SEE-LA

What SEE-LA does

SEE-LA, doing business as Food Access LA, is a California-based nonprofit organization (founded 1997) that operates a network of 9 weekly certified farmers markets across the Los Angeles area, including locations in Atwater Village, Central Ave, Compton College, Crenshaw, Echo Park, Hollywood, LA River, Watts Willowbrook, and Little Tokyo. The organization's stated mission is to build a more equitable food system for low-to-moderate-income Los Angeles residents while supporting California small- and mid-sized farms and local food businesses. Its core offerings extend beyond physical markets to include the eat! online ordering platform (which aggregates multiple participating farmers and vendors for curbside pickup or home/workplace delivery), nutrition and cooking education programs, urban agriculture and vendor support, and integrated food assistance rails (CalFresh EBT, WIC, and Market Match) that expand the purchasing power of low-income shoppers.

The underlying operational model is a hybrid of physical site management, vendor curation, government benefit processing, and donor-funded program delivery. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed but are inferred to combine vendor stall/booth fees, grant funding, small-dollar monthly donations (starting at $10/month via GiveButter), and program-related contracts. There is no proprietary technology platform beyond the eat! ordering system, and no disclosed APIs, SDKs, patents, or technology integrations.

The organization serves two principal customer segments in a two-sided market: (1) low-to-moderate-income residents of underserved LA neighborhoods seeking affordable access to fresh produce via food assistance programs, and (2) small California farms and local food vendors seeking reliable direct-to-consumer sales channels and support to develop into policy and advocacy leaders. Marketing is conducted through the Food Access LA website, an email newsletter, volunteer programs, and the physical farmers markets themselves as community engagement touchpoints. The organization operates with 11-50 employees and no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership changes in the available source material.

Name

SEE-LA

Legal name

SEE-LA

Website

https://seela.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SEE-LA (Food Access LA) is a Los Angeles nonprofit operating 9 weekly certified farmers markets, an eat! online ordering platform, and nutrition and food-assistance programs that connect low-to-moderate-income residents with California small farms and local vendors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmers Markets and Food Access Services

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (44523), Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRAHAHAE

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food)

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Fresh Food Specialists (Produce, Meat, Seafood)

SECONDARYCRAHAHAG

Fresh Food Subscription/CSA & Produce Box Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Fresh Food Specialists (Produce, Meat, Seafood)

SECONDARYAFAIANAC

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Direct-to-Consumer Food Distribution

SECONDARYCRAHAGAO

Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops)

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Specialty Food Stores (Deli, Cheese, Gourmet, Bakery)

Keywords

• Farmers markets
• Food access programs
• Nutrition education
• Online produce ordering
• Urban agriculture support

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SEE-LA operates a network of nine certified farmers' markets across Los Angeles neighborhoods where third-party farmers and food vendors sell fresh produce directly to consumers. It complements these physical markets with the "eat!" online ordering platform offering curbside pickup and home/workplace delivery, nutrition and cooking education classes, CalFresh EBT / WIC / Market Match benefit acceptance, and an urban agriculture vendor support program.

Product overview

SEE-LA (Sustainable and Equitable Exchange for Los Angeles) operates as a nonprofit organization managing a network of certified farmers' markets across the Los Angeles area. The core offering consists of physical farmers market locations providing direct access to fresh produce from local and California small/mid-sized farms. Supporting this network are digital and program offerings including the 'eat!' online ordering platform enabling curbside pickup and home delivery, nutrition education programs, and food access initiatives (Market Match, CalFresh EBT, WIC) that expand purchasing power for low-income residents. Vendor support and urban agriculture programs help develop small farmers and vendors into policy advocates. Together, these products and programs form an integrated food access ecosystem supporting both community health and regional agricultural sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• eat!: Online ordering platform for curbside pick up at food markets in Los Angeles or delivery to homes or workplaces.

Products and services

• Farmers Markets Network

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GrowNYC: Nonprofit operating a large network of Greenmarkets across New York City, plus nutrition incentive and education programs closely analogous to SEE-LA's farmers' market + food access + nutrition education stack.
• Agricultural Institute of Marin: Operates certified farmers' markets in Marin County and broader Bay Area, with EBT, Market Match, and education programming — directly comparable nonprofit farmers' market operator.
• Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association: Nonprofit that operates dozens of certified farmers' markets across the San Francisco Bay Area with vendor support, EBT acceptance, and Market Match-style nutrition incentive programs — directly comparable mission and operating structure to SEE-LA.
• Ecology Center (Berkeley Farmers' Markets): Nonprofit running four Berkeley farmers' markets plus food access and nutrition education programs — closest 1:1 functional analogue to SEE-LA's farmers' market + incentive + education model.

Emerging players

• Misfits Market: Direct-to-consumer produce box and online grocery subscription service focused on affordable fresh produce; competes with SEE-LA's "eat!" CSA online channel for the same value-conscious LA shopper.
• Farm Fresh To You: California-based CSA/produce box delivery service connecting consumers with local farms via home and workplace delivery — directly comparable delivery model and California small-farm vendor base to SEE-LA's eat! program.

Broad incumbents

• Sprouts Farmers Market: Specialty grocer headquartered in Phoenix with strong Southern California presence focused on fresh, natural, and organic produce — broad incumbent competing for the same health-conscious LA produce shopper SEE-LA's markets serve.
• Farmers Market Coalition: National trade and capacity-building association supporting farmers' market operators across North America, including those running SNAP/EBT and nutrition incentive programs — comparable in program scope at an industry-wide rather than operator level.

Others

• Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF): California nonprofit focused on small and mid-sized family farms with farm-to-school, farmers' market support, and policy advocacy — comparable vendor-support and advocacy mission even though it does not operate retail markets directly.

Regional players

• Los Angeles Food Policy Council: Regional LA-based food systems advocacy and policy organization working on healthy food access and small farm viability; complementary, not a direct market operator, but a key regional ecosystem peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEELAHollywood
• Facebookfacebook.com/SEELAOrg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-economic-enterprises-of-los-angeles

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 SEE-LA