Naturally New England

What Naturally New England does

Naturally New England (NNE) is a nonprofit community organization and one of 11 chapters of the Naturally Network, serving CPG (consumer packaged goods) innovators across the six-state New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont). Founded in 2023 and operating with 1-10 employees, NNE provides a community platform for early-stage natural products founders, growth-stage CPG companies, service providers, investors, and retailers through memberships, educational events, pitch competitions, and mentorship programs.

The organization's core offerings include Individual and Corporate Memberships (managed via GlueUp), a Programs & Events calendar of virtual and in-person workshops, the annual Pitch Slam competition (with prize packages exceeding $67,000 in 2026), a six-month Mentorship Program, a Fall Festival with Pioneer Honors awards, and a Network Job Board powered by ForceBrands with ATS sync capability. NNE does not develop proprietary technology; it leverages standard third-party platforms for membership management, website hosting, and job board functionality. The 25-member Board of Directors and Executive Director Kimberly Allardyce lead the organization, supported by Community Manager Ali Elliott.

NNE generates revenue through three streams: recurring membership dues (individual and corporate tiers), one-time event ticket sales (ranging from $10 to $450), and corporate partnership contributions across five tiers (Founding, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Media). The organization benefits from national connectivity through its parent Naturally Network, which reaches nearly 50,000 people and grew 30% year-over-year, providing regional members with pathways to national trade shows (Newtopia Now, Expo West, Summer Fancy Food Show) and competitions. NNE has no external investors and is governed as a member-supported nonprofit under Naturally Network, Inc.

Name

Naturally New England

Legal name

Naturally Network, Inc.

Website

https://naturallyne.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Naturally New England is a nonprofit chapter of the Naturally Network serving CPG innovators across the six-state New England region. It provides memberships, educational events, pitch competitions, mentorship, and a job board to early-stage founders, growth-stage companies, service providers, and investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New England

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual and corporate memberships provide recurring revenue. Individual memberships offer brand showcase opportunities, event discounts, and networking access. Corporate memberships provide multi-user plans with logo recognition and bulk pricing benefits.
2. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from tickets to events including Pitch Slam, Fall Festival, workshops, and educational programming. Ticket prices vary by event type and membership status.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partner organizations contribute financially through various sponsorship tiers (Founding, Gold, Silver, Bronze) in exchange for brand recognition, promotion, and community access within the New England natural products industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Naturally New England is a nonprofit collaborative community that supports natural products and consumer packaged goods (CPG) businesses across the six-state New England region through memberships, educational events, mentorship programs, pitch competitions, and strategic partnerships. The organization sells individual and corporate memberships, tiered corporate partnership sponsorships, and event tickets, and operates a national job board for the natural products industry.

Product overview

Naturally New England is a nonprofit collaborative community organized as a chapter of the Naturally Network, serving CPG innovators across the six-state New England region. The organization operates a unified community platform offering Individual Memberships and Corporate Memberships (with multi-user plans and logo recognition), a Programs & Events calendar spanning virtual workshops, in-person meetups, and leadership dinners, a Naturally Network Job Board (powered by ForceBrands with ATS sync), a NNE Mentorship Program (six-month cohort-based matching), the annual Naturally Rising Pitch Slam competition (with prize packages exceeding $67,000), a Fall Festival (with marketplace showcase and Pioneer Honors awards), and a Corporate Partnership Program with tiered partner recognition. These offerings are coordinated through GlueUp's membership platform and reinforced by an email newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Membership tier providing access to exclusive events at discount pricing, brand showcase opportunities, educational content, industry insights, and networking with CPG professionals within the Naturally New England community.
• Corporate Membership Multi-user membership plan offering bulk pricing for teams, logo recognition on the website, and discounted event access for multiple employees across the Naturally New England community.
• Naturally Network Job Board

Quantifiable outcome

• Naturally Network reached nearly 50,000 people through programs and events, growing 30% year-over-year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, minor and legacy.

