Deep Roots Food Hub
Deep Roots Food Hub is a volunteer-driven Canadian non-profit operating an off-grid community root cellar, a food access centre, a permaculture food forest, and educational workshops to improve food security for small-scale farmers and West Carleton residents in Ottawa, Ontario.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNepean, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Deep Roots Food Hub does
Deep Roots Food Hub (DRFH) is a federally chartered Canadian Not-for-Profit Corporation based in Nepean, Ontario, operating since 2018 (with roots in a 2015 grant win) to address food security in the West Carleton region of Ottawa. The organization's primary physical asset is an above-ground, off-grid community root cellar located on National Capital Commission (NCC) land at 230 Davidson's Side Road, Ottawa. This Quonset-styled metal structure uses geothermal heat circulation, solar power (3 solar panels, four 12-volt vehicle batteries), and 8-inch spray foam insulation to maintain a near-constant +2°C and 90-95% humidity, with a designed capacity of 70,000 lbs of root vegetables on only a few hundred watts of solar power. The facility's modular design allows for future expansion by adding arch sections.
DRFH operates four core programs: the Community Root Cellar with tiered annual memberships (Supporter $15, Gardener $20, Grower $40, Producer $100) providing storage access from 200 lbs to 1,500 lbs; the West Carleton Food Access Centre at 5670 Carp Road, Kinburn, which distributes 4-5 days of food monthly to local residents including fresh produce; the Permaculture Food Forest Project, an educational research initiative on regenerative farming practices; and Food Skills Workshops covering cooking, canning, preserving, and home root cellaring. The organization partners with Ottawa Good Food Box, EnviroCentre, Beetbox Farms, the West Carleton Family Health Team, and other community organizations to distribute produce and deliver programming.
DRFH's revenue model combines low-fee membership subscriptions, occasional produce sales at open houses, and educational workshop fees, supplemented by grants and community donations (the largest disclosed being a $125,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Ottawa in December 2015). The organization is volunteer-driven with 1-10 employees and a 5-member volunteer board, and its strategic plan envisions scaling from 10 acres of regenerative farming in 2025 to 750 acres by 2031, potentially producing over 6 million pounds of food annually to feed 3,000 people, with replication of the model through linked For-Profit corporations.
Deep Roots Food Hub firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Deep Roots Food Hub
- Legal name
- Deep Roots Food Hub
- Website
- https://deeprootsfoodhub.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Deep Roots Food Hub is a volunteer-driven Canadian non-profit operating an off-grid community root cellar, a food access centre, a permaculture food forest, and educational workshops to improve food security for small-scale farmers and West Carleton residents in Ottawa, Ontario.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Deep Roots Food Hub industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Food Storage and Access Services
- NAICS
- Community Food Services (62421), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Produce (Fruits & Vegetables) Cold Storage & Ripening (TLALABAE), Temperature-Controlled Distribution Centers (DCs) (AFAOAFAE)
Keywords
Where Deep Roots Food Hub is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nepean
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Deep Roots Food Hub business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Tiered membership model with annual fees ranging from $15 (Supporter) to $100 (Producer). Higher tiers provide increasing root cellar storage access (200lbs to 1500lbs) and additional benefits.
- Produce Sales: Open house events feature produce sales of regeneratively grown vegetables including rutabagas and potatoes.
- Educational Workshops: Food skills workshops covering cooking, nutrition, food gardening, canning, preserving, and home root cellaring.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Supporter - $15/year: Priority event access, newsletter updates, voting rights at AGM |
| Subscription | Annual | Gardener - $20/year: Up to 200lbs/4 bins of root cellar storage, property tour included |
| Subscription | Annual | Grower - $40/year: Up to 500lbs/10 bins of storage, includes all Gardener benefits |
| Subscription | Annual | Producer - $100/year: Up to 1500lbs/30 bins of root cellar storage |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Deep Roots Food Hub product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Deep Roots Food Hub operates an off-grid, geothermal and solar-powered community root cellar that stores up to 70,000 lbs of root vegetables at +2°C and 90-95% humidity, accessed through tiered annual memberships. It also runs the West Carleton Food Access Centre for food-insecure residents, the Permaculture Food Forest Project for educational research, and Food Skills Workshops covering cooking, preserving, and gardening.
