What Rise & Root Farm does

Rise & Root Farm is a five-acre cooperative farm located in Chester, Orange County, NY, in the Black Dirt region of the Hudson Valley. Founded in 2015 and operated cooperatively by four women co-owners who are intergenerational, multi-racial, and LGBTQ+, the farm operates as a QT+BIPOC-centered organization focused on food access, food sovereignty, and community agricultural education. Its core offerings span four revenue streams: farm produce sales (including weekly produce deliveries and seasonal seedling distribution to 300 NYC community gardens via GreenThumb), educational programs and workshops for schools and aspiring farmers using sliding scale fees, custom corporate team building experiences (five distinct workshop products), and tax-deductible donations channeled through fiscal sponsor Good Work Institute.

The underlying technology is agroecological and organic farming methods with no proprietary digital or AI components; value creation is rooted in physical cultivation, community organizing, and direct experiential programming. Distribution is geographically concentrated in New York State, bridging NYC food-insecure communities with rural Hudson Valley production through partnerships with organizations such as Mary Mitchell Family & Youth Center, Guild of St. Margaret, Corbin Hill Food Project, The Campaign Against Hunger, New York Restoration Project, and Glynwood's Food Sovereignty Fund. The farm is currently transitioning to a formal worker-owned cooperative structure and operates with approximately four co-owners, supported by a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.

Name

Rise & Root Farm

Legal name

Rise & Root Farm

Website

https://riseandrootfarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rise & Root Farm is a five-acre cooperative farm in Chester, NY, run by four women co-owners, providing produce, agricultural education, corporate team building workshops, and food access partnerships serving QT+BIPOC communities in NYC and Orange County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Agriculture Services

NAICS

Other Crop Farming (1119)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC), Nutrient Stewardship & Soil Fertility Management (4R Nutrients, Compost, Biofertilizers) (AFAGAMAE)

Keywords

• Community-supported agriculture
• Food access partnerships
• Farmer training workshops
• Corporate team building events
• Agricultural education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Farm Produce Sales: Growing and selling produce to communities, including weekly produce deliveries to partner organizations and plant seedling distribution
2. Educational Programs and Workshops: Farmer training workshops for aspiring and beginning farmers, educational visits for schools and groups with sliding scale fees
3. Corporate Team Building Events: Custom corporate team building experiences including tasting tours, bottle time, weeds to tea, harvest and gather, and uncover greatness workshops
4. Donations: Individual and organizational donations through direct giving and fiscal sponsorship via Good Work Institute; supports food access and education work

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rise & Root Farm operates a five-acre QT+BIPOC centered cooperative farm in Chester, NY that sells fresh produce and plant seedlings to food access partners, runs on-farm educational visits and farmer training workshops, hosts corporate team building experiences, and hosts community work days. It is a private for-profit cooperative fiscally sponsored by the Good Work Institute, founded in 2015 by four co-owners.

