BoysGrow

What BoysGrow does

BoysGrow is a Kansas City, Missouri-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that runs a two-year youth development program for urban youth ages 14-16. Operating from a 10-acre farm in South Kansas City, the program trains cohorts of approximately 30 participants per cycle in farming, culinary arts, construction, marketing, and public speaking, using a proprietary Farmer's Handbook curriculum. Youth develop class products — including salsa, pasta sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, and Bloody Mary mix — that are sold through four Kansas City-area grocery chains, embedding the program in a local commercial supply chain. To date the organization has produced 160+ alumni and sustains programming through a mix of foundation grants, corporate sponsorships (including Cargill, Seaboard Foods, Smithfield, and United HealthCare), youth sponsorships at $1,500 per participant, product sales, and event revenue.

The organization's revenue model blends contributed and earned income. Foundations (Kemper, Mabee, Sunderland, Kauffman, Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City) and corporate donors anchor fundraising, with annual activations such as Farm Fest generating between approximately $50K and $100K. A 2018 capital campaign raised approximately $815,000 toward a $1,000,000 goal to fund infrastructure. In 2020 BoysGrow expanded its asset base with the Farm Kitchen, a Passive House-certified event venue on the farm property that introduces event-rental income and fee-based public workshops (observed at $20 per person). The Seaboard Foods Wintership internship and Cargill board leadership link the program to Kansas City's agricultural corporate ecosystem, while the 2022 M.A.C. Skills partnership with North Kansas City Schools extends the curriculum into public-school classrooms.

Name

BoysGrow

Legal name

BoysGrow Corp.

Website

https://boysgrow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BoysGrow is a Kansas City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit running a two-year agricultural entrepreneurship program for urban youth ages 14-16, combining farming, culinary arts, and vocational skills training on a 10-acre farm, supplemented by retail product sales and event venue operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship and Agricultural Education

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Agricultural education
• Urban farming services
• Nonprofit workforce development
• Specialty food products

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Individual and corporate donations, sponsorship of youth at $1,500 per youth for summer program wages and processing fees. Multiple foundation supporters including Kemper, Mabee, Sunderland, Health Care Foundation, Kauffman Foundation.
2. Product Sales: Class products including ketchups, hot sauces, and salsas sold through Kansas City grocery stores. Six products have reached grocery store shelves including 2011 Salsa Orgullo, 2012 Agave Ketchup, 2013 BBQ Sauce, 2014 Avocado Hot Sauce, 2015 Tzatziki Salad Dressing, 2016 Jalapeño Honey Mustard.
3. Farm Kitchen Event Venue Rental: Passive house event venue rental for private events, dinners, and workshops. 3,000 sqft indoor space, 150ft wrap-around porch, capacity 60-100 guests. Revenue from event bookings and catering.
4. Educational Workshops: Community workshops on sustainability, nature, and creativity offered at $20 per person. Includes mushroom cultivation, plant-dyed textiles, and other hands-on learning experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BoysGrow is a Kansas City-based nonprofit that runs a two-year paid youth mentorship program for teens (ages 14-16), teaching agricultural entrepreneurship, business skills, and life skills through hands-on farming operations. The organization cultivates and sells specialty food products (ketchups, hot sauces, salsas) and operates the Farm Kitchen event venue, with proceeds reinvested into the youth program.

Product overview

BoysGrow is a non-profit agricultural youth development organization offering a single integrated program. The core offering is a 2-year youth mentorship program where urban teens ages 14-16 learn farming, culinary arts, construction, and business skills. As part of the program, youth develop class products (ketchups, hot sauces, salsas) that are sold commercially. The organization also operates the Farm Kitchen, a passive house event venue on their 10-acre farm, and hosts community educational workshops on sustainability topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BoysGrow Youth Mentorship Program
• BoysGrow Specialty Food Products
• Farm Kitchen Event Venue
• Educational Workshops and Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 160 young men have completed the program and learned vocational and soft skills
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• North Kansas City School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership for M.A.C. Skills (Mechanics, Agriculture, & Culinary Arts Skills) program. 15 students attend twice weekly for hands-on vocational training for academic credit. Students can earn certificates like OSHA-10 and Food Handling License.
• Seaboard FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Employee Communications Manager Beth Gerstenberger serves on the board. Partnership includes 'Wintership' internship program for BoysGrow alumni, agricultural industry exposure, and event sponsorship.
• Prairie Design BuildcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal design/build contractor chosen to build the Passive House-certified Culinary Center. Company mission aligns with sustainability values, committed to building with 85-90% less energy consumption.
• HOK ArchitecturemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm partnered with BoysGrow to design the Culinary Center on the permanent farm in South KC.
• Torn Label Brewing Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood vendor partner at Farm Fest 2023.
• Dispatch PizzaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent partner for farm dining experiences including 'Night by the Pond' and Farm Fest. Provides live-fire baked pizzas at events.
• Rolling Hills Presbyterian ChurchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-time supporter that housed Amish youth volunteers during their work week at the farm.
• Lidia BastianichmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCelebrity chef featured at Farm Fest events. Provided quote praising the program for giving inner-city kids opportunity to feel nature and the Earth.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Green City Growers: Green City Growers is a Cleveland urban farm and education center producing organic vegetables while training youth and adults in sustainable agriculture. Comparable to BoysGrow in combining urban farming production, youth workforce training, and CSA/sales channels.
• FoodCorps: FoodCorps places service members in schools to teach kids about food, nutrition, and gardening - directly comparable to BoysGrow's school-district M.A.C. Skills partnership. Both organizations connect youth to real food systems through paid experiential learning.
• Big Green: Big Green is a national nonprofit that builds learning gardens in schools and runs food education programs, mirroring BoysGrow's combination of youth development and hands-on agriculture. Like BoysGrow, it focuses on under-resourced communities and uses food as a vehicle for life-skills development.
• Urban Adamah: Urban Adamah runs a residential fellowship on an urban farm in Berkeley combining organic agriculture, social justice, and Jewish learning. It is highly comparable to BoysGrow in combining urban agriculture with youth/adult skill-building and farm-based product development.
• Teens Grow Greens: Teens Grow Greens is a Minneapolis nonprofit that teaches teens to grow, cook, and distribute food while developing leadership and job skills. Closely comparable to BoysGrow in target demographic (urban teens), skills taught, and produce-distribution model.
• Real Food Farm: Real Food Farm is an urban farm operated by Civic Works in Baltimore that produces organic food and runs youth education programs. Comparable to BoysGrow's combination of commercial agricultural production, youth workforce development, and CSA/farmers market distribution.
• Sproutin' Up: Sproutin' Up is a Fort Collins, Colorado nonprofit that engages teens as paid interns to grow produce and distribute it to families experiencing food insecurity. Closely comparable to BoysGrow's paid teen internship model tied to fresh produce distribution.
• North Side Civic Foundation / Growing Power legacy organizations: Growing Power (Will Allen, Milwaukee) was a nationally recognized urban agriculture organization training youth in aquaponics and farming. Comparable to BoysGrow in urban-farm youth training mission, though Growing Power has faced operational challenges.

Broad incumbents

• The Food Trust: The Food Trust is a larger Philadelphia-based nonprofit addressing food access, nutrition education, and youth food justice across a broader portfolio of programs. Comparable to BoysGrow in mission (youth + food + underserved communities) but operates at greater scale and scope.

Emerging players

• CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture): CUESA operates the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco and runs food education programs. Comparable to BoysGrow in combining sustainable agriculture education with public-facing farm and food programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BoysGrow
• Instagraminstagram.com/boysgrow
• Xx.com/boysgrow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boys-grow-corp

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 BoysGrow