Gullah Farmers’ Cooperative Association

What Gullah Farmers’ Cooperative Association does

The Gullah Farmers' Cooperative Association is a member-owned agricultural cooperative founded in 2010 and headquartered on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, within the Gullah Geechee corridor. It aggregates produce from approximately 22-25 independent Black farmers across the Lowcountry and distributes it to wholesale buyers across the Carolinas and Georgia, reaching institutions such as schools, hospitals, restaurants, grocery stores, and food banks. Operations are anchored by a 10,000-square-foot GAP-certified processing facility, opened in May 2021 in the renovated Leroy E. Browne Services Center, which enables produce processing and distribution within a 48-hour cycle.

The cooperative's technology stack centers on a federally significant FSMA 204 traceability pilot launched in 2025 through a partnership with ENSESO4Food, which supplies software and IoT temperature sensors embedded in harvest boxes to digitally monitor produce from field to retail/food service endpoints, ensuring FDA compliance and reducing spoilage. GAP certification across member farms is a prerequisite for accessing institutional channels. The co-op also participates in South Carolina's Certified Grown in South Carolina program and is recognized by the Beaufort Conservation District, where board member Walter Mack serves as a field agent supporting small-scale Black farmers.

Revenue is generated through produce aggregation and wholesale transaction fees, with pricing handled off-platform via direct contact; no public pricing exists. The cooperative is governed by a member-elected board (President Joe McDomick, Vice-President Joseph Fields, Secretary York Glover, Treasurer Betty Strickland) and operates under Executive Director Vernita Dore, a former USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary. The organization is grant-dependent, having received USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Loans and Grants and a $60,000 grant from The Nature Conservancy in 2023, and pursues a sales-led GTM motion supported by a dedicated sales and marketing manager.

Name

Gullah Farmers’ Cooperative Association

Legal name

Gullah Farmers' Cooperative Association

Website

https://gullahfarmers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Gullah Farmers' Cooperative Association is a member-owned agricultural cooperative founded in 2010 on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, aggregating produce from approximately 22-25 independent Black farmers and distributing it via a 10,000-square-foot GAP-certified processing facility to schools, hospitals, restaurants, grocery stores, and food banks across the Carolinas and Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Cooperative / Wholesale Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farmer Cooperatives & Co-op Retail (AFABAJAB)

Keywords

• Agricultural cooperative
• Wholesale produce distribution
• Fresh produce aggregation
• GAP certified processing
• Farm to school

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Helena Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Produce Sales: The cooperative generates revenue by aggregating produce from member farmers and selling to wholesale buyers across the Carolinas and Georgia. The co-op provides a market outlet for small-scale farmers who otherwise would lack access to wholesale distribution channels.
2. Processing and Aggregation Services: The cooperative operates a 10,000-square-foot processing facility enabling rapid produce processing and distribution within 48 hours, supporting the economic viability of member farms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Gullah Farmers' Cooperative Association is a member-owned agricultural cooperative that aggregates produce from approximately 22-25 independent Black Gullah farmers and distributes it wholesale to institutional buyers across the Carolinas and Georgia. Operating from a 10,000-square-foot GAP-certified processing facility on St. Helena Island, SC, the cooperative enables rapid 48-hour farm-to-table turnaround for schools, hospitals, restaurants, grocery stores, and food banks.

Product overview

The Gullah Farmers' Cooperative Association operates as an agricultural cooperative providing fresh produce distribution and GAP-certified processing services. The cooperative represents Gullah farm operations in South Carolina and Georgia, sourcing and distributing high-quality local produce to wholesale markets across the Carolinas and Georgia through their 10,000-square-foot GAP-certified processing facility. They have also partnered with ENSESO4Food for a traceability platform using IoT temperature sensors to digitally monitor food from field to table, ensuring FSMA compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wholesale Fresh Produce Distribution
• GAP-Certified Processing and Aggregation Facility Services
• FSMA 204 Traceability and IoT Produce Monitoring

Quantifiable outcome

• The cooperative can track produce from every farmer, providing full traceability to consumers

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ENSESO4FoodcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for FSMA 204 traceability pilot. ENSESO4Food provides software and IoT temperature sensors to digitally monitor the journey of food from field to table, ensuring compliance with Food Safety Modernization Act's newest rules.
• South Carolina Department of Agriculture - Certified Grown in South CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe cooperative's traceability efforts could serve as valuable brand support for the state's Certified Grown in South Carolina program.
• Beaufort Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in helping small-scale farmers maximize the value of their agricultural land. Walter Mack serves as field agent for the district.
• Lowcountry Food BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing partnership providing culturally relevant Gullah Geechee foods to communities in need. LCFB has worked with the cooperative for nearly two decades.
• Coastal Conservation League / Growfood CarolinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to help grow farmers' businesses and strengthen the local food system.
• Beaufort County School DistrictcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFarm to School partnership providing fresh produce to schools and educational programs about healthy eating and Gullah culture.
• Open Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand conservation organization working to preserve agricultural land in the Lowcountry.
• Lowcountry Fresh MarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail partner distributing local Gullah-grown produce to consumers.
• Second HelpingsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit partner supporting the cooperative's efforts to strengthen organizational capacity and market fresh local produce.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Farm Fresh Rhode Island: Regional food hub aggregating from local farms and distributing to wholesale and institutional buyers. Comparable in operating a centralized aggregation/distribution model and serving schools, hospitals, and retailers.
• Red Tomato: Nonprofit regional produce aggregator and distributor sourcing from mid-sized farms to supply grocery and institutional buyers in the Northeast. Comparable as a mission-driven wholesale aggregator using food safety and traceability as differentiators.
• Growfood Carolina: South Carolina-based local food hub that aggregates produce from small farmers and distributes to wholesale buyers across the Carolinas. Operated by the Coastal Conservation League, a direct partner of the Gullah Farmers' Co-op, with an overlapping regional mission and customer base.
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives / Land Assistance Fund: Cooperative development organization supporting Black farmers and rural cooperatives across the Southeast. Directly comparable in mission and structure as a farmer-led cooperative serving historically marginalized producers in the same US region.

Broad incumbents

• National Black Farmers Association: National advocacy and cooperative organization representing Black farmers across the US. Overlapping mission around economic empowerment, federal program access, and market access for African American producers.

Others

• Coastal Conservation League: Charleston-based conservation nonprofit that operates Growfood Carolina food hub and partners with the Gullah co-op. Comparable as a partner organization building farmer capacity and local food system infrastructure in coastal South Carolina.

Regional players

• Carolina Farm Stewardship Association: Regional sustainable agriculture organization serving the Carolinas with farmer support, market development, and Farm to School programs. Comparable as a regional advocate enabling small farms to access institutional wholesale channels.

Emerging players

• Tuskegee University Small Farmer Outreach Program: Program supporting socially disadvantaged farmers in the Southeast through training, technical assistance, and market access. Comparable in serving Black farmer cooperatives and addressing similar barriers to wholesale market participation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/scgullahcoop
• Instagraminstagram.com/scgullahcoop

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Gullah Farmers’ Cooperative Association