Product overview
Deep Roots Food Hub is a single unified initiative focused on improving food security in West Carleton, Ontario. The organization's core offerings include the Community Root Cellar with tiered membership storage programs (Supporter, Gardener, Grower, Producer), the West Carleton Food Access Centre food bank service, Permaculture Food Forest Project for educational research, Food Skills Workshops for community education, and experimental Vertical Growing Systems. These products and services work together to create a complete local food system encompassing growing, storage, distribution, and education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Root Cellar Storage An above-ground, off-grid root storage facility using geothermal heat circulation to maintain +2°C and 90-95% humidity for extended root vegetable storage, featuring modular Quonset-style metal construction with solar power. Available to local farmers, gardeners, and growers via tiered membership.
- Membership Programs (Supporter, Gardener, Grower, Producer) Tiered membership options providing access to root cellar storage (200lbs-1500lbs), priority event access, newsletter updates, and voting rights at AGMs, priced from $15 to $100 annually.
- West Carleton Food Access Centre A food bank service providing West Carleton residents with up to 4-5 days of food once monthly, including fresh produce, located at 5670 Carp Road, Kinburn, ON.
- Permaculture Food Forest Project An educational and research initiative at 230 Davidson's Side Road exploring regenerative farming practices to create a self-sustaining food forest that produces nutrient-dense foods with minimal human intervention.
- Food Skills Workshops Educational workshops teaching community members various techniques to grow, maintain, and store homegrown produce, covering topics such as cooking, nutrition, food gardening, canning, preserving, and root cellaring.
- Vertical Growing System (BeverlyAnn Method) An experimental vertical food growing method using soil-filled 5-gallon pails stacked on pallets, designed for locations with limited land or space to grow food.
Quantifiable outcome
- Store up to 70,000 lbs of produce on only a few hundred watts of solar power
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Deep Roots Food Hub
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Deep Roots Food Hub technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Deep Roots Food Hub partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.
- Beetbox Farms (Worker Co-op)coreWorker Co-op that leases NCC land and sublets to DRFH at 230 Davidson Side Road. Beetbox underwent significant management change in spring 2025 with board now comprising established business owners and not-for-profits collaborating to grow food and build community. They help with greenhouse/garden wastes and provide ongoing collaboration on food forest activities.
- Ottawa Good Food BoxcoreNon-profit program partner offering affordably-priced fruits and vegetables once a month at sites across Ottawa. Collaborated with DRFH and EnviroCentre to win the New Leaf Community Challenge ($125,000 grant) focused on improving food security in West Carleton.
- EnviroCentrecoreEnvironmental organization partner in the New Leaf Community Challenge collaboration. Shared focus on sustainability and community environmental initiatives.
- West Carleton Family Health TeamsupportingHealthcare provider partner supporting the food hub's mission to improve population health through better access to nutritious locally grown food.
- Centretown Community Health CentresupportingCommunity health center partner in the DRFH network of supporters working to build a secure, sustainable food system in West Carleton.
- Western Ottawa Community Resource CentresupportingCommunity resource center partner supporting DRFH's community food initiatives and resource sharing.
- Carp Ridge Eco-Wellness CentresupportingWellness center partner in Carp supporting the food hub's holistic approach to community health through local food access.
- BigSteelBox OttawaminorDonated a storage container for non-produce materials. Part of the 'Friends of Deep Roots Food Hub' donor program supporting the organization.
