Sustainable Food Lab

What Sustainable Food Lab does

Sustainable Food Lab is a U.S. non-profit organization founded in 2004 and headquartered in Hartland, Vermont, with a 16-person team and a stated mission to shift sustainability from niche to mainstream in the food system. The organization serves as a neutral convener, consulting partner, and program manager for large food and beverage companies, farmer support organizations, sustainability standards bodies, and NGOs working on agricultural supply chains, smallholder livelihoods, and regenerative and climate-smart agriculture. Its core service lines are Pre-Competitive Collaboration, System Leadership, Values-Based Consulting, and Impact Strategy & Measurement, delivered through annual Leadership Summits, Learning Journeys, peer working groups, and the Impact Lab professional development fellowship.

The organization's flagship technology asset is the Cool Farm Tool — an online calculator for on-farm greenhouse-gas emissions, soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quantity, with API and aggregate data-export capabilities, used in 150 countries in 17 languages. The Tool was co-founded in 2008 by SFL alongside Unilever and the University of Aberdeen, then spun out in 2014 into the Cool Farm Alliance, an independent community-interest company that continues to own and develop it. Specialized initiatives include STEP Up for Ag (a managed-program model pairing corporate sponsors with farmer support organizations), the Cool Soil Initiative (formed 2018 with Mars Petcare, Kellogg, and Food Agility CRC), the Living Income Community of Practice, Scale Lab, the Sustainable Vanilla Initiative in Madagascar, Trusted Advisor Partnerships with NDSU, and facilitation of the ICO Coffee Private Public Taskforce. Member and partner organizations include PepsiCo, Unilever, Nestlé, General Mills, Mars, Keurig Dr Pepper, Starbucks, AB InBev, Costco, KFC, Cargill, McCain, Root Capital, Heifer International, ISEAL, Rainforest Alliance, CIAT, Practical Farmers of Iowa, IDH, GIZ, and CRS.

SFL's revenue is generated through tiered annual membership fees ($5,000 for NGOs and sub-$200M organizations; $10,000 for $200M–$1B organizations; $20,000 for $1B+ organizations), values-based consulting engagements, and corporate/philanthropic sponsorship of managed programs such as STEP Up for Ag. The organization is governed independently as a Kansas-jurisdiction non-profit with no parent company or venture backing.

Name

Sustainable Food Lab

Legal name

Sustainable Food Lab

Website

https://sustainablefood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sustainable Food Lab is a U.S. non-profit founded in 2004 that convenes large food and beverage companies, farmer support organizations, and NGOs to advance regenerative agriculture, living incomes, and sustainable supply chains through consulting, peer learning, and programs such as the Cool Farm Tool, STEP Up for Ag, and the Cool Soil Initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Sustainability Consulting & Convening Services

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Resilient Livelihoods & Climate-Smart Food Security (BPADAJAH), Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG), Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG), Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture consulting
• Food systems convening
• Regenerative agriculture programs
• Supply chain sustainability
• Membership nonprofit services

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Fees: Sustainable Food Lab generates revenue through annual membership fees charged to companies and organizations. Membership is open to organizations committed to pursuing sustainability goals and shared learning. Fees are structured in three tiers based on organizational revenue size: $20,000 for organizations with annual revenue at or over $1 billion; $10,000 for organizations with annual revenue under $1 billion and over $200 million; and $5,000 for NGOs, research organizations, and companies with annual revenue less than $200 million. Members receive project consulting at discounted member rates, strategic advice, access to the global professional network, and membership in invite-only Food Lab programs.
2. Values-Based Consulting: The organization partners with food companies to develop sustainable sourcing strategies and provides consulting services that put sustainability into practice. Consulting is offered at discounted rates for members, with Food Lab staff serving as trusted sounding boards for scoping ideas and developing innovative solutions.
3. STEP Up for Ag Partnership Programs: STEP Up for Ag partners corporate sponsors with Farmer Support Organizations to deliver capacity-building programs. Corporate partners provide funding that SFL uses to manage implementation, peer learning, and deliver measurable outcomes. Partners include Unilever, PepsiCo, Dairy Management Inc., Suntory, MARS, along with philanthropic partners such as Platform for Agriculture + Climate Transformation, PepsiCo Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sustainable Food Lab is a non-profit convening, consulting, and program management organization that builds know-how, tools and partnerships for sustainable farming and food supply chains. It sells four core services (Pre-Competitive Collaboration, System Leadership, Values-Based Consulting, and Impact Strategy & Measurement) plus a tiered Membership Program, and delivers them through annual Leadership Summits, Learning Journeys, working groups and managed initiatives such as STEP Up for Ag and the Cool Soil Initiative.

