Plainfield Co-op

What Plainfield Co-op does

Plainfield Co-op is a non-profit community cooperative operating as a small grocery and hardware retailer based in Montpelier, Vermont. Founded in 1972, the organization offers organic and healthful products to local consumers, functioning as a member-driven retail establishment rather than a technology-driven or scalable enterprise. With a headcount of 1-10 employees, the co-op operates at a micro-retail scale typical of community-owned grocery cooperatives serving a defined local market.

The business model is built on cooperative retail: the organization sells grocery and hardware goods, including a focus on organic and healthful product categories, directly to walk-in and local community customers. Revenue mechanics appear to be standard retail markup on inventory, supplemented by the member-based cooperative structure common to consumer co-ops. No pricing model, revenue figures, customer segment breakdowns, distribution channels, or marketing channels were disclosed in available data, and the company's own website was inaccessible (returning only a loading/verification screen), limiting further detail extraction.

Strategically, no recent funding rounds, acquisitions, product launches, partnerships, leadership changes, geographic expansions, or technology investments were documented in the input. There is no evidence of proprietary technology, digital platform, app, or API infrastructure. The co-op's competitive positioning rests on its community-embedded local presence and organic/health-oriented merchandising mix rather than on technology, scale, or differentiated supply chain capabilities.

Name

Plainfield Co-op

Website

https://plainfieldcoop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Plainfield Co-op is a small non-profit community grocery and hardware cooperative founded in 1972 in Montpelier, Vermont, offering organic and healthful products to local consumers via a 1-10 employee retail operation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Grocery and Hardware Retail

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers (CRAHAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops (CRAHALAE)

Keywords

• Community grocery retail
• Organic natural foods
• Hardware store supplies
• Consumer cooperative
• Small format grocery

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpelier

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure

Core offering

Plainfield Co-op is a non-profit community cooperative operating a grocery and hardware retail store that offers organic and healthful products. It serves local consumers in and around Montpelier, Vermont, with a curated mix of natural foods and basic hardware supplies. The business is structured as a member-supported co-op rather than a traditional investor-owned retailer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic and Natural Grocery Products

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Direct peers

• Hunger Mountain Co-op: A community-owned natural foods co-op located in Waterbury, Vermont, just outside Montpelier. It is the most directly comparable peer given its similar non-profit co-op model, organic and local focus, and shared Vermont customer base in the central Vermont region.
• City Market / Onion River Co-op: A large member-owned natural food co-op in Burlington, Vermont, operating two stores. It is highly comparable as a Vermont-based non-profit co-op offering organic groceries and natural products, with a similar governance and member-loyalty model.
• Co-op Food Stores (Hanover Consumer Co-op Society): A New Hampshire and Vermont consumer co-op operating multiple grocery stores in the Upper Valley region. Directly comparable as a member-owned natural/organic grocery co-op serving small-town markets in the same geographic region.
• Brattleboro Food Co-op: A member-owned natural foods co-op in Brattleboro, Vermont, focused on organic and locally sourced products. Closely mirrors Plainfield Co-op's mission, member-owned structure, and southern Vermont community positioning.
• Putney Food Co-op: A small community-owned natural foods co-op in Putney, Vermont, offering organic groceries and wellness products. Highly comparable as a small, non-profit co-op format serving a rural Vermont community.

Regional players

• Healthy Living Market and Café: An independent natural and organic grocery store based in Burlington, Vermont. While it is for-profit rather than a co-op, it competes in the same natural/organic specialty grocery category in Vermont and targets a similar organic and local-food-oriented customer.
• Buffalo Mountain Food Co-op: A small community-owned natural foods co-op in Hardwick, Vermont. Comparable as a Vermont-based non-profit co-op in the organic/local grocery space, though it serves a different geography within the state.
• Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op: A member-owned natural foods co-op in Middlebury, Vermont. Mirrors Plainfield Co-op's co-op structure, organic focus, and small-town Vermont footprint, though serving a different local market.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Grocers (Vitamin Cottage): A national chain of natural and organic grocery stores. Comparable as a broader organic-focused grocery operator, though it is a for-profit corporation with significantly larger scale and geographic reach.
• Whole Foods Market: A national certified-organic-focused grocer and part of Amazon. It competes for the same organic and natural-food customer segment, though at very different scale and with a broader product assortment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Plainfieldcoop
• Facebookfacebook.com/PlainfieldCoop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Plainfield Co-op