Sole Food Street Farms

What Sole Food Street Farms does

Sole Food Street Farms is a registered Canadian charity and social enterprise urban farm operating since 2009 on approximately three acres in Vancouver's Olympic Village, with a 2/3-acre founding site historically located beside the Astoria Hotel on Hastings Street. The organization is wholly owned by Cultivate Canada Society (charity #820694404RR0001) and produces roughly 15 tons of fresh produce annually, of which two-thirds is sold commercially and one-third donated to food-insecure individuals in the Downtown Eastside. Its core technology is sustainable organic urban farming using no chemical pesticides or herbicides, applied across multiple farm sites serving Vancouver and surrounding communities.

The business model blends earned revenue with charitable contributions across four streams. Direct-to-consumer revenue comes from a five-tier Community Supported Agriculture program ($185-$900 per share, May-September at Olympic Village), three weekly farmers markets (West End, False Creek, Olympic Village), and farm-gate sales. Restaurant wholesale is operated through the Local Food Marketplace platform with Thursday afternoon e-bike delivery via Shift Delivery Co-Op for orders over $125, supplying Vancouver restaurants for seventeen years. Ancillary service revenue is generated from farm tours ($25-$300), corporate and large-group volunteer days ($250-$1,500 per half-day), and event rentals ($30-$60 per hour). Donations to the parent Cultivate Canada Society provide the fourth revenue stream and underwrite the employment program.

The organization employs up to 40 farmers on a seasonal basis (May-October) drawn primarily from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside community facing barriers to traditional employment, supported by a core team of approximately 8 staff including the Executive Director, Interim Executive Director, Farm Operations Manager, Sales and Program Manager, and several supervisors. Since 2009, Sole Food has paid over $2 million in wages, created over 300 jobs, and harvested over 1,000,000 lbs of produce. The co-founders, Sean Dorry and Michael Ableman, authored the trade-published books Street Farm and Farm the City, contributing to international brand recognition as one of North America's largest urban farm social enterprises.

Name

Sole Food Street Farms

Legal name

Sole Food Farms Society

Website

https://solefoodfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sole Food Street Farms is a Vancouver-based registered charity and urban farm social enterprise founded in 2009 that produces ~15 tons of produce annually, sells two-thirds via CSA, farmers markets, and restaurant wholesale, and donates one-third to Downtown Eastside community members while employing up to 40 low-barrier seasonal farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (11121), Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• CSA produce shares
• Restaurant wholesale produce
• Farmers market sales
• Social enterprise farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Shares: Seasonal subscription program where members purchase a share in the harvest. Shares range from $185 (Quarter Share, 5 weeks) to $900 (Supportive Share, full season). The program runs May to September with weekly produce boxes valued at approximately $37 per share.
2. Restaurant Wholesale: B2B produce sales to Vancouver restaurants including standing orders, flexible standing orders, and fresh sheet orders. Uses Local Food Marketplace platform. Thursday afternoon deliveries via Shift Delivery Co-Op e-bikes.
3. Farmers Markets: Direct-to-consumer sales at weekly farmers markets in Vancouver neighborhoods (West End, False Creek, Olympic Village) from April to October.
4. Donations and Charitable Support: As a registered charity (#820694404RR0001), Sole Food relies on donations to support employment programs and operations. Donations are tax-deductible and support wages, local food systems, and farm infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sole Food Street Farms is a registered urban farming charity that grows hyper-local produce on approximately three acres of vacant urban land in Vancouver, employing up to 40 Downtown Eastside residents annually. Its commercial channels include a multi-tier Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, restaurant wholesale distribution to Vancouver restaurants, and three weekly farmers market locations, complemented by guided farm tours, corporate and educational volunteer days, and on-site event space rentals. Two-thirds of the roughly 15 tons of annual harvest is sold commercially and one-third is donated to food-insecure individuals and community partners.

