The Community Grocer
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
The Community Grocer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Community Grocer
- Legal name
- TCG Groceries
- Website
- https://thecommunitygrocer.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Community Grocer industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit community grocery and food access
- NAICS
- Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (445110), Community Food Services (62421)
- SIC
- Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Traditional Grocery Stores (Small-Format/Corner Grocers) (CRAHAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB)
Keywords
Where The Community Grocer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Community Grocer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Grocery Sales: Revenue from sale of meal kits, staple ingredients, and fresh food to community members. Accepts SNAP, WIC, OTC Cards, Credit, Debit, or Cash. 100% SNAP eligible products.
- GroceryRx Program Credits: Provides up to $75/week in grocery credits for eligible neighbors with health conditions. Funded through healthcare partnerships and value-based care investments.
- Workforce Development Program: 50-week paid apprenticeship program with nationally recognized credentials (ServSafe, DOL Line Cook Apprenticeship). Funded through workforce development grants and partnerships.
- Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Multiple giving options including online, mail, stock, DAF, and matching gifts. EIN: 88-1548235.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Weekly | GroceryRx Program - Up to $75/week grocery credits |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Apprenticeship Program - Paid on-the-job training |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Management Positions - Competitive hourly rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Community Grocer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Community Grocer operates a nonprofit corner-store model selling 100% SNAP-eligible, locally sourced groceries and meal kits at a flagship Southwest Philadelphia store, allowing SNAP recipients to exchange kits for hot meals prepared at an adjacent workforce training kitchen. It also runs GroceryRx, America's first brick-and-mortar retail food pharmacy providing up to $75/week in grocery credits for neighbors managing conditions like diabetes and heart disease, alongside a 50-week paid DOL-approved culinary apprenticeship program.
Product overview
The Community Grocer operates as a unified nonprofit retail model combining three core components: (1) The Community Grocer main market — a SNAP-eligible grocery store offering fresh, locally sourced ingredients and meal kits; (2) GroceryRx — America's first brick-and-mortar retail food pharmacy providing grocery credits for neighbors with health conditions; and (3) a 50-week paid Apprenticeship Program offering workforce training with nationally recognized credentials. The model integrates revolutionary retail, food-as-medicine, and community resilience, allowing SNAP recipients to purchase meal kits and exchange them for hot prepared meals — a first-in-country approach fully compliant with federal policy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GroceryRx: Food as medicine program providing up to $75/week in grocery credits for fresh, local food at The Community Grocer for neighbors managing health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
- Culinary Apprenticeship Program
Products and services
- The Community Grocer Main Market
- GroceryRx Food Pharmacy Program
- Culinary Apprenticeship Program
- SNAP-Compatible Meal Kits
Quantifiable outcome
- 73% of neighbors face challenges with healthy eating including working kitchens, time, access, and knowledge barriers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Community Grocer
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Community Grocer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Community Grocer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
28 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Penn MedicinecoreHealthcare research partnership conducting CHANGE Study (published in Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition) and NOURISH Study measuring GroceryRx impact on maternal wellbeing within SNAP/WIC frameworks. Co-creating the food pharmacy model with clinical integration.
- Walton Ave Resident Action Committee (RAC2)coreCommunity governance partnership where neighbors have direct say in TCG's development and operations. Responsibilities include voting on operations, selecting programming, planning menus, and overseeing workforce development programs. Created the culinary workforce training kitchen that prepares hot meals.
- Harvard Food Law & Policy CliniccoreLegal and policy partnership that helped develop the SNAP-compatible meal-kit model. Verified the model as compliant with federal policy and the first of its kind in the country.
- CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)majorDr. Saba Khan, Director of Food Pharmacy at CHOP, serves on TCG's board. Healthcare partnership for nutrition access programs.
- Philadelphia City CouncilcoreAppointed to Philadelphia City Council's Food and Nutrition Security Task Force. Co-creating food access policy recommendations with leaders from across the city.
- The Food TrustmajorThought partner in food access and nutrition work. Supporting TCG's model development and community engagement.
- Farmer JawnminorLocal farm partner supplying fresh, local ingredients to the grocery.
- SHARE Food ProgramminorLocal food program partner supporting supply chain and food rescue operations.
- Sharing ExcessminorFood rescue partner helping reduce food waste while supporting community access.
- Community of Compassion CDCcoreHost partner for Informational & Hiring Expo. Pastor Terrilynn Donnell, Executive Director, serves on TCG's board. Hub for community programs and workforce training.
- Ballard Spahr LLPminorPro-bono legal partner providing legal counsel and support for organizational operations.
- Stokes Architecture + DesignminorPro-bono architectural partner designing the flagship store space.
- MANNAminorCommunity nutrition organization partner. Sophie Keane previously served as Institutional Relations Manager at MANNA.
- Geisinger HealthminorHealthcare system partner supporting food as medicine integration and research.
- Carversville Farm FoundationminorLocal regenerative farm providing produce for community events and grocery supplies.
