Mission of Mary Cooperative

What Mission of Mary Cooperative does

Mission of Mary Cooperative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 in Dayton, Ohio, that operates a network of urban farms across five plots covering more than four acres in the Twin Towers neighborhood on Dayton's inner east side. The organization produces over 60,000 pounds of vegetables annually across 75+ varieties, growing year-round using three greenhouses and a plant nursery for seedling production. Its headquarters at 619 Silver Lane features 11.5 kW of rooftop solar photovoltaic capacity and a geothermal HVAC system, achieving verified net-zero energy status in 2019 - a first in Dayton, confirmed by the New Buildings Institute.

The organization's revenue model combines earned income with philanthropic support. Earned revenue comes from a 24-week CSA program (running late May to late October with 100+ weekly boxes distributed in Small and Large share sizes at $696-$984 per season, plus a lower-cost tier at $11-$16/week for income-qualifying members), a pay-what-you-can farm stand accepting cash, card, check, and SNAP/EBT, and rental of 20 community garden beds at the Lincoln Hill site. Donations and grants represent the other major funding pillar, supplemented by a small tax-deductible donation component embedded in CSA pricing that subsidizes lower-cost memberships for food-insecure neighbors.

Mission of Mary serves Twin Towers neighborhood residents as its primary segment, addressing food insecurity and limited access to fresh produce through two-tiered pricing and SNAP/EBT acceptance, while also partnering with the University of Dayton, PK-12 schools, and The Glen at St. Joseph preschool on educational programming. The organization relies heavily on volunteer labor - recruited through its website and community partnerships - and on a small paid team led by Executive Director Michael Schulz, the founder. Operational expansion is supported by strategic partnerships with the Lay Marianist Community (the founding organization), the University of Dayton, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-Americorps, and Good Shepherd Ministries, with go-to-market motion centered on community engagement rather than traditional commercial channels.

Name

Mission of Mary Cooperative

Legal name

Mission of Mary Cooperative

Website

https://missionofmary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mission of Mary Cooperative is a Dayton, Ohio 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating urban farms on 4+ acres to produce 60,000+ pounds of vegetables annually. It serves Twin Towers neighborhood residents through a CSA program, pay-what-you-can farm stand, community garden beds, and educational programming addressing urban food access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture & Community Food Access

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Community supported agriculture
• Sustainable farming
• Community food access
• Urban farm cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CSA Membership Fees: Community Supported Agriculture program with 24-week season. Two-tiered pricing model: Large Share ($984/season) and Small Share ($696/season), with lower-cost membership options at $11-16/week for income-qualifying members.
2. Farm Stand Sales: Individual produce items sold weekly at farm stand with pay-what-you-can pricing. Accepts multiple payment methods including SNAP/EBT.
3. Garden Bed Rentals: Twenty community garden beds rented annually to Twin Towers neighbors at Lincoln Hill site.
4. Donations and Grants: 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded primarily through individual and organizational donations. Operates with volunteer labor and grant support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mission of Mary Cooperative is a nonprofit urban agriculture organization that operates five farm plots producing 75+ varieties of vegetables and herbs, and sells produce directly to consumers through a 24-week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription program and a weekly farm stand with pay-what-you-can pricing. The organization also operates community garden bed rentals, a backyard garden program for food-insecure families, and educational programming on sustainable agriculture.

