Bionutrient Food Association

What Bionutrient Food Association does

Bionutrient Food Association (BFA) is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 2010 by Dan Kittredge to advance food quality measured as nutrient density. Its core offering is the Bionutrient Meter, a handheld, consumer-priced spectrometer that uses Near Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Fluorescence, and Raman Spectroscopy to generate relative nutritional scores for food, crops, and soil at the point of purchase; complementary products include a Brix Kit (refractometer-based quality testing), an Electro-Conductivity Meter for soil health, and pre-packed biological amendment Garden Kits. Scientific work is conducted through the Bionutrient Institute (established 2021, replacing the Real Food Campaign), which operates labs in Ann Arbor MI, Chico CA, Boston MA, and France, and has built an open-access dataset of 3,662+ samples across 21 crops and 18–19 metrics per crop.\n\nBFA monetizes through four membership tiers (Seeder $55/year, Planter $233/year, Regenerator $1,008/year, Sustainer $10,000/year) that confer a 20% store discount and access to courses, webinars, and chapter events, alongside direct product sales, the Principles of Biological Systems course (originally a 2-day program, now an 8-part online series), registration and sponsorship fees from the annual Soil & Nutrition Conference (750+ attendees from 46 countries as of 2021), and tax-deductible donations. The organization also runs 25 local chapters and a citizen science program and partners with Our-Sci LLC, California State University Chico, Utah State University, Eco-sens (France), Rodale Institute, and brands such as Applegate and General Mills on research and conference sponsorships. The customer base spans growers and farmers (commercial and home), health-conscious consumers, food purveyors, and donor-members; the majority of revenue is small-ticket, and no venture or institutional capital is disclosed.

Name

Bionutrient Food Association

Legal name

Bionutrient Food Association

Website

https://bionutrient.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bionutrient Food Association is a 2010 nonprofit membership organization that develops spectroscopy-based tools, an open nutrient-density dataset, and grower/consumer education programs. It serves farmers, consumers, and food purveyors via the Bionutrient Meter, Brix Kits, courses, and 25 community chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Education & Testing

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned) (AFALADAH), Training & Competency Programs (HACCP, PCQI, GMP) (AFALADAK)

Keywords

• Nutrient density measurement
• Biological farming education
• Agricultural spectroscopy tools
• Soil health testing
• Food quality analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Barre

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership tiers providing access to 20% store discounts, conference registration discounts, online courses, chapter network, and webinars. Four tiers: Seeder ($55/year), Planter ($233/year), Regenerator ($1,008/year), Sustainer ($10,000/year).
2. Product Sales: Sale of testing tools and biological amendments including Brix Kit ($180 non-members, $144 members), Garden Kit ($75-125), Electro-Conductivity Meters, and refractometers. Products curated by Dan Kittredge.
3. Educational Courses: Revenue from Principles of Biological Systems 2-day course and certificate programs. Course covers biological farming principles, soil health, crop management, and nutrient dense food production.
4. Conference Registration: Annual Soil & Nutrition Conference with in-person and virtual attendance. Registration fees and sponsorships from partner organizations.
5. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from supporters supporting research, meter development, and organizational mission to increase quality in the food supply.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

BFA is a nonprofit membership organization that sells nutrient density testing tools (Bionutrient Meter handheld spectrometer, Brix Kits, Electro-Conductivity Meters, BFA Garden Kits), delivers educational programs (Principles of Biological Systems course, annual Soil & Nutrition Conference), and conducts scientific research on food quality variation through the Bionutrient Institute. The organization operates research laboratories in Massachusetts, Michigan, California, and France, and supports 25 local chapters across the US and internationally. A tiered membership program underpins the ecosystem, connecting growers, consumers, and food purveyors focused on nutrient-dense food production.

Product overview

Bionutrient Food Association is a membership organization offering a portfolio of interconnected tools and programs for measuring and improving food quality. The core offering centers on the Bionutrient Meter, a handheld spectrometer that measures nutrient density in food using spectroscopy. Complementary products include the Brix Kit (refractometer-based quality testing), Electro-Conductivity Meter (soil health measurement), and BFA Garden Kit (biological amendments). Education is delivered through the Principles of Biological Systems course and annual Soil & Nutrition Conference. Research and data capabilities are provided through the Bionutrient Institute and Data Explorer Dashboard. The ecosystem is tied together through a membership program offering tools at discounted rates and access to the community of growers and consumers focused on nutrient density.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bionutrient Institute: Scientific research arm focused on defining nutrient density through agricultural management practices, food nutrient value, seed genetics and cultivars, and biological systems research. Founded in 2021, replacing the Real Food Campaign.