Product overview

Sustainable Food Lab operates as a non-profit organization launched in 2004 that shifts sustainability from niche to mainstream in the food system. The organization offers a portfolio of consulting services (Pre-Competitive Collaboration, System Leadership, Values-Based Consulting, Impact Strategy & Measurement) alongside specialized initiatives including Scale Lab, Sustainable Vanilla Initiative, Cool Soil Initiative, Living Income Community of Practice, Trusted Advisor Partnerships, and STEP Up for Ag. The centerpiece technology product is the Cool Farm Tool, an online calculator for on-farm GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity and water quantity, managed through the Cool Farm Alliance partnership. Additional programs include Impact Lab (professional development) and Learning Journeys (experiential education), with membership available at tiered annual rates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Competitive Collaboration Service building and facilitating collaborations across food sectors, value chains and regions to address systemic sustainability challenges that competing organizations cannot solve alone.
• System Leadership Professional learning opportunities that facilitate open dialogue, build peer networks and develop innovative systems-thinking among sustainability leaders in food and agriculture.
• Values-Based Consulting Partnership with food companies to develop sustainable sourcing strategies and put sustainability into practice, offered at discounted rates for members.
• Impact Strategy & Measurement Data-driven measurement tools and frameworks that guide impact-oriented decisions in sustainability programs and supply chains.
• Membership Program Annual membership with tiered pricing ($20K for organizations with revenue at or over $1B, $10K for $200M-$1B, $5K for NGOs and under-$200M companies) providing project consulting at discounted member rates, strategic advice, access to the global network, and invitations to invite-only programs.
• STEP Up for Ag Managed partnership program uniting corporate sponsors (Unilever, PepsiCo, Dairy Management Inc., Suntory, Mars), philanthropic partners (Platform for Agriculture + Climate Transformation, PepsiCo Foundation, Walton Family Foundation) and Farmer Support Organizations to deliver capacity-building programs with measurable sustainability outcomes.
• Scale Lab Initiative Initiative examining how companies can contribute to the growth of regenerative agriculture to sustain the fertility and productivity of the land, focused on identifying leverage points for scaling regenerative practices across supply chains.
• Cool Soil Initiative Initiative formed in 2018 with funding from Mars Petcare, Kellogg, Food Agility CRC and Charles Sturt University to encourage, motivate, track and reward good agricultural practice focused on soil carbon and soil health across supply chains.
• Living Income Community of Practice Network and toolkit that helps companies enable smallholder farms to afford a decent standard of living through consulting, research tools and shared learning on living incomes.
• Impact Lab Professional development fellowship for mid-career sustainability professionals working on global agriculture and food system challenges, providing peer-to-peer sharing, capacity building, expert coaching, workshops, learning journeys and one-on-one mentoring.
• Learning Journeys Immersive on-the-ground learning experiences where participants travel to farming regions to learn directly from farmers, companies and development organizations, complementing the Annual Leadership Summit.
• Sustainable Vanilla Initiative Collaborative project in Madagascar supporting the socially, environmentally and economically sustainable production of vanilla across the supply chain.
• Trusted Advisor Partnerships Collaboration between Sustainable Food Lab, Dr. Abbey Wick and North Dakota State University that supports regenerative agriculture through trusted agricultural advisors.
• ICO Coffee Private Public Taskforce Facilitation Technical work stream facilitated by Sustainable Food Lab for the International Coffee Organization's Coffee Private Public Taskforce, bringing together 15 coffee-producing and -consuming countries, 12 roasters and traders, and 15 supporting organizations to develop an action plan on living income in coffee.
• Climate-Smart Agriculture Resources Compilation of leading climate change solutions and resources — including the CSA 101 website, Climate Smart Coffee guide and Climate Smart Cocoa guide — that help food and beverage companies mitigate climate change risk in their supply chains.
• Cool Farm Tool Online calculator for on-farm GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity and water quantity. Provides API and aggregate data export capabilities with scientifically robust quantification methods sensitive to farm and field-scale management choices. Used by thousands of registered users in 17 languages across 150 countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Practical Farmers of Iowa grew from 13 to 60 employees and expanded to 9,152 farm members; transitioned 500,000+ acres to regenerative practices.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