- TMK ProduceminorLocal produce supplier supporting fresh food supply chain.
- Singer EquipmentminorEquipment supplier supporting grocery and kitchen operations.
- PopArt AcademyminorCommunity arts partner collaborating on mural and creative programming for the space.
- The Global Food InstituteminorThought partner in food system innovation and research.
- The Alliance to End HungerminorFirst non-national members of Alliance to End Hunger network.
- Philadelphia WorksminorWorkforce development partner supporting apprenticeship and job training programs.
- National Restaurant Association Educational FoundationminorIndustry partner supporting workforce development curriculum and credentials.
- Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging AssociationminorIndustry partner supporting culinary workforce development.
- Food is Medicine CoalitionminorCoalition partner advancing food as medicine approach to healthcare.
- Penn Center for Nutrition Science and Applied MedicineminorAcademic partner in nutrition science research and applied medicine.
- The Farmlink ProjectminorFood rescue and supply chain partner supporting food access.
- Toast.orgminorPro-bono technology partner supporting digital infrastructure.
- Compass Pro BonominorPro-bono consulting and implementation support.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Community Grocer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Daily Table: Nonprofit small-format grocery store founded by Doug Rauch in Dorchester, MA, selling affordable, healthy food in a food-insecure neighborhood. Closest operating analog to TCG's corner-store model and shared mission of dignified food access.
- Boston Medical Center Preventive Food Pantry: Hospital-based food pantry and demonstration kitchen inside Boston Medical Center that distributes food to food-insecure patients and teaches healthy cooking. Closest institutional analog to GroceryRx as a healthcare-embedded food pharmacy.
- DC Central Kitchen: Washington, D.C. nonprofit that combines a community kitchen, workforce culinary training, and food distribution. Directly comparable to TCG's integrated kitchen + apprenticeship + food access model.
- Geisinger Fresh Food Farmacy: Geisinger Health's flagship food-as-medicine program in Pennsylvania that 'prescribes' free food to diabetic patients. Directly comparable to TCG's GroceryRx model and a current TCG partner.
- MANNA: Philadelphia-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals to people with serious illnesses; a TCG partner organization and the most direct food-as-medicine peer, sharing the same metro footprint and healthcare integration approach.
Regional players
- The Stop Community Food Centre: Toronto-based community food center combining a food bank, drop-in meals, gardens, cooking classes, and advocacy. Comparable integrated model of food access + community resilience, though operating in Canada.
- Philabundance: Greater Philadelphia region's largest hunger-relief organization, including the Philabundance Community Kitchen where TCG's Chef de Cuisine Samir Y. Hernandez previously trained 250+ students. Regional food-rescue and culinary-workforce peer and active TCG partner.
Emerging players
- Mandela Grocery Cooperative: Worker-owned cooperative grocery in West Oakland operating in an underserved neighborhood. Comparable community-ownership and food-access mission at smaller scale; useful benchmark for cooperative-style governance.
Others
- The Food Trust: Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on food access policy, nutrition education, and healthy retail. A current TCG thought partner; overlapping mission around food apartheid and federal nutrition programs.
- Hungry Harvest: Mission-driven produce delivery service that rescues cosmetically imperfect and surplus farm produce for distribution to food-insecure communities. Comparable 'food rescue plus retail' angle and shared supplier relationships with local farms.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Community Grocer social profiles
Digital presenceThe Community Grocer compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Community Grocer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Community Grocer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
The Community Grocer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Community Grocer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Community Grocer
What does The Community Grocer do?
The Community Grocer operates a nonprofit corner-store model selling 100% SNAP-eligible, locally sourced groceries and meal kits at a flagship Southwest Philadelphia store, allowing SNAP recipients to exchange kits for hot meals prepared at an adjacent workforce training kitchen. It also runs GroceryRx, America's first brick-and-mortar retail food pharmacy providing up to $75/week in grocery credits for neighbors managing conditions like diabetes and heart disease, alongside a 50-week paid DOL-approved culinary apprenticeship program.
Is The Community Grocer a public or private company?
The Community Grocer is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Community Grocer founded?
The Community Grocer was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Community Grocer based?
The Community Grocer is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Community Grocer make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Grocery Sales are the primary driver. The others are groceryRx Program Credits, workforce Development Program and donations and Grants.
Who are The Community Grocer's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Daily Table, Boston Medical Center Preventive Food Pantry, DC Central Kitchen, Geisinger Fresh Food Farmacy and MANNA. Regional players are The Stop Community Food Centre and Philabundance. Mandela Grocery Cooperative is listed as an emerging player. Others are The Food Trust and Hungry Harvest.
Does The Community Grocer have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Community Grocer.
What industry is The Community Grocer in?
The Community Grocer's product category is Nonprofit community grocery and food access. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAAAC, Traditional Grocery Stores (Small-Format/Corner Grocers), with a secondary code of CRAHALAB, Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores. Its NAICS code is 445110 and its SIC code is 5411.