Products and services

• Bionutrient Meter Handheld spectrometer device that measures nutrient density in food, crops, and soil using spectroscopy (Near Infrared, X-ray Fluorescence, and Raman). With a flash of light, it provides relative nutritional scores for food at point of purchase.
• Bionutrient Brix Kit Refractometer-based quality testing kit including refractometer, sap press/vice grips, and Brix chart for measuring the refractive index (Brix) of fruits and vegetables, correlating to quality and taste.
• Electro-Conductivity Meter Soil testing tool that measures electrical conductivity as an indicator of soil health, crop quality, yields, plant nutrient availability, and activity of soil microorganisms.
• BFA Garden Kit Suite of biological amendments pre-packed for home garden scale including broad spectrum soil mineral amendment, complete liquid feed for foliar sprays, and bacterial and fungal seed inoculant. Available in Small and Large variants.
• Principles of Biological Systems Course Comprehensive 2-day course (now an 8-part online series) on biological farming principles and practices covering seed quality, soil testing, mineral balancing, plant nutrition, and pest management without pesticides.
• Soil & Nutrition Conference Annual landmark event bringing together the broader food and environmental movements around cutting-edge science on soil, agriculture and nutrition, with registrants from 46 countries.
• Membership Program Tiered membership program (Seeder at $55/year, Planter at $233/year, Regenerator at $1,008/year, Sustainer at $10,000/year) providing 20% discount on store items, access to discounted tools, conference registration discounts, and entry to online courses and webinars.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nutrient variation in food supply ranges from 2:1 to 60:1+ depending on nutrient and crop type
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Our-Sci LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur-Sci LLC partnered with BFA to build the first lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2018 for developing definitions of nutrient density. They co-developed the Bionutrient Meter, SurveyStack software, and SoilStack app. Greg Austic and Dr. Dan TerAvest from Our-Sci serve as core partners on the Bionutrient Institute team.
• Bionutrient Institute PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners include A-Team, Edacious, Applegate, Utah State University, California State University Chico, No Regrets Initiative, ATTRA, Agri-Dynamics, Chelsea Green, Crop Services Intl, Earth Care Farm, Gaia Herbs, HB Specialty Foods, Logan Labs, Neptune's Harvest, Rodale Institute, Sea-Agri, Simple Soil Solutions, Vermont Compost. These organizations support the science, increase testing capacity, and keep labs running.
• Soil & Nutrition SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors include Boulder Colorado, CA State Chico, EcoCyc, FarmOS, General Mills, Michigan State University, Our-Sci, Regen.Network, Rhizoterra, USDA. Partners support the annual Soil & Nutrition Conference with global outreach to 46 countries.
• Soil & Nutrition SupportersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporters include Remineralize the Earth, NOFA NJ, CT NOFA, VABF, NOFA MA, Savory, Investing in Regenerative Agriculture, Many Hands Sustainability Center. Organizations supporting the food and agriculture movement.
• Eco-sens (formerly Valorex)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench partner that co-founded the third Bionutrient Institute lab in France in 2020 to meet demand for deeper collaboration with European work on nutrient density research.
• Utah State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Bionutrient Institute and Edacious on pioneering study revealing how production practices shape nutrient density of beef. Research partnership connecting farming systems, food quality, and human health.
• California State University ChicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished second BFA lab in California in 2019 in collaboration with Chico State, expanding crop testing protocols and US grower network to 35 growers.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Teralytic: Sensor-based soil analytics provider for precision agriculture. Comparable in deploying novel in-field measurement hardware to characterize soil — adjacent to BFA's electro-conductivity meter and Bionutrient Meter.
• Trace Genomics: Agrigenomics startup offering DNA-based soil and crop health analysis. Comparable as a data-and-testing play for biological farming, although capitalized as a venture-backed company rather than a nonprofit.
• Soil Foodweb Inc. Soil microbiology testing and education service (founded by Dr. Elaine Ingham). Comparable testing/educational ecosystem for growers focused on biological soil health — overlapping customer base with BFA's electro-conductivity and Brix tools.
• Regenerative Organic Alliance: Sets the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) standard across farming, animal welfare, and social fairness. Operates in the same regenerative/organic certification ecosystem BFA's nutrient-density work ultimately aims to inform.

Others

• Sakata Seed / Enza Zaden (research arms): Major seed breeding companies whose programs historically bred for shelf life/yield, which BFA's mission implicitly critiques. Comparable as adjacent ecosystem participants influencing crop nutrient genetics that BFA studies through the Bionutrient Institute.

Direct peers

• Our-Sci LLC: Direct co-development partner of BFA that built the first Ann Arbor lab, co-developed the Bionutrient Meter and SurveyStack/SoilStack software. Operates in identical citizen-science, open-source agricultural measurement space and shares core team members (Greg Austic, Dr. Dan TerAvest).
• Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA): Regional organic farming membership association that co-launched BFA's Soil & Nutrition Conference in 2012. Comparable model: state-chapter nonprofit delivering education, advocacy, and conferences to organic/regenerative growers across multiple US states.
• Logan Labs: Soil testing laboratory listed as a BFA partner. Directly comparable service: commercial agricultural lab providing soil analysis used by growers adopting biological/regenerative practices.
• ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture: National sustainable-agriculture information service (NCAT program) listed as a BFA partner. Provides education, publications, and technical assistance to farmers on organic/regenerative practices — directly comparable mission in grower education and outreach.

Broad incumbents

• Rodale Institute: Long-standing BFA partner and one of the most established regenerative agriculture research nonprofits in the US. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit producing research and education that bridge soil health and human nutrition, with similar conference/community programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/bionutrient
• Facebookfacebook.com/bionutrientfood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bionutrient

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Bionutrient Food Association