Boston Food Hub

What Boston Food Hub does

Boston Food Hub is a nonprofit wholesale food distribution program operated by Boston Area Gleaners, founded in 2018 and headquartered in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts. It aggregates produce from over 50 local farm partners across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont, and distributes it to institutional buyers (schools, hospitals), wholesale distributors, retail grocery stores, restaurants, and nonprofit partners such as Growing Places. The organization addresses a structural gap in the Massachusetts food system: over 90% of farms in the state generate less than $250,000 in revenue (the USDA small farm threshold), and more than 30% of produce grown on farms is never harvested due to lack of access to wholesale markets.

The core technology is a custom database that provides full soil-to-sale traceability for every transaction, tracked separately from Boston Area Gleaners' donated and gleaned crop inventory. Logistics infrastructure includes a fleet of refrigerated trucks compliant with cold chain food safety standards, equipped with electric power jacks and liftgates. The platform also offers commercial trucking and delivery services to food hub partners throughout Massachusetts. Strategic partnerships with Red Tomato (Eco-Certified fruit sourcing) and Growing Places (lightly-processed, SNAP/HIP-eligible produce) extend product breadth.

The business model is a transaction-based take rate: farmers set the product price paid by customers, and Boston Food Hub charges a service fee for pickup orders plus an additional delivery fee for delivered orders. There is no publicly disclosed pricing. 100% of revenue supports Boston Area Gleaners' food access mission. The firm employs between 11 and 50 people, does not disclose revenue, and has not raised venture or private equity capital.

Name

Boston Food Hub

Legal name

Boston Food Hub

Website

https://bostonfoodhub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Boston Food Hub is a nonprofit wholesale produce distributor, operating as a program of Boston Area Gleaners, that aggregates produce from 50+ New England farms and delivers it to institutions, distributors, retailers, and restaurants in the Greater Boston area on a transaction-fee model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Food Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480), Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Terminal Market / Produce Market Wholesalers (AFAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional Foodservice Distribution (Education, Healthcare, Government) (CRAOABAM)

Keywords

• Wholesale produce distribution
• Farm-to-institution supply
• Cold chain logistics
• Local food aggregation
• Nonprofit food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Acton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Produce Distribution Service Fees: Boston Food Hub serves as a nonprofit food distributor connecting Massachusetts local farms with wholesale buyers. The farmer sets the product price, which is what the customer is charged. Boston Food Hub charges a service fee to customers who pick up at their location and an additional delivery fee for orders that are delivered. 100% of revenue earned by the Food Hub supports Boston Area Gleaners' food access efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Boston Food Hub is a nonprofit wholesale produce distributor that aggregates farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, and other produce from 50+ Massachusetts and New England farms and distributes them to institutional buyers, wholesalers, distributors, retail stores, and restaurants in the Greater Boston area. The farmer sets the product price; Boston Food Hub charges a service fee for customer pickup and an additional delivery fee for delivered orders, with all revenue directed to Boston Area Gleaners' food access efforts.