Product overview

Mission of Mary Cooperative offers a unified suite of urban agriculture and community food access programs centered around its CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and Farm Stand. The CSA Program provides weekly seasonal produce boxes over 24 weeks in two share sizes, complemented by a pay-what-you-can Farm Stand for individual purchases. Additional offerings include Community Garden Beds for neighbor self-growing, a Backyard Garden Program supporting food-insecure families, Educational Programs for tours and preschool curriculum, and a Neighborhood Food Council advisory group. All products work together to address food justice on Dayton's inner east side.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSA Program (Community Supported Agriculture) Community Supported Agriculture program offering weekly boxes of freshly-harvested seasonal produce for 24 weeks (late May to late October), available in small and large share sizes with tiered pricing to ensure accessibility for income-qualifying members.
• Farm Stand Weekly farm stand offering individual produce items for purchase on a pay-what-you-can basis, operating Wednesdays from 2-6pm during CSA season at the headquarters location. Accepts cash, card, check, and SNAP/EBT.
• Community Garden Beds Annual rental program offering 20 garden beds at the Lincoln Hill site for Twin Towers neighbors to grow and harvest their own produce.
• Backyard Garden Program Program empowering food-insecure families to grow their own food through yard-based gardens with weekly educational workshops and ongoing support.
• Educational Programs Engaging educational tours and programming for groups of all ages covering urban land stewardship, farming, sustainable agriculture, and natural science curriculum for preschoolers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produces 60,000+ pounds of vegetables annually across 5 urban farm plots
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Glen at St. JosephcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Preschool partnership offering gardening and natural science curriculum to 3-5 year olds living in Twin Towers neighborhood. Glen preschool is located adjacent to Lincoln Hill gardens, enabling ongoing collaboration.
• Notre Dame Mission Volunteers - AmericorpsminorOthers · 1 January 2020National service program through which Natalie Ross transitioned from volunteering to interning and eventually joining Mission of Mary as full-time staff.
• New Buildings InstituteminorOthers · 1 January 2018Verified Mission of Mary as a net-zero energy building and added organization to their Getting to Zero Database.
• Lay Marianist CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Origin community that founded Mission of Mary Cooperative in Twin Towers neighborhood. Organization was born from Lay Marianists living and serving in the area, addressing issues of abandoned land and food access.
• Good Shepherd MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Neighbor collaborator located near Xenia Avenue farming site. Site sits between St. Mary's Catholic Church and Good Shepherd Ministries, receiving significant foot traffic.
• University of DaytoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Provides experiential learning opportunities and applied research for UD students. Hosts ETHOS program interns and Federal Work Study students. Mission of Mary was founded by Lay Marianist community associated with UD.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Big Green: National nonprofit building food gardens in schools and communities to improve food access and health outcomes. Comparable mission of community-based food growing with educational programming, though at much larger scale.
• Dig Deep Farms: Alameda County, California urban farm producing fruits and vegetables for food-insecure residents via CSA and direct distribution. Directly comparable as a publicly-supported urban farm focused on underserved communities.
• Soul Fire Farm: BIPOC-led farm in upstate New York running CSA shares, food justice education, and farmer training for food-insecure communities. Highly comparable to Mission of Mary's farm-to-community model with an explicit equity mission.
• The Food Project: Massachusetts-based nonprofit operating urban and suburban farms with CSA, youth development, and food access programs. Directly comparable to Mission of Mary in combining urban agriculture, CSA distribution, and educational programming for underserved communities.
• Jones Valley Teaching Farm: Birmingham, Alabama urban farm focused on food access and educational programming through on-site teaching farms and school partnerships. Comparable mix of urban agriculture, youth/community education, and food access.
• Urban Roots: Austin, Texas nonprofit operating an urban farm with CSA, paid youth internships, and food access initiatives. Mirrors Mission of Mary's combination of urban farming, youth engagement, and community food distribution.
• D-Town Farm (Detroit Black Community Food Security Network): Seven-acre urban farm in Detroit run by DBCFSN producing vegetables for food-insecure neighborhoods through CSA and farm stands. Direct analogue to Mission of Mary's urban farming + food justice model.

Emerging players

• FoodCorps: National service organization connecting kids to healthy food in schools through garden-based learning and food access. Partial overlap with Mission of Mary's educational programming and food access work.
• Wholesome Wave: National nonprofit tackling food affordability through doubling SNAP/EBT at farmers markets and CSAs. Comparable food-access mission to Mission of Mary's two-tiered pricing model, but operates through voucher programs rather than farming.

Broad incumbents

• Seward Co-op: Long-standing member-owned food co-op in Minneapolis selling local, sustainable produce. Comparable 'cooperative' structure and farm-to-consumer distribution, though operating a retail grocery model rather than Mission of Mary's nonprofit urban farm.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/missionofmarycooperative
• Instagraminstagram.com/missionofmary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mission-of-mary-cooperative

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Mission of Mary Cooperative