Edible Madison

What Edible Madison does

Edible Madison is a regional food and lifestyle media publication serving Southern Wisconsin, operated by Forager Publishing, LLC from Madison, Wisconsin. The company's core product is a seasonal print magazine covering local food culture, recipes, farm profiles, and food stories, complemented by a digital ecosystem that includes a searchable recipes database, a 'Now In Season' seasonal ingredient guide, a local guide directory, an events calendar, editorial columns, and an email newsletter called 'The Beet.' The underlying technology is a web-based content management and email newsletter platform supporting both free-access content and paid subscriptions for home delivery of the print magazine.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with two revenue streams: recurring print magazine subscriptions delivered by mail, and advertising sold to local and regional food businesses (restaurants, farms, artisans, beverage producers) across both the print magazine and the website. The publication serves two primary customer segments — local food enthusiasts seeking seasonal recipes and community connection, and local food businesses seeking targeted visibility with an engaged regional audience. Content is distributed through multiple channels including mail subscriptions, retail placement at co-ops and farmers markets, the ediblemadison.com website, and email newsletter.

Edible Madison is a member of Edible Communities, a national network of regional food publications, and carries James Beard Foundation recognition. The company is privately held with no institutional investment, operates with 1-10 employees, and has not pursued external funding. No mobile app, public API, or AI capabilities were disclosed in the available data.

Name

Edible Madison

Legal name

Forager Publishing, LLC

Website

https://ediblemadison.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Edible Madison is a regional food magazine and digital content platform serving Southern Wisconsin, published by Forager Publishing, LLC. It connects local food enthusiasts with seasonal recipes, farm profiles, and community events while offering advertising and subscription revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Food Media

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Regional food magazine
• Local food journalism
• Seasonal recipe content
• Food culture publication
• Community food guide

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print magazine subscriptions delivered to readers' mailboxes, with both individual and potential group/organizational subscription options.
2. Advertising: Local and regional food businesses, restaurants, farms, and artisans advertise in the magazine and on the website to reach the local food community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Edible Madison is a regional food publication that produces a seasonal print magazine, a companion website with recipes and editorial stories, a free e-newsletter called 'The Beet', and curated local food resources (a 'Now In Season' seasonal ingredient guide, a Local Guide directory, and an Events Calendar) for the Madison and Southern Wisconsin food community. The publication is operated by Forager Publishing, LLC as part of the Edible Communities national network and connects readers with local farms, restaurants, chefs, and food artisans.

Product overview

Edible Madison is a local food magazine published by Forager Publishing, LLC that operates primarily as a content platform with a seasonal print and online publication at its core. The offering includes the Edible Madison Magazine (available by subscription with home delivery), the free-access Recipes Database, Stories/Articles section, Now In Season seasonal food guide, Local Guide directory, Events Calendar, and The Beet e-newsletter. The platform focuses on local food culture in Madison, Wisconsin and Southern Wisconsin, connecting readers with seasonal recipes, local producers, food preservation techniques, and community food events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Edible Madison Magazine A seasonal print and online publication covering local food culture, recipes, and food stories from the Madison, Wisconsin area, published by Forager Publishing, LLC.
• The Beet Newsletter The e-newsletter of Edible Madison providing regular updates on local food issues, online exclusive stories, original recipes, sponsored buying guides, and special issue sneak peeks.
• Now In Season An online seasonal food guide featuring browsable information about foods in season in Southern Wisconsin, with search by month or food type categories including Eggs & Dairy, Fruits & Nuts, Greens, Herbs, Meat & Fish, Vegetables, and Other.
• Subscription Service Paid subscription options for home delivery of the print magazine, complementing the free online content.
• Local Guide A resource directory connecting readers with local food producers, farmers markets, farms, and food-related businesses in the Madison area.
• Events Calendar A listing of local food-related events in the Madison area.
• Recipes Database A searchable collection of seasonal recipes organized by category including Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, Salad, Appetizer/Side Dish, Soup, Beverages/Cocktails, Condiments, Snacks, and Baking, with filters for dietary preferences like Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Vegetarian.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Edible CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdible Madison is a member of Edible Communities, a national network of regional food publications. This partnership provides brand recognition, shared resources, and connection to the broader local food movement across North America.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Edible Seattle: West Coast sister publication in the Edible Communities network. Same magazine, digital, and events offering targeting a regional food enthusiast audience with local advertiser support.
• Edible Communities: Parent network of regional food publications of which Edible Madison is a member. Operates the same magazine-plus-digital content model across North America and is the most direct comparable for editorial format, revenue mix, and brand positioning.
• Edible Chicago: Sister publication within the Edible Communities network covering the Chicago food scene. Same content model, same advertising and subscription revenue mix, providing the closest geographic and structural benchmark to Edible Madison.
• Edible Austin: Regional Edible Communities publication with identical seasonal recipes, local guide, and editorial format. Useful comparable for subscription pricing, ad rates, and digital engagement benchmarks.
• Edible Boston: Another Edible Communities regional title with overlapping format (print magazine + digital + local guide + events). Comparable in size, audience profile, and revenue structure to Edible Madison.

Broad incumbents

• Bon Appétit: Major national food media brand with deep recipe library, video content, and large advertiser base. Represents the scaled digital competitor that captures audience attention and ad spend that would otherwise flow to regional food publications like Edible Madison.
• Saveur: National food culture magazine covering recipes, travel, and culinary storytelling. Overlaps with Edible Madison's editorial positioning around local and seasonal food culture, but operates at a national scale and is a structural competitor for food-focused advertising spend.
• Midwest Living: Regional lifestyle brand covering Midwest food, travel, and culture with a broader topical footprint than Edible Madison. Comparable as a Midwest-focused subscription lifestyle magazine with food as a major vertical, but competing for the same regional advertiser pool.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Trails: Wisconsin-based regional lifestyle publication covering outdoor recreation, travel, and local culture. Comparable as a state-level subscription magazine with regional advertiser base, though not food-specific.
• Milwaukee Magazine: Wisconsin city/regional lifestyle magazine serving the broader Wisconsin market. Competes for similar regional advertising dollars and follows a print-plus-digital city-magazine model, though at a larger scale and broader topical scope than Edible Madison.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EdibleMadison
• Facebookfacebook.com/EdibleMadison
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edible-madison

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 Edible Madison