Product overview

Boston Food Hub is a nonprofit food distribution service operated by Boston Area Gleaners. The core offering is a wholesale distribution service that connects Massachusetts local farms with reliable wholesale buyers through an aggregation and distribution network. The service includes a custom database tracking system for full traceability, commercial trucking with refrigerated vehicles, and delivery services. Pricing consists of farmer-set product prices plus service and delivery fees. All revenue supports Boston Area Gleaners' food access efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boston Food Hub Wholesale Distribution Service A nonprofit food distribution service that aggregates fresh produce from 50+ local Massachusetts and New England farms and sells it at farmer-set prices plus a service/delivery fee to institutional buyers, wholesalers, distributors, retail stores, and restaurants in the Greater Boston area.
• Commercial Refrigerated Trucking Services Contract refrigerated transportation services for food hub partners across Massachusetts using trucks equipped with electric power jacks and liftgates for ground loading and unloading, maintaining cold chain compliance throughout distribution.
• Produce Delivery Service Order fulfillment and delivery service for wholesale buyers, charging an additional delivery fee beyond the standard service fee for orders delivered to customer locations instead of picked up.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of farms in Massachusetts generate less than $250,000 (USDA definition for small farm)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Boston Area GleanerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston Food Hub is a program of Boston Area Gleaners, a nonprofit focused on farm viability, sustainability, and food access. Boston Food Hub leverages the Gleaners' existing infrastructure—including distribution networks, partnerships, cold storage, and collective knowledge of the food sector—to efficiently cultivate connections in the local food economy. 100% of Boston Food Hub's revenue supports Boston Area Gleaners' food access efforts.
• Red TomatocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston Food Hub works with Red Tomato to source Eco-Certified fruit from a network of growers across New England. Through this partnership, BFH sources peaches, apples, and pears from farms including Lyman Orchards, Rogers Orchards, Clark Brothers Orchards, Cooper Farms, and Blue Hills Orchard.
• Growing PlacescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrowing Places is a regional nonprofit serving North Central MA dedicated to strengthening the local food system. They prioritize purchasing produce from underserved small farms at fair prices and lightly process it to keep it SNAP and HIP eligible. Boston Food Hub partners with Growing Places to source lightly-processed, locally-grown fruits and vegetables for institutional customers.
• 50+ Farm PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoston Food Hub partners with over 50 local farms across Massachusetts and New England including Abrantie Farm, Allandale Farm, Applefield Farm, Appleton Farms, Atlas Farm, Autumn Hills Orchard, Bardwell Farm, Barnwood Valley Farms, Barrett's Mill Farm, Blue Hills Orchard, Bolton Orchards, Clark Brothers Orchard, Cooper Farms, Cucurbit Farm, Four Rex Farm, Fresh Meadows Farm, Giant Gorilla Greens, Hillcrest Farms, Joe Czajkowski Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Kitchen Garden Farm, Langwater Farm, Lyman Orchards, Mycoterra Farm, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Pell Family Farm, Plainville Farm, Ricker Hill Orchards, Rogers Orchards, Saltbox Farm, Scott Farm Orchard, Silverwood Organic Farm, Small Farm, Stonefield Farm, Tangerini's Farm, The Food Project, Twin Oaks Farm, Upswing Farm, Verrill Farm, Ward's Berry Farm, Warner Farm, Wellspring Harvest, Westward Orchards, Whitemarz Farm, Winter Moon Roots, and Ziomek Farm.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Keany Produce: Mid-Atlantic specialty produce distributor serving restaurants and institutions; comparable produce wholesale model and institutional customer base, but regional Mid-Atlantic vs. New England.

Direct peers

• GrowNYC: NYC-based nonprofit running wholesale farmers market and food access programs including farm-to-institution distribution; comparable mission and regional produce aggregation/distribution.
• Baldor Specialty Foods: For-profit specialty produce and food distributor serving restaurants and institutions across the Northeast; comparable in product mix (fresh produce, specialty grocery) and institutional customer base, but commercial scale.
• Red Tomato: Northeast-based nonprofit produce distributor sourcing Eco-Certified fruit from regional growers; comparable in geography, supply model, and mission-driven wholesale produce distribution.
• Local Food Hub (Virginia): Regional nonprofit food hub aggregating local farms for wholesale distribution to institutions. Directly mirrors Boston Food Hub's farm-aggregation, mission-driven distribution model, just in the Virginia/Mid-Atlantic region.
• Intervale Center (Vermont Food Hub): Nonprofit Vermont-based food hub aggregating local farms for distribution; same regional food hub model as Boston Food Hub, with similar institutional buyer focus.
• The Common Market (Mid-Atlantic): Nonprofit regional food hub distributor connecting mid-Atlantic farms to institutions; highly comparable in aggregating small farms for institutional/wholesale buyers with a mission-driven model.
• Coastal Sunbelt Produce: Mid-Atlantic/US produce distributor serving restaurants, schools, and institutions; closely comparable in product category (fresh produce) and institutional foodservice customer mix.

Broad incumbents

• US Foods: Major broadline foodservice distributor supplying restaurants and institutions including produce; the type of scaled incumbent whose institutional contracts BFH must win on local sourcing.
• Sysco Corporation: Largest US broadline foodservice distributor serving institutions (schools, hospitals); represents the incumbent scale competitor Boston Food Hub competes against for institutional produce contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bostonfoodhub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Boston Food Hub