- Stuart HodgeminorCommunity resident who made generous donation of 4 solar panels (CS6P-265P from Canadian Solar) which power the Root Cellar. Listed as Platinum donor ($250) on donor wall.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Deep Roots Food Hub competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Daily Bread Food Bank: Toronto-area food bank providing emergency food access at scale. Overlaps with DRFH's West Carleton Food Access Centre mandate (4-5 days of food monthly) but at much larger metropolitan scale and without agricultural or storage infrastructure.
Direct peers
- FarmStart: Ontario non-profit supporting new farmers through training, land access, and incubation programming. Overlaps with DRFH's small-scale grower support model and the broader regenerative-agriculture-and-community theme, though centered on farmer development.
- FoodShare Toronto: Toronto-based food hub operating a comparable integrated model of food access, distribution, growing, and education across a Canadian urban region. Similar structure combining a large urban food access mandate with agricultural and educational programming makes it a direct functional analogue to DRFH at scale.
- EnviroCentre: Ottawa-based environmental non-profit focused on sustainability and community environmental initiatives. Co-partner with DRFH on the New Leaf Community Challenge, sharing programming around food systems, environmental education, and community resilience.
- Everdale: Ontario-based charitable teaching farm focused on regenerative agriculture, farmer training, and food-system education. Comparable regenerative agriculture focus and educational programming, though with stronger emphasis on farmer training than food access.
- The Stop Community Food Centre: Community food centre combining food bank access, community kitchens, and urban agriculture programming in Toronto. Closely comparable integrated model of food access, education, and sustainable food production within a single non-profit.
- Ottawa Good Food Box: Affordable produce distribution program that is DRFH's core strategic partner and co-winner of the 2015 New Leaf Community Challenge. Operates the same West Carleton food-security mandate through monthly produce boxes, making it the closest functional peer in geography and mission.
Broad incumbents
- Lineage Logistics: Global temperature-controlled warehousing and cold-chain logistics giant. Comparable product category (cold storage of produce) but at industrial scale and for-profit, illustrating the commercial cold-storage opportunity DRFH's off-grid modular design could address in underserviced northern and remote markets.
- Community Food Centres Canada: National umbrella organization that supports a network of community food centres across Canada. Operates one layer above DRFH-type integrated food hubs, providing programming, resources, and advocacy that any scaling DRFH effort would likely plug into.
Others
- Second Harvest: Canada's largest food rescue organization redirecting surplus food to charities. Adjacent food-security sector participant that could be a downstream partner for DRFH's surplus produce as production scales toward the 2031 target.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Deep Roots Food Hub social profiles
Digital presenceDeep Roots Food Hub financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Deep Roots Food Hub leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Deep Roots Food Hub funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Deep Roots Food Hub 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 Deep Roots Food Hub
What does Deep Roots Food Hub do?
Deep Roots Food Hub operates an off-grid, geothermal and solar-powered community root cellar that stores up to 70,000 lbs of root vegetables at +2°C and 90-95% humidity, accessed through tiered annual memberships. It also runs the West Carleton Food Access Centre for food-insecure residents, the Permaculture Food Forest Project for educational research, and Food Skills Workshops covering cooking, preserving, and gardening.
Is Deep Roots Food Hub a public or private company?
Deep Roots Food Hub is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Deep Roots Food Hub founded?
Deep Roots Food Hub was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Deep Roots Food Hub based?
Deep Roots Food Hub is headquartered in Nepean, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Deep Roots Food Hub make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are produce Sales and educational Workshops.
Who are Deep Roots Food Hub's main competitors?
Daily Bread Food Bank is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are FarmStart, FoodShare Toronto, EnviroCentre, Everdale, The Stop Community Food Centre and Ottawa Good Food Box. Broad incumbents are Lineage Logistics and Community Food Centres Canada. Second Harvest is listed as an others.
Does Deep Roots Food Hub have an API?
No public API is recorded for Deep Roots Food Hub.
What industry is Deep Roots Food Hub in?
Deep Roots Food Hub's product category is Community Food Storage and Access Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAD, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative), with a secondary code of BPAGAGAI, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems. Its NAICS code is 62421 and its SIC code is 700.