34 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cool Soil Initiative (CSI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The Cool Soil Initiative was formed in 2018 with funding from Mars Petcare, Kellogg, and Food Agility CRC, Charles Sturt University. Sustainable Food Lab is a key partner in this initiative, which is named after the Cool Farm Tool and works to encourage, motivate, track, and reward good agricultural practice across supply chains.
• NescafécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNescafé is a member and partner of Sustainable Food Lab. Recent collaboration includes a systemic approach project in Lampung, Indonesia, focused on ecological, economic, and social regeneration in coffee supply chains. Nescafé's work with SFL stimulates regenerative practices among coffee farmers.
• PepsiCocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPepsiCo is a member and active partner in multiple Sustainable Food Lab initiatives including STEP Up for Ag (funding Practical Farmers of Iowa's capacity building), the Scale Lab regenerative agriculture initiative, and various learning journeys. PepsiCo Foundation is also a philanthropic partner in STEP Up for Ag.
• General MillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral Mills is a member and partner of Sustainable Food Lab. The company participates in SFL's learning journeys and sustainability programs. General Mills is mentioned in the Impact Lab alumni network and is active in regenerative agriculture initiatives facilitated by SFL.
• UnilevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnilever is a member and active partner in Sustainable Food Lab. Unilever was a co-founder of the Cool Farm Alliance alongside SFL and the University of Aberdeen in 2008. Unilever participates in STEP Up for Ag as a corporate partner and engages in SFL's learning communities on regenerative agriculture.
• Root CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoot Capital is an agricultural lender and partner in Sustainable Food Lab's Feed the Future Supply Chain Resilience program, working alongside SFL, USAID, and CCAFS (CGIAR's Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security). Root Capital serves as an innovative agricultural lender supporting smallholder farmer resilience.
• ISEAL AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEAL Alliance is a global membership organization for sustainability standards systems and is a partner of Sustainable Food Lab. ISEAL shapes conversations on systemic sustainability issues and brings together multiple actors and companies, aligning with SFL's multi-stakeholder collaboration model.
• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRainforest Alliance is a partner of Sustainable Food Lab, co-developing resources like the Climate Smart Cocoa website alongside CIAT and SFL. The Climate Smart Cocoa website guides users through climate-related risks and adaptation strategies for smallholder cocoa production.
• Heifer InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeifer International is a partner of Sustainable Food Lab, collaborating on projects including the East African Dairy Development Program (involving 136,000+ dairy farmers in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda) and visits to farming communities in Chiapas, Mexico focused on food security and income diversification.
• CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) is a partner in Sustainable Food Lab's climate-smart agriculture work. CIAT collaborated with SFL to develop the Climate Smart Coffee website and Climate Smart Cocoa website, which guide companies on climate adaptation in smallholder supply chains.
• Practical Farmers of IowacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPractical Farmers of Iowa is a Farmer Support Organization partner in STEP Up for Ag. With capacity-building support from PepsiCo and SFL, PFI grew from 13 to 60 employees, expanded to 9,152 farm members, and transitioned 500,000+ acres to regenerative practices. PFI serves as a model FSO for the STEP Up for Ag program.
• International Coffee Organization (ICO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable Food Lab facilitates a technical work stream for the ICO Coffee Private Public Taskforce, which is led by the International Coffee Organization. The taskforce brings together leaders from 15 coffee-producing and -consuming countries, 12 roasters/traders, and 15 supporting organizations to achieve living income commitments under the London Declaration.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIZ is a German development organization that partners with Sustainable Food Lab on international development and sustainability projects. GIZ is listed among the organization's partners and member network.
• IDH (Sustainable Trade Initiative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDH (Sustainable Trade Initiative) is a partner in Sustainable Food Lab's network, working to transform markets for sustainability. IDH focuses on creating systemic change in commodity supply chains.
• Food Agility CRC, Charles Sturt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Agility CRC (Cooperative Research Centre) and Charles Sturt University are research and academic partners in the Cool Soil Initiative, providing scientific rigor and research capabilities to the initiative's soil carbon measurement and regenerative agriculture programs.
• Stonyfield OrganicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStonyfield Organic is a member of Sustainable Food Lab and participates in SFL programs including Impact Lab. The company is represented by Britt Lundgren, Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture, in the Impact Lab community.
