The People's Market

What The People's Market does

The People's Market is a privately held, subscription-based farm-to-door produce delivery service founded by Brandon Starkes, a former DC and Prince George's County public servant, and operating in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company sells half and full produce box subscriptions with flexible delivery frequencies (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly), supplemented by add-on products including farm-fresh eggs, cut flowers, all-natural handmade body soaps, body butters, and candles. All produce is sourced from four named local partner farms — Curemore Farms (Upper Marlboro, MD), Sweet Love Flower Farm (Upper Marlboro, MD), Botanical Bites and Provisions (Spotsylvania County, VA), and Farmer Tolu (Washington, DC) — and delivered within a stated 48-72 hour harvest-to-delivery window with no delivery fees.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lean and commodity: a Shopify e-commerce storefront (the-peoples-market-dmv.myshopify.com) handles subscription purchase, billing cadence, and order management, while a Wix-hosted marketing website (thepeoplesmarketdmv.com) handles brand storytelling, partner profiles, email newsletter capture, and contact forms. The company does not operate a proprietary platform, mobile app, or public API, and there is no documented use of AI/ML tooling, data assets, or automation beyond standard Shopify workflows. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, with last-mile delivery executed by the company itself to subscribers in Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Washington DC, Alexandria, and Arlington.

The business model is straightforward recurring subscription revenue, monetized through box size (half or full), delivery cadence, and add-on attach. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds; it operates with a team of nine and reports no external ownership or recapitalization events. The core customer segments are health-conscious DMV consumers seeking convenient access to fresh, organic, locally sourced produce, and consumers motivated to support Black farmers and other historically underrepresented agricultural groups. Revenue, subscriber counts, and pricing details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

The People's Market

Legal name

The People's Market

Website

https://thepeoplesmarketdmv.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The People's Market is a subscription-based produce delivery service serving the Washington DC metropolitan area, sourcing half and full produce boxes plus add-ons from four local underrepresented farmer partners via a Shopify storefront with direct farm-to-door delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Grocery Delivery (Subscription Produce Boxes)

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (44523)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Food Subscription/CSA & Produce Box Retail (CRAHAHAG), Scheduled Delivery & Subscription Grocery (CRAHAIAC)

Keywords

• Subscription produce delivery
• Farm-to-door service
• Local organic produce
• Online grocery subscription
• Community-supported agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington DC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Produce Boxes: Recurring subscription revenue from half or full produce boxes delivered on weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedules. Core revenue driver. Add-on products available: eggs, flowers, body soaps, body butters, and candles. No delivery fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The People's Market is a subscription-based food delivery service that sources produce and complementary goods from local farms in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia and delivers them directly to consumers' doors. Customers select half or full produce box subscriptions with flexible weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery frequencies, and can add farm-fresh eggs, flowers, all-natural handmade body soaps, body butters, and candles. The service promises a 48-72 hour harvest-to-delivery window and charges no delivery fees.

Product overview

The People's Market is a subscription-based food delivery service offering a curated selection of produce boxes sourced from local farms in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The core offering consists of half and full produce box subscriptions with flexible delivery frequencies (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). The platform operates as a unified subscription service where customers select their box size and add-on products. Add-on products include farm-fresh eggs from Curemore Farms, flowers from Sweet Love Flower Farm, all-natural handmade body soaps, body butters, and candles. All produce is harvested and delivered within 48-72 hours with no delivery or service fees. The service is powered by a Shopify e-commerce storefront and a Wix website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Half Produce Box Subscription A subscription-based half-sized produce box containing locally sourced, organic, all-natural produce from farms in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with delivery available every 1, 2, or 4 weeks. Targeted at health-conscious households in the DMV area seeking fresh farm-to-door produce.
• Full Produce Box Subscription A subscription-based full-sized produce box containing locally sourced, organic, all-natural produce from farms in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with delivery available every 1, 2, or 4 weeks. Targeted at health-conscious households in the DMV area seeking fresh farm-to-door produce.
• Farm-Fresh Eggs (Add-on) Farm-fresh eggs sourced from Curemore Farms in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, sold as an optional add-on to produce box subscriptions for DMV-area subscribers.
• Cut Flowers (Add-on) Fresh cut flowers sourced from Sweet Love Flower Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, sold as an optional add-on to produce box subscriptions for DMV-area subscribers.
• All-Natural Handmade Body Soaps (Add-on) All-natural handmade body soaps offered as an optional add-on to produce box subscriptions for DMV-area subscribers.
• Body Butters (Add-on) All-natural body butters offered as an optional add-on to produce box subscriptions for DMV-area subscribers.
• Handmade Candles (Add-on) Handmade candles offered as an optional add-on to produce box subscriptions for DMV-area subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produce delivered within 48-72 hours of harvest

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Curemore FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Partner farm supplying eggs. Known for happy hens with freedom and care, producing quality eggs with creamy texture and plump orange yolks.
• Sweet Love Flower FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Founded and operated by Jamilah with over 15 years of agricultural experience. Provides flowers to The People's Market. Name tribute to the Anita Baker hit song.
• Botanical Bites and Provisions, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall, ten-acre certified naturally grown farm in Spotsylvania County (near Fredericksburg, Virginia). Run by Army veterans. Produces naturally grown vegetables, fruits, apiary products, and cut flowers free of pesticides, preservatives, and herbicides.
• Farmer TolucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban farmer based in Washington, DC. Introduced to urban agriculture in Detroit in 2013. Committed to farming career in DC since 2020. Serves Prince George's and Montgomery Counties, DC and Alexandria and Arlington, VA. Grows and distributes produce.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Imperfect Foods: Subscription-based grocery delivery service focused on 'imperfect' produce and pantry items; directly competes with The People's Market for health-conscious consumers wanting weekly recurring produce boxes.
• Hungry Harvest: Mid-Atlantic / East Coast subscription produce box service that rescues surplus farm produce and delivers to households; highly comparable geography, model, and customer overlap with The People's Market's DMV footprint.
• The Produce Box: Subscription-based produce delivery service operating in the Carolinas that aggregates local farm produce into weekly boxes; directly comparable subscription model and farm-to-door positioning.
• Farmbox Direct: Subscription produce box service sourcing from local and regional farms; close functional peer to The People's Market's half/full produce box with add-on product strategy.
• Misfits Market: National DTC subscription produce and grocery box service delivering imperfect and surplus produce directly to consumers; operates the same subscription box model as The People's Market but at national scale.

Broad incumbents

• Whole Foods Market: Amazon-owned natural and organic grocery retailer with strong produce and local sourcing programs; an established incumbent in the same food values-driven customer segment that The People's Market targets.
• FreshDirect: Established online grocery delivery service in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast offering fresh produce alongside full grocery assortment; broader incumbent competing for the same DMV-area household produce spend.

Emerging players

• Roots & Stems Cooperative: Cooperative-style produce aggregation and delivery concept focused on local farms; emerging player with overlapping mission of supporting small farmers and broadening consumer access to fresh produce.

Regional players

• Local Roots NYC: Subscription farm-share service in New York City sourcing from regional growers; comparable mission-led, local-farm-sourced subscription box model but in a different geographic market.

Others

• Imperfect Foods (already listed):

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-people-s-market

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 The People's Market