mix, and target customer base to SUFCo.
• Bootstrap Farmer: Direct-to-consumer garden supply brand best known for fabric raised beds and row covers, selling online to small-scale growers and homesteaders. Comparable niche-DTC positioning with curated garden product line.

Emerging players

• Epic Gardening: Content-first gardening brand built around a podcast, blog, and product lines for home growers. Closely comparable go-to-market motion to SUFCo's Encyclopedia Botanica podcast + product flywheel.

Broad incumbents

• Fiskars: Global housewares and garden tools brand with a broad portfolio spanning pruners, shovels, and cutting tools. Overlaps with SUFCo on durable garden hand tools and accessories via retail and e-commerce.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SeattleUrbanFarmCo?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagraminstagram.com/seattleurbanfarmco
• Xx.com/seattleurbnfarm
• Facebookfacebook.com/192125131613
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/6436709

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Seattle Urban Farm Company