Product overview

Rise & Root Farm is a QT+BIPOC centered cooperative farm offering a portfolio of immersive agricultural experiences and educational programs. The core offerings include corporate team building workshops (Tasting Tour, Bottle Time, Weeds to Tea, Harvest and Gather, Uncover Greatness), educational visits for schools, farmer training workshops, community work days, and a food access partnership program connecting locally-grown produce to food insecure communities in New York City and Orange County. The farm operates as a five-acre cooperative in Chester, NY, with all programs centered on social justice, food sovereignty, and community empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tasting Tour An immersive farm tour for corporate teams encouraging them to slow down, taste seasonal herbs, edible flowers, tomatoes, and spicy greens, followed by a discussion of the farm's history and social justice roots.
• Bottle Time on the Farm A collaborative workshop led by Michaela Hayes-Hodge teaching participants how to preserve peak season produce through canning and fermentation as tools for food sovereignty.
• Weeds to Tea on the Farm A foraging workshop that reframes relationships with nature by identifying and tasting volunteer plants, accompanied by tea time and farm history discussions.
• Harvest and Gather on the Farm A hands-on harvesting experience where teams participate in crop harvest and share a communal meal, learning about farm history and social justice roots.
• Uncover Greatness at the Farm A composting workshop led by Karen Washington teaching how managed organic waste becomes healthier soil through time-honored organic methods.
• Educational Visits Farm-based educational programming for schools and educational non-profits teaching students about the food system, agricultural history, climate challenges, healthy soil, and ecosystem awareness; offered on a sliding scale.
• Farmer Training Workshops Training workshops for aspiring and beginning farmers covering farming skills, with travel stipends available and communal meals following each event.
• Community Work Days Monthly volunteer opportunities for individuals and families featuring a tour, a task, and a talk where participants tour the farm, work in the soil, and engage in conversation during lunch.
• Food Access Partnership Program Partnerships with hunger-fighting organizations providing produce, seedlings, and distribution to food-insecure communities in New York City and Orange County.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supplies plants for 300 community gardens in NYC through GreenThumb partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mary Mitchell Family & Youth CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in the Bronx, this organization provides healthy food through free food distribution and school food programs. Rise & Root provides produce and youth educational programming.
• Guild of St. MargaretcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides a year-round soup kitchen and grocery store style food pantry near the farm in Orange County. Rise & Root provides spring plant seedlings and weekly produce deliveries during the growing season.
• GreenThumbcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC Parks program that connects urban growers. Rise & Root supplies plants for 300 community gardens across the city, increasing food sovereignty for families and communities.
• Our CorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organization in Newburgh working with Rise & Root through Equity in Conservation youth programming, connecting through food access work.
• Corbin Hill Food ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrings farm-fresh produce direct to NYC through Farm Stand at Central Park in Harlem, connecting BIPOC farms and farmers with the community.
• The Campaign Against HungercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolistic hunger-fighting organization with youth empowerment, nutrition education, and urban farming programs. Works to connect BIPOC farms with food insecure communities.
• New York Restoration ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStewards over 52 gardens and parks in NYC. Rise & Root provides plants to NYRP growers in both spring and fall seasons.
• GlynwoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministers the Food Sovereignty Fund connecting QT+BIPOC farms with communities lacking access to nutritious produce. Long-term partner supporting food access and education programming through various initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Just Food: NYC-based food justice nonprofit where multiple Rise & Root co-owners previously worked; directly comparable mission of connecting rural growers with urban communities through food access work.
• Soul Fire Farm: BIPOC-led farm in upstate New York focused on food sovereignty and training farmers of color; directly comparable to Rise & Root in mission, QT+BIPOC-centered identity, and farmer training programming.
• Corbin Hill Food Project: NYC food access organization partnering with BIPOC farms to deliver produce to Harlem via Farm Stand at Central Park; directly comparable farm-to-community produce distribution model.
• Rock Steady Farm & Flowers: Queer-owned cooperative farm in the Hudson Valley growing organic produce for food access; highly comparable in cooperative structure, LGBTQ+ leadership, and farm-to-community produce distribution.
• Black Urban Growers (BUGs): Network of Black urban growers co-founded by Rise & Root co-owner Karen Washington and others; directly comparable mission of supporting Black farmers and food justice.
• Farm School NYC: Urban agriculture training program in NYC founded by Rise & Root co-owners Jane Hayes-Hodge and Lorrie Clevenger; comparable in farmer training mission and QT+BIPOC focus.

Broad incumbents

• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Larger, well-resourced sustainable agriculture and education center in the Hudson Valley; comparable in farm-based education and food system programming but at significantly greater scale and resources.
• GrowNYC: NYC nonprofit operating urban agriculture, farmers markets, and school gardens; comparable in urban-rural food system work but operates at city-wide scale rather than farm-based focus.
• New York Botanical Gardens: Large NYC institution with urban gardening and food system programming where Karen Washington serves on the board; thematically comparable in urban agriculture and food justice but operates at institutional scale.

Regional players

• Glynwood: Hudson Valley-based food systems organization and Rise & Root partner operating the Food Sovereignty Fund; comparable in regional sustainable agriculture and food access programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/riseandrootfarm

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 Rise & Root Farm