Minnesota Grown

Agricultural Marketing Directoryminnesotagrown.com

Minnesota Grown is a Minnesota Department of Agriculture program operating a statewide directory and marketing platform that connects Minnesota farmers and producers with consumers and wholesale buyers through free producer membership and statutorily protected branding.

Company typePrivate
Founded1989
HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What Minnesota Grown does

Minnesota Grown is a statewide agricultural marketing program operated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), created in the late 1980s by specialty crop growers to differentiate locally produced products. Its functional purpose is to connect Minnesota farmers, growers, and food producers with Minnesota consumers and wholesale buyers through a dual-directory platform and supporting marketing services. The program does not sell products directly; it operates as a discovery, branding, and member-services platform.

The core technology is an online directory platform with two distinct surfaces: a Consumer Directory (searchable listings of farms, farmers markets, CSAs, garden centers, wineries, pick-your-own operations, livestock producers, and specialty product makers) and a Wholesale Directory for B2B buyers. Supporting digital products include an Event Calendar, a Recipes & More content library, and a Pick of the Month consumer newsletter distributed via email. The program is also building a Salesforce-based 'Journey of Support' automation system for member services. The Minnesota Grown trademark is statutorily protected and licensed only to qualifying Minnesota producers.

The business model is government appropriation rather than commercial revenue. The program receives an annual legislative appropriation of $186,000 (which must be matched by at least $1 of private contributions for every $4 of state money) and operates on an annual budget of approximately $500,000. Membership is free for producers, with revenue derived from private matching contributions and member-paid services such as marketing materials and logo licensing. The program is governed by the Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee, composed of producer association representatives, and operates exclusively within Minnesota.

Minnesota Grown firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Minnesota Grown
Legal name: Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Website: https://minnesotagrown.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1989
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Minnesota Grown is a Minnesota Department of Agriculture program operating a statewide directory and marketing platform that connects Minnesota farmers and producers with consumers and wholesale buyers through free producer membership and statutorily protected branding.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Minnesota Grown industry classification

Industry

Product category: Agricultural Marketing Directory
SIC: Agricultural Services (700)
akta.pro primary industry: Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

Local food directory
Agricultural marketing
Farm directory
Producer branding
Wholesale marketplace

Where Minnesota Grown is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Saint Paul
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Minnesota Grown business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

State Funding Appropriation: Annual legislative appropriation of $186,000 which requires a match of at least $1 of private contributions to each $4 of state money, with total operating budget of approximately $500,000

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Free membership with marketing support

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Minnesota Grown product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Minnesota Grown is a directory-based agricultural marketing program operated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture that connects Minnesota farmers and producers with consumers through online searchable consumer and wholesale directories. The program provides Minnesota Grown logo licensing, marketing support, promotional resources, and outreach to producer members including underserved emerging farmers, supported by state appropriation and private matching contributions.

Product overview

Minnesota Grown is a statewide agricultural marketing program operated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The core offering is a dual-directory platform consisting of a Consumer Directory (connecting shoppers to local farms, farmers markets, and producers) and a Wholesale Directory (facilitating B2B relationships). These directories are supported by an Event Calendar, Recipes & More Library, Pick of the Month newsletter, and member services including Marketing Materials, Cost Share Program, and Minnesota Grown Logo Licensing. The program functions as a platform connecting producers with consumers rather than a single product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Minnesota Grown Consumer Directory
Minnesota Grown Wholesale Directory
Minnesota Grown Logo Licensing
Pick of the Month Newsletter
Marketing Materials and Promotional Resources
Cost Share Program
Minnesota Grown Event Calendar
Minnesota Grown Recipe Library

Quantifiable outcome

91% of members find value in the program
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use Minnesota Grown