Product overview

Sole Food Street Farms operates as a social enterprise urban farm offering multiple interconnected programs. The core offerings include a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Produce Box program with multiple share tiers, Restaurant Wholesale distribution, and direct Farmers Market sales. Supporting services include Farm Tours, Volunteer Programs, and Event Hosting. The Employment Program serves as the social mission backbone, providing low-barrier agricultural jobs to Downtown Eastside residents. The farm produces approximately 15 tons of fresh food annually, with two-thirds sold through the commercial channels and one-third donated to community food-insecure individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Produce Box Seasonal CSA program offering weekly produce boxes across multiple share tiers (Quarter, Half, Standard, Supportive, and Supported shares) with May-September farm-gate pickup at the Olympic Village farm and a weekly member newsletter.
• Restaurant Wholesale Produce B2B wholesale distribution of artisanal, hyper-local produce (salad mix, heirloom tomatoes, culinary herbs, roots, fruit) to Vancouver restaurants via standing orders, flexible standing orders, and weekly fresh sheet orders; accounts managed on Local Food Marketplace with Thursday e-bike delivery through Shift Delivery Co-Op (free for orders over $125).
• Farmers Market Sales Direct-to-consumer weekly farmers markets selling Sole Food produce at three Vancouver neighborhoods from April/May through October, operated in partnership with Vancouver Farmers Markets.
• Farm Tours Approximately one-hour guided tours of the farm covering history, space walkthrough, farmer meet-and-greet, produce samples, and Q&A, offered at individual/small group ($25/person up to $250), large group ($300 flat for 10-35 people), and educational ($200 flat for kindergarten through post-secondary) tiers.
• Volunteer Programs Structured half-day volunteer experiences including corporate ($750-$1,500), large group ($250-$500), and educational ($300-$500) volunteer days that combine farm tasks, guided tours, and team facilitation with farm orientation.
• Event Hosting at the Back Orchard Hourly rental of the back orchard event space (large tent and picnic tables) priced at $30-$60 per hour, suitable for farm-to-table dinners, volunteer appreciation events, and awards ceremonies.
• Low-Barrier Agricultural Employment Program Low-barrier agricultural employment for up to 40 farmers per season on casual, part-time, and full-time bases, primarily serving Vancouver Downtown Eastside residents facing barriers such as unemployment, poverty, housing instability, health challenges, or substance use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2 million in wages and benefits paid to staff since 2009
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered founding, core and supporting.

• United We CanfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Early support partner from which Sole Food launched its first urban farm on 2/3 of an acre beside the Astoria Hotel on Hastings Street. United We Can is a charitable organization in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside focused on providing meaningful employment and training for people with barriers to conventional employment.
• FoodStash FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood rescue organization that helps redirect surplus food. Sole Food partners with FoodStash to maximize produce utilization and reduce waste.
• Vancouver Farmers MarketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial vendor at Vancouver Farmers Markets including West End, False Creek, and other market locations. Markets run April to October weekly.
• Growing ChefssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef-driven volunteer organization that teaches children about food and healthy eating. Partnership supports educational programming and community engagement.
• Mission to MouthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood access organization working to connect communities with healthy food. Partnership supports food security initiatives.
• Working GearsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVancouver-based nonprofit that provides work clothing and gear to those in need. Partnership supports wraparound services for farm employees.
• Mt Pleasant HousesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization serving the Mt Pleasant neighborhood. Partnership supports community engagement and local food access.
• Buy BCsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBuy BC Partnership Network supports local agricultural producers in British Columbia. Helps market and promote local farm products.
• Shift Delivery Co-OpcoreTechnology or IntegrationSustainable delivery partner using e-bikes for restaurant wholesale deliveries. All restaurant orders over $125 receive free e-bike delivery on Thursday afternoons.
• Local Food MarketplacecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline platform used by Sole Food for restaurant wholesale ordering, account registration, invoice payment, and product catalog management. Restaurants register, receive weekly freshsheets, and pay invoices through this platform.
• SaigesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting Sole Food's mission and programs.
• West Coast SeedssupportingTechnology or IntegrationSeed supplier for urban farming operations. Provides quality seeds for produce cultivation.
• Sodexo LivesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFood service management company serving venues and events. Restaurant wholesale customer.
• Go2HRsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTourism and hospitality industry human resources organization. Restaurant wholesale customer.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brooklyn Grange: New York City operator of the largest rooftop urban farms in North America, producing vegetables for CSA, restaurants, and farmers markets. Comparable urban farm operator with commercial distribution model.
• The Stop: Toronto community food centre operating a farm and food access programs for vulnerable communities. Comparable social-mission-driven food organization combining production with community impact.
• The Food Project: Massachusetts-based non-profit that combines sustainable agriculture with youth employment and food access. Closely mirrors Sole Food's employment-for-barriers and CSA-plus-wholesale hybrid model.
• Black Creek Community Farm: Toronto-area urban farm social enterprise focused on food access and skills training for marginalized communities. Directly comparable hybrid commercial-plus-social-mission model to Sole Food.
• Fresh Roots: Vancouver-based non-profit urban farm social enterprise operating schoolyard farms with educational and community programming. Operates in the same city as Sole Food with a closely aligned farm-to-community model.

Emerging players

• Farmscape: Bay Area urban farming services company that installs and maintains urban farms for residential and commercial clients. Partial overlap in urban farming domain with distinct B2B services model.
• Plant Chicago: Chicago-based urban agriculture and sustainability non-profit. Comparable non-profit urban agriculture operator focused on local food systems and community impact, though at smaller scale.
• Sundance Harvest: Toronto-area urban farm with a New Farmer Training Program. Sole Food's Greenhouse and Market Supervisor Nicole Nwokolo completed Sundance Harvest's training program, indicating direct operational overlap in urban farm training.

Regional players

• Windy City Harvest: Chicago Botanic Garden's urban agriculture program providing training and employment in city farming. Comparable employment-focused urban agriculture model in a different North American geography.
• UBC Farm: University of British Columbia's teaching and research farm in Vancouver. Operates in same city as Sole Food with overlapping educational and sustainable agriculture mission; comparable scale and geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sole-food-street-farms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Sole Food Street Farms