Alemany Farm

What Alemany Farm does

Friends of Alemany Farm (FOAF) operates Alemany Farm, a 3.5-acre organic urban farm in southeast San Francisco and the largest agricultural site in the city. The organization, founded in 2005 and fiscally sponsored by Earth Island Institute, runs a portfolio of community programs on public land stewarded in partnership with the SF Recreation & Parks Department. Its core activities include free produce distribution (35,500 pounds distributed in 2025), the paid AGUA apprenticeship program for individuals historically underrepresented in urban agriculture, unpaid urban-agriculture and food-security internships, donation-based workshops, and school field trips. All produce is distributed at no cost to the community through multiple channels including the Free Farm Stand, the Alemany Apartments Food Pantry, community harvesters, and farm volunteers.

The underlying technology is conventional organic horticulture: composting, irrigation management, integrated pest management, greenhouse propagation, fruit tree care, and habitat restoration for native plants and pollinators. The organization has no proprietary technology, no app, and no API integrations. It is supported by a core staff of four (Farm Director, two Farm Managers, Farm Assistant) plus seasonal apprentices and interns, and a volunteer advisory board.

The business model is purely philanthropic: Alemany Farm is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that generates no commercial revenue. It is sustained through individual donations (one-time and recurring), grants from city programs (e.g., SFRPD Urban Ag Program) and partner organizations (e.g., 280 Project, Patagonia Provisions), and an extensive volunteer labor force that logged over 14,000 hours in 2025. Its go-to-market is community-led: word-of-mouth, volunteer workdays, partner referrals, and earned media (NYT, SF Chronicle, 7x7). Customer segments are not commercial buyers but rather food-insecure residents, apprentices, students, and corporate volunteer groups receiving free goods and services.

Name

Alemany Farm

Legal name

Friends of Alemany Farm

Website

https://alemanyfarm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of Alemany Farm operates a 3.5-acre organic urban farm in San Francisco, distributing free produce to food-insecure residents, running paid apprenticeships for underrepresented communities, and offering volunteer workdays and educational workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112), Other Crop Farming (1119)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Herb Farming (Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Mint, Dill) (AFAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens) (AFAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Community farming
• Food security programs
• Volunteer workdays
• Agricultural education

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the farm's operations, programs, and food distribution. Donations can be made online or by check payable to Earth Island Institute (fiscal sponsor) with FOAF in memo.
2. Recurring Donations: Monthly recurring donations providing year-round sustainable support for farm operations.
3. Grant Funding: Support through partnerships with programs like 280 Project, Free Farm Stand, Alemany Medicinal Herb Garden, SF Beekeepers Association, Bayview Pop Up Resource Village, and SFRPD Urban Ag Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alemany Farm operates a 3.5-acre organic urban farm in southeast San Francisco, growing and distributing over 35,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables annually at no cost to the community. The farm delivers hands-on educational programs including a paid apprenticeship for historically underrepresented communities, unpaid internships, donation-based workshops, school field trips, and community volunteer workdays.

