FOOD WORKS

What FOOD WORKS does

Food Works is a Carbondale, Illinois-based nonprofit organization operating under the legal name Food Works of Southern Illinois, dedicated to building a sustainable local food economy across the Southern Illinois region. The organization runs an integrated portfolio of programs spanning the full local food value chain: Farm Beginnings provides comprehensive training for beginning and transitional farmers; the Farming Alliance offers peer-to-peer education through field days, workshops, and networking; the Winter Farmers Market and Mobile Farmers Market create direct-to-consumer sales channels for local producers; and SNAP processing plus Link Match funding enable low-income residents to purchase fresh local produce.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform and operates through community-led engagement rather than digital channels. Programs are delivered in person, supported by a website (fwsoil.org), email newsletter, and Instagram for outreach. Business model is nonprofit donation- and fundraising-driven, with most programs free or low-cost for participants; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Food Works is governed by a Board of Directors and operates with staff, and is currently hiring to support ongoing program delivery. The organization has produced multi-year Farm Beginnings cohorts (2022-2023, 2023-2024) and is preparing a 2026 cohort alongside the SIFA 2026 Conference, indicating sustained programmatic activity without disclosed geographic or product scope expansion beyond Southern Illinois.

Name

FOOD WORKS

Legal name

Food Works of Southern Illinois

Website

https://eatsouthernillinois.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Food Works is a Carbondale, Illinois-based nonprofit that builds a sustainable local food economy in Southern Illinois through farmer training, peer networking, farmers markets, and SNAP-supported food access programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Local Food Systems Organization

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Support Activities for Crop Production (1151), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA), Agricultural Production & Farm Operations (EDAOAOAA)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture programs
• Farmer training services
• Local food access
• Farmers market operations
• Community nutrition support

Headquarters

HQ city

Carbondale

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. Donations and Fundraising: Nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and community supporters to sustain programs supporting local farmers and food access.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Food Works is a nonprofit organization that delivers a coordinated set of community programs to build a sustainable local food economy in Southern Illinois. Its core offerings are the Farm Beginnings training program for beginning and transitional farmers, the Farming Alliance peer-to-peer educational network, a Winter Farmers Market, a Mobile Farmers Market, and SNAP/Link Match funding support that enables low-income residents to buy fresh local produce. These programs together connect farmers to training, to new sales channels, and to community members needing fresh food access.

Product overview

Food Works is a non-profit organization operating a portfolio of interconnected programs designed to build a sustainable food economy in Southern Illinois. The offerings include the Farm Beginnings comprehensive training program for beginning farmers, the Farming Alliance providing peer-to-peer educational networking through field days and workshops, and market-focused programs including the Mobile Farmers Market, Winter Farmers Market, and SNAP/Link Match support. These programs work together to educate farmers, create market opportunities, and ensure equitable community access to locally grown food.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Beginnings Program Comprehensive training program that provides education and resources for beginning and transitional farmers seeking to establish sustainable agricultural operations in Southern Illinois.
• Farming Alliance Peer-to-peer educational network that delivers field days, workshops, and collaborative learning opportunities to farmers in Southern Illinois through the Farming Alliance community.
• Food Works Mobile Farmers Market Mobile farmers market program that brings locally grown food directly to communities, creating new sales opportunities for farmers and equitable access to fresh products for residents across Southern Illinois.
• Food Works Winter Farmers Market Seasonal indoor winter farmers market providing year-round market opportunities for local farmers and consistent fresh food access for the Southern Illinois community.
• SNAP and Link Match Support SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) processing and Link Match funding program that enables Southern Illinois residents — particularly SNAP-eligible households — to purchase fresh local produce at participating farmers markets.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FoodCorps: National nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food in schools with a focus on food education and access. Comparable to Food Works because it operates farmer training, food access, and education programs targeting underserved communities, but at much larger national scale.
• Fair Food Network: National nonprofit advancing community-based food systems through Double Up Food Bucks (a SNAP doubling program) and farmer support. Highly comparable because both organizations combine SNAP incentive funding with local farmer market development, though Fair Food Network operates at a much larger scale.
• Wallace Center (Winrock International): National nonprofit intermediary supporting food hub development, food systems change, and farmer training. Comparable to Food Works' mission of building resilient local food economies, though operating at a national policy and intermediary level.

Direct peers

• Wholesome Wave: Nonprofit that runs nutrition incentive programs (SNAP doubling/Link Match equivalents) at farmers markets to make fresh produce accessible to low-income families. Directly comparable to Food Works' SNAP/Link Match program and overall food access mission.
• Growing Power (Milwaukee): Historically influential urban food systems nonprofit (now successor organizations) that pioneered mobile farmers markets and urban farming training. Comparable to Food Works' Mobile Farmers Market and farm training programs, though historically focused on urban Milwaukee.
• Appalachian Sustainable Development: Regional nonprofit in Appalachian Virginia/Tennessee operating farm training, food access, and local food market programs. Highly comparable to Food Works' integrated model serving a rural, underserved region with similar programs targeting beginning farmers and food-insecure residents.
• Carolina Farm Stewardship Association: Regional nonprofit supporting sustainable agriculture and local food systems in the Carolinas through farmer education, conferences, and advocacy. Comparable to Food Works' Farming Alliance and Farm Beginnings programs, with similar farmer training and peer-network focus.
• Local Food Hub: Regional nonprofit food hub that aggregates and distributes local produce plus provides farmer training and market access. Comparable to Food Works' integrated training-plus-market model, though serving Virginia rather than Southern Illinois.
• Angelic Organics Learning Center: Nonprofit offering farmer training, farm beginning programs, and community education on sustainable agriculture. Directly comparable to Food Works' Farm Beginnings curriculum and similar target audience of beginning/transitional farmers.

Regional players

• Southern Illinois University Extension: University extension service providing agricultural education, farmer training, and food systems programming in Southern Illinois. Comparable to Food Works' farm training and community education programs, with overlapping geographic reach and similar small-farmer audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-works

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 FOOD WORKS