NH Food Alliance

What NH Food Alliance does

NH Food Alliance is a statewide non-profit network organization coordinated by the University of New Hampshire's College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, headquartered at Spaulding Hall in Durham, NH. Founded in 2013, the organization functions as a coordination body rather than a commercial enterprise, engaging and connecting stakeholders across New Hampshire's food system — including farmers, food producers, institutions, food security organizations, government agencies, and consumers — to advance a thriving, fair, and sustainable local food system.

The Alliance's core deliverables include the NH Food & Agriculture Strategic Plan (the first-ever statewide strategic plan for NH food and agriculture, launched in 2024), the Network Café Series (monthly virtual sessions), the annual NH Food System Statewide Gathering, a Wholesale Producer Directory, a Find Local Food consumer resource, and collaborative programs such as the NH Food Hub Network and the USDA Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program (RFSI in NH). Technology underpins are modest: the website (nhfoodalliance.org) serves as a central hub for resources, events, grants, and directories, supplemented by Mailchimp newsletters and social channels. There are no proprietary software products, APIs, or AI capabilities.

The organization operates without traditional revenue generation. It is a free-to-join network with no pricing or subscription fees, relying on institutional support from the University of New Hampshire, grants, and partner contributions. It is led by Director Nicole Laniel with a small core team (approximately five employees) and is governed under UNH's institutional framework. The customer base is not "customers" in a commercial sense but rather a diverse set of network partners across five broad stakeholder segments, with no segment paying for service.

Name

NH Food Alliance

Legal name

NH Food Alliance

Website

https://nhfoodalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NH Food Alliance is a statewide non-profit network coordinated by the University of New Hampshire that connects farmers, food businesses, institutions, and government agencies to strengthen New Hampshire's local food system through coordination, strategic planning, and shared resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food System Network Coordination

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Food system coordination
• Agricultural networking
• Local food systems
• Community food partnerships
• Food policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Network Coordination Services: NH Food Alliance operates as a nonprofit statewide network coordinated by the University of New Hampshire. The organization does not generate revenue from products or services but functions as a coordination body connecting stakeholders across New Hampshire's food system. Funding appears to come from university support and grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NH Food Alliance is a nonprofit statewide network coordinated by the University of New Hampshire that engages and connects people dedicated to growing a thriving, fair, and sustainable local food system in New Hampshire. The organization delivers programs including the NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan, the Network Café Series (monthly virtual discussions), the annual NH Food System Statewide Gathering, and resource tools such as the Wholesale Producer Directory and Find Local Food finder.