• Niman RanchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNiman Ranch is a member and partner of Sustainable Food Lab, participating in Impact Lab programs and learning journeys. Niman Ranch represents a network of family farmers committed to sustainable and humane livestock practices.
• Cabot Cheese (Agri-Mark Cooperative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCabot Cheese, part of Agri-Mark Cooperative, is a member of Sustainable Food Lab. Cabot held a Dairy Crisis Meeting focused on low U.S. milk prices, and participated in SFL's 2019 learning journey to dairy farms in Quebec, Canada and the U.S.
• AB InBevminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAB InBev is a member of Sustainable Food Lab and participates in SFL programs. Representatives including Katie Hoard (Global Agricultural Development Manager) and Nicholas Mylet (Global Sustainability Manager) are active in the Impact Lab community.
• Ben & Jerry'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBen & Jerry's is a member of Sustainable Food Lab, participating in SFL programs including Impact Lab. Representatives including Jenna Evans (Global Sustainability Manager) and Cheryl Pinto (Global Values Led Sourcing Manager) are active in the Impact Lab community.
• StarbucksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarbucks is a member and partner of Sustainable Food Lab. The company is represented by Julie Anderson (Sr. Manager, Global Responsibility) and Jamie Thorn (Senior Manager, Ethical Sourcing) who participate in Impact Lab and other SFL programs.
• NestlécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNestlé is a member and partner of Sustainable Food Lab. Nestlé's sustainability programs align with SFL's focus on small-scale farmer livelihoods, regenerative agriculture, and climate-smart supply chains.
• Keurig Dr PepperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeurig Dr Pepper is a member and active partner of Sustainable Food Lab. Whitney Kakos (Sr. Director, Sustainability) and Colleen Popkin (Senior Manager, Sustainability) participate in Impact Lab and SFL's peer learning communities.
• OatlyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOatly is a member of Sustainable Food Lab, represented by Julie Kunen (Sustainability Director) who participates in Impact Lab programs. Oatly's sustainability focus on regenerative agriculture aligns with SFL's mission.
• CostcominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCostco is a member of Sustainable Food Lab. Tim Wahlquist (Director, Responsible Sourcing & Packaging) participates in Impact Lab. Costco engages in SFL's pre-competitive learning communities on sustainability.
• CargillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCargill is a member of Sustainable Food Lab. Tai Ullmann (Sustainability Manager) participates in Impact Lab. Cargill's extensive agricultural supply chain operations align with SFL's farmer-focused sustainability programs.
• Dairy Management Inc. (DMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairy Management Inc. is a corporate and industry partner in STEP Up for Ag. DMI works with SFL to advance sustainability across the dairy supply chain, supporting farmer-facing programs and regenerative dairy practices.
• SuntoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuntory is a corporate and industry partner in STEP Up for Ag. Suntory's sustainability goals align with SFL's focus on regenerative agriculture and supply chain transformation in food and beverage.
• King Arthur Baking CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing Arthur Baking Company is a member of Sustainable Food Lab, participating in the organization's network of companies committed to food system sustainability.
• Farmer's FridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarmer's Fridge is represented by Briana Perro (Director of Strategic Sourcing and Sustainability) who participates in Impact Lab and SFL's peer learning communities on sustainability.
• Impossible FoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpossible Foods is represented by Rebekah Moses (Director, Impact Strategy) who participates in Impact Lab programs. The company engages in SFL's sustainability learning communities focused on agricultural supply chains.
• Handsome Brook FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHandsome Brook Farms is represented by Kristen Wharton (Vice President of Corporate Responsibility) who participates in Impact Lab and SFL's peer learning communities on sustainable agriculture.
• CRS (Catholic Relief Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic Relief Services (CRS) is a partner of Sustainable Food Lab's network, bringing international development expertise to multi-stakeholder sustainability initiatives.
• McCain FoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcCain Foods is represented by Jess Newman (Senior Director of Agriculture & Sustainability) who participates in Impact Lab. McCain's focus on sustainable potato and agricultural sourcing aligns with SFL's regenerative agriculture programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Food Tank: Food Tank is a food system think tank focused on sustainable agriculture, hunger, and nutrition. While smaller and more media-focused than SFL, Food Tank shares the convening and thought leadership function in the food sustainability space and reaches many of the same corporate, NGO, and policy audiences.