Customer profile

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Minnesota Grown technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Minnesota Grown partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)coreOthersThe Minnesota Grown Program is hosted by MDA, which controls the minnesotagrown.com website and provides operational support through the Agricultural Marketing and Development Division. MDA staff include the program manager, marketing manager, and administrative support.
Minnesota Grown Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducer-led advisory committee providing guidance on program priorities. Includes representatives from: Minnesota Bison Association, Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, Minnesota Apple Growers Association, Minnesota Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, Minnesota Grape Growers Association, Minnesota Lamb and Wool Producers Association, Minnesota Christmas Tree Association, and others.
Management Analysis and Development (MAD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-house consulting practice for the state that assisted in developing the 2023 three-to-five-year strategic plan through a participatory process.
Minnesota Grocers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner identified in strategic plan for expanding markets and consumer demand for Minnesota Grown products in retail settings.
Minnesota Farmers' Market AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for supporting direct marketing producers and expanding farmers market access.
Emerging Farmers OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDA program partnered with to support emerging farmers outreach and engagement.
Producer Associations (Multiple)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious producer associations including: Minnesota Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, Minnesota Grape Growers Association, Minnesota Lamb and Wool Producers Association, Minnesota Bison Association, Minnesota Christmas Tree Association, Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, and others that help shape program priorities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Minnesota Grown competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Pick Tennessee Products: Tennessee Department of Agriculture's program connecting consumers to Tennessee-produced agricultural products through a searchable directory and promotional resources — directly comparable to Minnesota Grown.
Jersey Fresh: New Jersey's state agricultural marketing program run by the NJ Department of Agriculture — same state-government-promoting-local-agriculture model with logo licensing, directory, and farmer support services directly analogous to Minnesota Grown.
Virginia Grown: Virginia's statewide marketing program promoting locally grown products, operated by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services — direct peer in branding-state-agriculture model.
NY State Grown & Certified: New York State's marketing and certification program promoting NY-grown agricultural products, run by the NY Department of Agriculture and Markets. Comparable in mission, member-directory structure, and state-agency operation.
Colorado Proud: Colorado Department of Agriculture program promoting Colorado food and agricultural products via logo licensing and marketing support — same state-agency branding-and-directory model as Minnesota Grown.
PA Preferred: Pennsylvania's statewide agricultural branding program operated by the PA Department of Agriculture, offering logo licensing, member directories, and consumer marketing — a direct state-level counterpart to Minnesota Grown.
Indiana Grown: Indiana's statewide initiative promoting Indiana-produced agricultural products through branding, member directories, and marketing support — closely comparable in structure to Minnesota Grown.

Emerging players

LocalHarvest: Long-running online directory and marketplace connecting consumers with local farms, CSAs, and farmers markets nationwide — the closest non-state-agency functional analog to Minnesota Grown's consumer directory.
Barn2Door: SaaS e-commerce platform enabling farmers to sell direct-to-consumer and direct-to-wholesale online — adjacent in the local-food digital ecosystem, focusing on producer-side commerce infrastructure where Minnesota Grown focuses on discovery.
Buy Fresh Buy Local (ASAP): Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project's program operating local-food directories and certification/branding across multiple states — comparable directory-and-branding role for local producers, though run by a nonprofit rather than a state agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Minnesota Grown financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Minnesota Grown leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Minnesota Grown funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Minnesota Grown M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota Grown

What does Minnesota Grown do?

Is Minnesota Grown a public or private company?

Minnesota Grown is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Minnesota Grown founded?

Minnesota Grown was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Minnesota Grown based?

Minnesota Grown is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.

How does Minnesota Grown make money?

One revenue line is on record: state Funding Appropriation.

Who are Minnesota Grown's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Pick Tennessee Products, Jersey Fresh, Virginia Grown, NY State Grown & Certified, Colorado Proud, PA Preferred and Indiana Grown. Emerging players are LocalHarvest, Barn2Door and Buy Fresh Buy Local (ASAP).

Does Minnesota Grown have an API?

No public API is recorded for Minnesota Grown.

What industry is Minnesota Grown in?

Minnesota Grown's product category is Agricultural Marketing Directory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAD, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative). Its SIC code is 700.