Product overview

NH Food Alliance is a statewide network organization coordinated by the University of New Hampshire that serves as a hub for New Hampshire's local food system. Rather than a single commercial product, the organization offers a portfolio of programs including the NH Food & Agriculture Strategic Plan (providing statewide recommendations and implementation guidance), the Network Café Series (monthly virtual discussions for network partners), the NH Food System Statewide Gathering (annual conference), the Wholesale Producer Directory (B2B directory), Find Local Food resources (consumer-facing), Network News/Blog (communications hub), and collaborative networks like the NH Food Hub Network. These programs work together to engage and connect people dedicated to growing a thriving, fair, and sustainable local food system in New Hampshire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan A comprehensive statewide strategic plan for food and agriculture in New Hampshire, providing recommendations, briefs, and implementation workgroups to advance the state's food system.
• Network Café Series Monthly virtual discussions bringing network partners together to share information, discuss topics, and advance the NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan.
• NH Food System Statewide Gathering Annual conference bringing together food system stakeholders for roundtable discussions, presentations, and networking on topics including climate change, food security, racial equity, and local food business support.
• Wholesale Producer Directory Online directory of wholesale producers in New Hampshire facilitating business-to-business connections within the local food system.
• Find Local Food Resource page connecting consumers to local food sources across New Hampshire.
• Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program (RFSI in NH) Program connecting New Hampshire to USDA Resilient Food System Infrastructure (RFSI) funding opportunities for strengthening local food system infrastructure.
• NH Food Hub Network Collaborative network of New Hampshire food hubs that signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate operations and increase local food access and distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• The 2021 Network Health Assessment showed positive trends in partner commitment, better alignment around core values, and value found in collective work
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of New Hampshire (College of Life Sciences & Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNH Food Alliance is coordinated by the College of Life Sciences & Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire. UNH provides institutional support, hosting, and administrative infrastructure for the network. The organization is headquartered at UNH facilities in Durham, NH.
• UNH ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNH Extension is a key partner providing agricultural expertise, educational resources, and programming support to the network. Extension specialists contribute to Network Café sessions and provide technical resources on farming, food safety, and related topics.
• NH Food Hub NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix New Hampshire-based food hubs signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the 2022 NH Food System Statewide Gathering to work together more effectively. This collaboration increases local food availability through coordinated food hub operations.
• Center for Advancing Rural Health EquityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in presenting Farm Bill Chat sessions, addressing the intersection of food systems and health equity in rural communities.
• Kearsarge Food HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of Farm Bill Chat and active participant in network activities, supporting local food distribution in the Kearsarge region.
• NH Hunger SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in policy advocacy efforts including Farm Bill discussions, focusing on food security and nutrition programs.
• NOFA-NH (Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOFA-NH is a key partner in the network, presenting field days, providing resources on organic farming, and collaborating on Network Café sessions. They publish the NH Organic Farm & Food Guide.
• NH Conservation Districts (10 county conservation districts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 10 NH Conservation Districts partner with the network on farmland conservation, climate resilience grants, and soil health initiatives. They distribute Climate Resilience Grants to farms across the state.
• Seacoast Eat LocalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner operating the Seacoast Mobile Market and local food access programs, celebrating 20th anniversary in 2026.
• Gather (food pantry)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeacoast nonprofit providing hunger relief services, operating demonstration gardening classes and launching a Community Food Center.
• NH Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor food security partner that secured $750,000 national grant to expand statewide access to fresh food. Active participant in network resources and events.
• Monadnock Farm & Community CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of the 2025 NH Agricultural Policy Forum as part of the Network Café series, focusing on regional farm and community issues.
• The Center for Advancing Rural Health EquityminorOthersPartner organization addressing food system and health equity issues in rural communities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Food Solutions New England: Regional network working to strengthen the New England food system through collective action and racial equity focus. Comparable convening and network coordination model across the broader New England region.
• Vermont Farm to Plate Network: Vermont's statewide food system network coordinated by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Most directly comparable peer: a state-level food system network implementing a strategic plan and convening stakeholders across farm, food, and policy communities.
• Massachusetts Food System Collaborative: Statewide network advocating for a sustainable, equitable food system in Massachusetts. Highly comparable as a New England state-level food system coordination body with policy and network-building functions.
• Farm to Institution New England (FINE): Regional network increasing the amount of local food served by New England institutions. Comparable mission around farm-to-institution work, though at a regional rather than state level.
• Maine Food Strategy: Statewide network in Maine convening stakeholders to strengthen the local food system. Closely comparable structure and mission to NH Food Alliance with shared geographic focus in northern New England.
• Connecticut Food System Alliance: Connecticut-based statewide food system network aligning stakeholders around a shared food system vision. Directly comparable as a state-level food system coordination nonprofit.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH (NOFA-NH): New Hampshire chapter of NOFA working on organic farming education and the NH Organic Farm & Food Guide. Active partner of NH Food Alliance with overlapping farmer and food system education programming.

Broad incumbents

• New England Farmers Union: Regional policy and advocacy organization for New England farmers. Comparable farmer-focused advocacy and policy work, though focused on policy rather than broad food system coordination.
• Fair Food Network: National nonprofit working on food access and local food systems. Overlapping focus on local food system strengthening and food access, though operating at a broader geographic scale.
• Wallace Center: National nonprofit supporting food system change through market-based approaches and network facilitation. Comparable approach to food system network building but at a national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nh-food-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 NH Food Alliance