Regional players

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): GIZ is the German development agency implementing international cooperation programs in sustainable agriculture and food systems. SFL lists GIZ as a partner and member; both organizations collaborate on international agricultural development projects though GIZ operates primarily from a European governmental funding base.
• Fair Trade USA: Fair Trade USA is a leading sustainability certification organization focused on fair trade and ethical sourcing across food and consumer goods. While US-focused in certification scope, it shares SFL's living income focus and works with many of the same corporate buyers and farmer cooperatives in coffee and other commodities.

Direct peers

• Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance is a sustainability standards and certification organization working on agricultural commodities including coffee, cocoa, and vanilla. SFL partners with Rainforest Alliance on resources like the Climate Smart Cocoa website, and the two organizations share audiences (food companies, NGOs, farmer organizations) and overlapping program areas.
• Forum for the Future: Forum for the Future is an international sustainability nonprofit that convenes businesses, NGOs, and governments to accelerate sustainability transformation in areas including food. Like SFL, it runs leadership programs, working groups, and multi-stakeholder collaborations around regenerative agriculture and supply chains.
• Heifer International: Heifer International is a global development nonprofit working on smallholder farmer livelihoods, including the East African Dairy Development Program with 136,000+ farmers. SFL partners with Heifer on this program, and both organizations operate at the intersection of food systems, international development, and sustainable agriculture.
• Root Capital: Root Capital is an agricultural impact lender supporting smallholder farmer resilience. SFL partners with Root Capital on the Feed the Future Supply Chain Resilience program alongside USAID and CCAFS. Both organizations focus on small-scale farmer livelihoods in coffee and other agricultural supply chains.
• ISEAL Alliance: ISEAL Alliance is a global membership organization for sustainability standards systems. It shares SFL's pre-competitive convening model, multi-stakeholder collaboration approach, and focus on advancing credible sustainability practices across commodity supply chains. ISEAL is both a partner and a direct comparator in the food-system sustainability ecosystem.
• IDH (Sustainable Trade Initiative): IDH convenes companies, governments, and NGOs to transform commodity supply chains in food, forestry, and textiles. Like SFL, IDH convenes corporates and farmer support organizations around sustainable sourcing, runs landscape programs, and channels philanthropic and corporate funding into supply chain interventions at scale.

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF is a large incumbent sustainability NGO with significant food and agriculture programs, including sustainable commodity supply chains (palm oil, soy, beef, seafood). WWF operates at much greater scale than SFL but overlaps in corporate convening, sustainable sourcing frameworks, and supply chain transformation partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-food-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Food Lab