• Nutter (Law Firm)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNutter is a Founding Partner of Naturally New England, providing legal expertise and support for the CPG community. The firm participates in the annual Food & Beverage Showcase and offers legal guidance to emerging brands.
• VIP InsightsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIP Insights serves as a Founding Partner, contributing industry insights and expertise to support the growth of natural products businesses in New England.
• Whipstitch CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhipstitch Capital is a Gold Partner and Co-Founder Nick McCoy serves as a judge in Pitch Slam competitions. The investment bank contributes fundraising consultation and capital expertise to the community.
• MBD Design (Marketing By Design)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing By Design serves as a Gold Partner, offering marketing and branding expertise to support member brands and sponsor sustainability-focused programming.
• Wolf & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWolf & Company is a Gold Partner providing professional services and hosting exclusive partner luncheons for the NNE community at their Boston offices.
• KerrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKerry is a Silver Partner and co-presents the annual Taste Charts & Trends webinar, providing flavor and trend insights to the NNE community.
• Rainforest DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRainforest Distribution is a Bronze Partner and hosts the 'Breaking Through' showcase event for emerging food and beverage brands seeking distribution partnerships.
• The Maker GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Maker Group is a Bronze Partner offering CPG executive expertise and hosting workshops on topics like negotiation skills for founders.
• Gold Medal BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Medal Bakery is a Bronze Partner supporting the NNE community as a regional food industry partner.
• BevNetflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBevNet serves as the Media Partner for Naturally New England, providing industry coverage and media exposure for community events and member brands.
• JOH BrokeragelegacyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJOH Brokerage is a Legacy Bronze Partner providing food brokerage expertise and supporting brands in retail expansion and sales growth.
• Fairfield Partners Executive SearchlegacyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFairfield Partners is a Legacy Bronze Partner offering executive search services and hosting hiring workshops for CPG companies.
• Stonyfield OrganiclegacyStrategic or Co-development PartnerStonyfield Organic is a Legacy Bronze Partner representing iconic New England brands and supporting the community as founding members.
• Cedar's Mediterranean FoodslegacyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCedar's Mediterranean Foods is a Legacy Bronze Partner and hosts 'Meet the Maker' facility tours for NNE members.
• Secure CPGlegacyTechnology or IntegrationSecure CPG is a Legacy Bronze Partner providing technology and security solutions for CPG companies.
• Whole Brain ConsultinglegacyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWhole Brain Consulting is a Legacy Bronze Partner offering co-manufacturing guidance and operational expertise for scaling CPG brands.
• ForceBrandscoreTechnology or IntegrationForceBrands powers the Naturally Network Job Board, providing the only national job board focusing on natural and organic product industry roles.
• New Hope (Informa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Hope (Informa) supports Pitch Slam prize packages and connects NNE members to national trade show opportunities including Newtopia Now and Expo West.
• NIQcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIQ sponsors the ConsciousCPG Summit and Pitch Slam prize packages, providing trend analysis data and market insights to the NNE community.
• Specialty Food Association (SFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFA supports member brands through the Summer Fancy Food Show and provides educational resources for specialty food industry professionals.
• Commonwealth KitchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommonwealth Kitchen partners with NNE for 'Meet the Maker' tours and supports emerging food entrepreneurs in the Boston area.
• Hope & MaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHope & Main partners with NNE for educational programming and supports the Santander Cultivate Small Business program for early-stage food entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Foodboro: Online community and media platform for food entrepreneurs. Comparable as a digital-first community serving early-stage CPG founders with content, networking, and brand visibility, though lacking NNE's in-person events.

Direct peers

• Naturally Network: The national parent organization of Naturally New England. Directly comparable as a nonprofit community/membership organization for CPG innovators, operating 11 chapters across the US. Same mission, audience, and programming model.
• Specialty Food Association: Major national trade association for the specialty food industry. Directly comparable member-based organization serving CPG founders, with events (Summer Fancy Food Show), mentorship, and educational resources. Holly Long from NNE's board is also Director of Community Engagement at SFA.
• BevNet: Media and events company for beverage CPG brands. NNE's Media Partner, providing industry coverage and exposure. BevNet runs its own events and content, creating direct overlap with NNE's brand showcase and networking mission.
• Naturally Colorado: Another sister chapter of Naturally Network, serving the Colorado natural products and CPG community. Directly comparable as a regional chapter offering membership, events, and pitch competitions to early-stage CPG brands.
• Naturally Bay Area: Sister chapter of NNE within the Naturally Network, serving CPG founders in the San Francisco Bay Area. Same operational model, mission, and programming; clear direct peer for benchmarking programming effectiveness and membership growth.

Regional players

• Hope & Main: Rhode Island-based food business incubator and NNE partner. Offers co-manufacturing access, mentorship, and educational programming for emerging food brands. Comparable as a regional support organization in NNE's footprint.
• Commonwealth Kitchen: Boston-based food business incubator and NNE partner. Provides kitchen rental, mentorship, and 'Meet the Maker' tours. Comparable as a regional food entrepreneur support organization, though more operationally focused than NNE's community-association model.

Broad incumbents

• FoodBytes! by Rabobank: Global food and ag innovation platform with a pitch competition. Operates similarly to NNE's Pitch Slam but at international scale with corporate sponsors. Comparable as a CPG-startup-to-scale competition and networking platform.
• New Hope Network (Informa): The dominant events and media company for the natural products industry, operating Expo West, Newtopia Now, and the ConsciousCPG Summit. NNE refers Pitch Slam winners to Newtopia Now, signaling direct platform overlap. Significantly larger and more established.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturallyne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Naturally New England