Eastie Farm

What Eastie Farm does

Eastie Farm is a grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit urban farming organization headquartered at 6 Chelsea Terrace in East Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 2015 by neighbors who converted an abandoned lot on Sumner Street into a community garden. The organization owns two sites and operates five additional growing spaces across East Boston, anchored by the first geothermal greenhouse in New England, which uses three 455-foot geothermal wells, a gutter rainwater harvesting system, dual energy curtains, and operable roof vents to enable year-round, zero-emission operations on 100% green electricity. Supporting infrastructure includes two shipping container farms (a mushroom farm and a hydroponic farm) and stormwater management features such as rain collection barrels and rain gardens.

Name

Eastie Farm

Legal name

Eastie Farm Inc.

Website

https://eastiefarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eastie Farm is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating urban farms and the first geothermal greenhouse in New England, running CSA subscriptions, paid Climate Corps youth fellowships, food aid distribution, and educational visits for East Boston and Greater Boston residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture and Community Farming Services

NAICS

Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Community supported agriculture
• Food distribution programs
• Youth climate training
• Sustainable urban farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CSA Subscriptions: Community Supported Agriculture subscription program offering full-season (25 weeks) and split shares with tiered pricing from $20/week (Leg Up) to $55/week (Helping Hand). Includes eggs every other week. Revenue is generated through upfront payments or 6-month installment plans.
2. Event and Space Rentals: The geothermal greenhouse is rented for various events including conferences, concerts, and celebrations. Outdoor spaces are also seasonally available for events.
3. Government Grants: Major grants including $1M NSF Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) grant, $539K USDA Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (LFPA), and State of Massachusetts funding for greenhouse construction.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations accepted via website, with larger donation or grant opportunities handled through [email protected]. Platinum-rated nonprofit with strong donor support.
5. Seedling and Product Sales: Annual seedling sale offering herbs, fruiting plants, and flowers. Compost bins sold for $25 to Boston residents. Rain barrels available on sliding scale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Eastie Farm operates a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription program providing weekly shares of fresh, locally-sourced produce to East Boston and Greater Boston residents, supplemented by a paid Climate Corps youth fellowship, free food distribution for food-insecure families, on-site educational visits, annual seedling sales, greenhouse event rentals, and add-on rain barrel and compost bin sales. The organization runs seven growing spaces including the first geothermal greenhouse in New England, a hydroponic container farm, a mushroom container farm, and multiple community garden sites.

Product overview

Eastie Farm is a grassroots urban farming organization operating as a unified set of interconnected community programs rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include: the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Program for weekly produce distribution; Climate Corps Fellowship for youth green job training; Living Lands Program for regenerative farming using shipping container farms, hydroponic systems, and the first geothermal greenhouse in New England; Educational Visits for youth field trips; Produce for the People food aid distribution; and annual Seedling Sales. Supporting offerings include greenhouse facility rentals for events, rain barrel sales, and compost bin sales. The programs are designed to work together synergistically—farming operations support food distribution, education feeds into the youth fellowship, and community engagement across all programs builds resilience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program Subscription-based weekly produce program for East Boston and Greater Boston residents. Offers tiered pricing including Helping Hand ($55/week, 25-week season), Market ($47/week), Leg Up ($20/week discounted), and SNAP/HIP-accepting shares, plus Split Shares (12-13 weeks). Includes eggs every other week and accepts monthly installment payments or upfront payment.
• Climate Corps Fellowship