Product overview

Alemany Farm is a 3.5-acre organic urban farm in southeast San Francisco operated by Friends of Alemany Farm, focused on food security, environmental education, and community empowerment. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including the Alemany Grows Urban Agroecology (AGUA) paid apprenticeship, unpaid Urban Agriculture and Food Security internships, community volunteer workdays, donation-based educational workshops, farm tours, and free produce distribution through the Free Farm Stand. All food grown is given away for free to neighbors, volunteers, and community groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Agriculture Internship Unpaid internship program where participants work alongside farm managers learning organic farming production including greenhouse work, irrigation, bed preparation, soil fertility management, weeding, pest control, harvest, and fruit tree care. Interns also help lead volunteer days.
• Food Security Internship Joint internship with Alemany Farm and the Free Farm Stand. Interns harvest produce at the farm on Fridays and support food distribution at Parque Niños Unidos in the Mission District on Sundays, learning about crop growth patterns, post-harvest handling, community outreach, and food distribution.
• Community Volunteer Workdays Regular volunteer sessions held on Monday and Saturday afternoons (1-5pm) where community members participate in farm tasks including weeding, planting, bed preparation, fruit tree work, compost making, mulching, and harvesting. Participants take home free produce.
• Educational Workshops Donation-based workshops on topics including urban beekeeping, California native plants, organic gardening, soil health, pickling, beekeeping, fungi, and medicinal plants. Workshops are accessible with no one turned away for lack of funds.
• Farm Tours and School Field Trips Guided farm tours and educational visits for school groups, corporate groups, and organizations providing hands-on learning experiences about urban agriculture, food systems, and ecological practices.
• Alemany Grows Urban Agroecology (AGUA) Apprenticeship Paid apprenticeship program for San Franciscans 18+ focused on those historically underrepresented in urban agriculture. Six to twelve month program teaching all aspects of food production and community engagement at Alemany Farm, paying living wage above city minimum wage.
• Free Produce Distribution Distribution of 100% free fresh produce to approximately 100 households weekly through the Free Farm Stand, 75 households at Alemany Apartments Food Pantry, 110 community harvesters, and 55 farm volunteers. Growing and distributing over 35,000 pounds annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,500 pounds of fresh produce grown and distributed for free in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SF Recreation & Parks DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic lands partner that oversees the land where Alemany Farm operates. Provides support for stewardship of the 3.5 acre farm site and the SFRPD Urban Ag Program.
• The Free Farm StandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll-volunteer run project that shares the wealth of urban farms and gardens by distributing free produce at Parque Niños Unidos in the Mission District. Joint Food Security Internship program.
• Bernal Heights Neighborhood CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organization that co-sponsors events and collaborates on community programs.
• San Francisco Beekeepers AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides beekeeping instruction and education at the farm. Co-sponsors events and participates in Harvest Festival.
• Urban SproutsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational organization that brings youth programs to the farm. Event partner for Harvest Festival.
• PODER/Hummingbird FarmmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization focused on environmental justice. Listed as a friend and partner.
• The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (UCSC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research and educational resources in sustainable agriculture.
• 280 ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots resilience program that receives produce and collaborates on local food security initiatives.
• Alemany Resident Management CorpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Earth Day Celebration. Represents the Alemany Apartments community.
• Bridge HousingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing nonprofit that co-sponsors farm events including Earth Day Celebration.
• Patagonia ProvisionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable food company that is an event partner for farm celebrations.
• Tree Frog TreksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental education organization that participates in farm events.
• Feed the People CollectivemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity food organization listed as a friend and partner.
• Alemany Head StartmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly childhood education program serving the Alemany community.
• RAMS Career Connections ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development program serving youth in the community.
• Sprouts Cooking ClubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooking education program for youth that partners with the farm.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brooklyn Grange: Operates the world's largest rooftop soil farms in NYC, combining commercial urban agriculture with education, volunteer programs, and community events; comparable urban farm nonprofit/social enterprise model in a dense US city.
• Urban Adamah: Berkeley-based Jewish urban farm that integrates organic agriculture, educational programming, and community engagement including paid fellowships; similar in scale and mission as a working organic farm with structured learning programs.
• Growing Power (Milwaukee): Iconic urban agriculture organization known for youth workforce training, community food systems, and intensive production on small urban footprints; comparable in combining food security, education, and job training.
• Soil Born Farms: Sacramento-area urban farm and education center offering organic farming, youth job training, and food access programs; closely mirrors Alemany's combination of organic production, paid apprenticeships, and free produce distribution.
• Jones Valley Teaching Farm: Birmingham, AL-based urban farm providing K-12 food education, apprenticeships, and community food access; directly comparable K-12 field trip and apprenticeship model in a different US city.
• Free Farm Stand: All-volunteer SF project distributing free produce in the Mission District through a direct partnership with Alemany Farm; operates a parallel hyperlocal free-distribution model.

Emerging players

• Green City Force: NYC-based nonprofit running paid young-adult service corps programs in urban agriculture and sustainability; comparable in operating paid apprenticeship-style programs for underrepresented youth in urban farming.
• Urban Sprouts: SF-based youth-focused urban agriculture and food justice education nonprofit that partners with schools and is listed as a partner of Alemany; comparable education-first model in the same city.

Broad incumbents

• The Food Trust: Large-scale Philadelphia-based food access organization that operates farmers' markets, school food programs, and urban farm initiatives; broader incumbent in the same food-security/urban-ag space.

Others

• Earth Island Institute: Alemany Farm's fiscal sponsor and parent nonprofit, supporting 75+ projects in environmental and social justice; not a direct peer but a critical infrastructure/ecosystem partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/alemany_farm
• Xx.com/AlemanyFarm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-alemany-farm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Alemany Farm