Good Food Business Accelerator

What Good Food Business Accelerator does

Good Food Catalyst (legal name of Good Food Business Accelerator) is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that has been building local food systems in the Midwest for more than two decades. In 2025 it unified two legacy programs—Good Food Accelerator, a membership-based accelerator for food-focused businesses, and Good Food is Good Medicine, a nutrition education program for individuals and families—under a single brand led by CEO Shelby Parchman. The organization serves a diverse set of stakeholders in the regional food economy, including farmers, food producers, food-business entrepreneurs, trade buyers, investors, and community members, with programming centered on mentorship, peer community, business education, and nutrition access.

The product portfolio includes the Good Food Accelerator membership program (educational resources, mentorship, peer community), the Good Food is Good Medicine nutrition education program, the Live Holistic Grocery Store Tour pilot (a community-based program offering healthy grocery planning plus a $50 participant gift card, run in partnership with The Firehouse Community Arts Center and Nutrient Innovation), and a Farmer Training program. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or digital platform architecture is disclosed; delivery is community-led and event-driven rather than technology-mediated.

The business model is a hybrid of membership subscription revenue (recurring dues from food-business members), donations (PayPal donate button on the website), and likely grants or event-based fundraising (the 2025 Good Food Gathering Fundraiser). Marketing runs through email newsletters, organic social (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), website content, and community events. With 1–10 employees and a regional Midwest footprint, the organization is a small, mission-driven nonprofit whose growth is constrained by lean resourcing rather than technology leverage.

Name

Good Food Business Accelerator

Legal name

Good Food Catalyst

Website

https://goodfoodaccelerator.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Good Food Catalyst is a Chicago-based nonprofit that runs a membership-based food business accelerator and a nutrition education program for community members, serving farmers, food entrepreneurs, and families in the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Systems & Nutrition Education

akta.pro primary industry

Food Entrepreneurship (Food Trucks/Small Business) (EDAOAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG)

Keywords

• Food business accelerator
• Nutrition education programs
• Local food systems
• Farmer training services
• Community food initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Program: Good Food Accelerator is a membership-based program providing food-focused businesses with educational resources and access to a community of mentors, peers, and business leaders.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Good Food Catalyst operates a portfolio of food-system programs, including the Good Food Accelerator (a membership-based accelerator offering educational resources, mentorship, and peer community for food-focused businesses), Good Food is Good Medicine (a nutrition education program for individuals and families), the Live Holistic Grocery Store Tour (community healthy-eating education with gift card incentives), and Farmer Training. The organization serves food entrepreneurs, farmers, community members, and trade buyers in the Chicago region.

Product overview

Good Food Catalyst is a unified organization offering a portfolio of programs focused on building sustainable food systems. The core offerings include Good Food Accelerator (a membership-based program providing educational resources and mentorship for food-focused businesses) and Good Food is Good Medicine (a nutrition education program for individuals and families). Additional programs include the Live Holistic Grocery Store Tour (health education with practical application) and Farmer Training. All programs work together to advance the mission of putting good food on every table through advocacy, education, and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Food is Good Medicine: A nutrition education program dedicated to improving the health of individuals and families by providing access to information, shared experiences, and locally-sourced food.
• Good Food Accelerator

Products and services

• Good Food Accelerator A membership-based program providing food-focused businesses with educational resources, mentorship, and access to a community of peers and business leaders, designed to help food entrepreneurs launch or scale their operations.
• Good Food is Good Medicine A nutrition education program dedicated to improving the health of individuals and families by providing access to information, shared experiences, and locally-sourced food.
• Live Holistic Grocery Store Tour A community education program that teaches participants healthy grocery planning and provides a $50 gift card to translate knowledge into action, delivered in partnership with The Firehouse Community Arts Center and Nutrient Innovation.
• Farmer Training A training program for farmers operated as part of the Good Food Catalyst ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% Overall Satisfaction, 100% Program Recommendation, and 100% Shopping Confidence reported by Holistic Grocery Store Tour participants

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Firehouse Community Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Firehouse Community Arts Center to launch the Live Holistic Grocery Store Tour program, helping make healthy eating more accessible to the community. The partnership combines nutrition education with community arts engagement.
• Nutrient InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Nutrient Innovation on the Live Holistic Grocery Store Tour program. The partnership provides participants with healthy grocery planning education and practical application through gift cards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chobani Food Incubator: Corporate-led food business incubator supporting emerging food brands through mentorship, programming, and capital. Comparable as an accelerator-style offering for food entrepreneurs, though backed by a large corporate sponsor rather than operating as an independent nonprofit.
• Sustainable Food Center: Nonprofit that builds healthier local food systems through farmer support, farmer training, and community nutrition education. Directly comparable mission and program mix (farmer training plus community food access), though operating in Austin/Texas.
• FamilyFarmed: Chicago-based nonprofit originally founded in 2000 to build local and sustainable food systems through farmer training, food business support, and the Good Food movement. Directly related organization whose mission, history, and program portfolio overlap heavily with Good Food Catalyst; the About Us link on goodfoodcatalyst.org points to familyfarmed.org/mission, indicating an operational or lineage relationship.
• Food Hatch: Food startup accelerator that provides mentorship, resources, and programming for early-stage food entrepreneurs. Directly comparable as a food-business accelerator serving a similar founder persona with a community- and education-led model.
• Food-X (SOSV): Accelerator program operated by SOSV focused on early-stage food startups, providing mentorship, capital, and programming. Comparable as a food-business accelerator serving similar early-stage founders.
• Wholesome Wave Foundation: Nonprofit focused on improving access to affordable, healthy, local food through nutrition incentive programs and partnerships with farmers. Comparable as a community-nutrition and food-access nonprofit with similar stakeholder mix of producers and consumers.
• Accel Foods (now Naturally Austin): Community of natural products and CPG food entrepreneurs offering accelerator programming, mentorship, and networking. Comparable in providing accelerator-style support and community for food entrepreneurs.

Regional players

• Local Food Hub: Virginia-based nonprofit that connects local farmers with consumers, institutions, and markets through aggregation and distribution programs. Comparable in supporting farmers and local food systems, but serves a different region than the Midwest focus.
• Fair Food Philadelphia: Regional nonprofit advocating for a more equitable and sustainable food system through farmer support and community programs. Comparable mission and program approach, but operates in a different regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Good Food Institute (GFI): National nonprofit working on alternative proteins and a more sustainable, equitable food system through entrepreneurial support, policy, and science. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit operating in the broader 'good food' space and supporting food entrepreneurs, but at significantly larger national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GoodFoodCatalyst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/good-food-accelerator
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodfoodcatalyst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Good Food Business Accelerator