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ tons of free produce distributed to East Boston residents through LFPA grant (2023)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Boston Food HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Local produce wholesaler supporting Massachusetts farms by increasing visibility and revenue, coordinating deliveries, and providing storage. 75% of LFPA grant farms reached through Boston Food Hub partnership. Essential logistics partner for sourcing from 50+ regional farms.
• Abrantie Farm (Tim Offei-Addo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner4-acre farm in Pepperell, MA owned and operated by Tim Offei-Addo. Grows sustainably-grown carrots, ginger, and sweet potatoes. Produce travels just 56 miles to Eastie Farm. Tim also works for Boston Food Hub and owns a family farm in Ghana.
• Gaining GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMassachusetts farm providing produce through collaboration with Eastie Farm. Free food distributions at 294 Sumner St during 2024 growing season supported by Gaining Ground partnership.
• Boston Area GleanersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGleaning organization bringing produce from local farms to distribute through Eastie Farm's food access programs.
• Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF CIVIC grant partner providing academic expertise for Youth Climate Corps Program focusing on social science research for ecosocial benefit.
• Northeastern Hughes Lab of Marine Biodiversity and ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF CIVIC grant partner providing scientific mentorship for bioscience research on coastal resilience as part of Climate Corps program.
• MIT Urban Risk LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF CIVIC grant partner providing expertise on urban climate risk and resilience planning for Youth Climate Corps educational programming.
• Emerald Tutu ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF CIVIC grant partner. Climate Corps youth build marsh grass mats for coastal resilience in East Boston. Partnership on Boston Harbor Ecosystem Network activities.
• City of Boston Green New Deal DirectorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF CIVIC grant partner providing city-level coordination for green economy transition and Climate Corps program integration.
• City of Boston Office of Workforce DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF CIVIC grant partner supporting green job pathways and workforce development connections for Climate Corps graduates.
• Maverick Landing Community ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner receiving weekly produce deliveries through LFPA grant program serving East Boston residents.
• Victory Gardens Senior LivingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenior living community receiving weekly produce distribution through LFPA grant partnership with Eastie Farm.
• ICA Boston (Institute of Contemporary Art)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOVID response collaboration providing funding for fresh produce and dairy distribution to East Boston families. Generous contribution enabled food distribution partnerships.
• Piers Park Sailing CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOVID response collaboration. Executive Director Alex DeFronzo loaned truck for food distribution transportation. Partner in climate education programming.
• ZumixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Boston nonprofit partner in COVID food distribution effort serving Zumix families with fresh produce.
• Gakon (Greenhouse Manufacturer)coreTechnology or IntegrationDutch greenhouse manufacturer selected for durability, cost efficiency, and energy performance. Features include gutter rainwater harvesting, dual energy curtains, and operable roof vents. Examples include 40+ year installations at WeGrowMicroGreens and Pemberton Farms.
• Mutual Aid EastieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarted as program of Eastie Farm during pandemic, became independent organization incubated and supported financially/administratively by Eastie Farm.
• Movimiento CosechaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-violent national movement fighting for protection, dignity, and respect for undocumented immigrants. Eastie Farm provides financial support recognizing immigrants as essential community members.
• Harbor Arts Boston (Harvest Mural Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEastie Farm supports Harvest Mural Project and mission to bring beautiful art to public spaces.
• Massachusetts Department of Conservation and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelle Isle Marsh site manager Sean Riley provides educational programming at largest natural salt marsh in Boston. Field trips for Climate Nature students to 241-acre reservation.
• La ColaborativaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNortheast CFP grantee connection at USDA food systems conference. Massachusetts-based food security organization.
• Fresh Start FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew England CFP grantee connection at USDA food systems conference representing immigrant farmer network.
• Mashpee Wampanoag TribeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNortheast CFP grantee connection at USDA food systems conference.
• The Food ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm supported through LFPA grant program and listed among 50+ New England farms partnered with Eastie Farm.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gotham Greens: Commercial greenhouse-based urban grower producing leafy greens year-round using controlled-environment tech. Closest for-profit analogue operating advanced greenhouse infrastructure for direct-to-retail/foodservice leafy greens; comparable CEA operating discipline though distributed nationally.
• City Growers: NYC-based nonprofit using rooftop farms for youth education and food access. Directly comparable nonprofit model mixing urban food production, school programming, and community distribution.
• The Food Project: Lynn/Boston-area nonprofit operating urban farms, CSA programs, and youth food justice fellowships. Most direct comparable in size, geography, and mission mix (production + youth workforce + food access) to Eastie Farm.

Broad incumbents

• Plenty: Well-funded vertical farming company pursuing indoor produce production at scale. Represents where well-capitalized CEA competitors are headed and the unit-economics bar Eastie Farm would need to clear if expanding into commercial produce.
• AeroFarms: Established indoor vertical farming operator headquartered in Newark, NJ with large-scale aeroponic facilities. Broad incumbent reference for the indoor-vertical-farming category and how capital-intensive CEA plays evolve at scale.
• Bowery Farming: Large venture-backed indoor vertical farm producing leafy greens for retail. Operates at materially larger scale than Eastie Farm's shipping-container hydroponic units; relevant as a CEA technology and unit economics reference point.

Emerging players

• Square Roots: Brooklyn-based operator of modular shipping-container indoor farms — the same form factor Eastie Farm uses for its mushroom and hydroponic units. Relevant technological and operational analog though organized as a for-profit accelerator-style business.
• Smallhold: Distributed indoor mushroom and microgreens farm network using modular growing units. Closest emerging analog to Eastie Farm's shipping-container mushroom farm plus hydroponic leafy greens configuration.

Others

• Boston Area Gleaners: Regional gleaning organization that already supplies produce to Eastie Farm's food access programs. Thematically aligned but not a direct competitor — an ecosystem partner that defines part of Eastie Farm's food supply chain.

Regional players

• Gaining Ground: Concord, MA nonprofit farm already working with Eastie Farm as a produce source for free food distributions. Comparable New England regenerative-farming nonprofit with similar food-donation mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/eastiefarm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eastie-farm
• Instagraminstagram.com/eastiefarm/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Eastie Farm