HOLCOMB FARM INC

What HOLCOMB FARM INC does

Holcomb Farm is a nonprofit community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm operating on approximately 300 acres of preserved land in West Granby, Connecticut. The farm has been in continuous operation since 1756 and is currently managed by the nonprofit Friends of Holcomb Farm under a stewardship arrangement with the Town of Granby. The operation grows chemical-free, pesticide-free produce and serves four distinct customer segments: direct CSA members (1,003 memberships in the 2025 season, split across summer shares, winter shares, and Pick-Your-Own passes), retail customers through an on-site Farm Store, wholesale restaurant accounts (Metro Bis, Present Company, Millwrights, Firebox, The Sweet Beet, and Red Riding Hood's), and food-insecurity populations served through the Fresh Access program in partnership with organizations including New Horizons Village, Wheeler Health, and the Granby Senior Center. In 2025, Fresh Access distributed roughly 17 tons of produce to 600+ families weekly.

The business model blends earned revenue with philanthropic support. Earned revenue flows from CSA share sales priced by season and share type, on-site Farm Store retail, and modest wholesale volume to a regional restaurant cohort. Non-earned revenue comes from individual donations, corporate sponsorships (including a documented $100,000 leadership gift from Squadron Capital and a $14,000 Harvest Dinner sponsorship), grants, and facility rentals. Under farm manager Joe O'Grady—who has delivered eleven profitable seasons out of twelve—the agricultural operation is reported to be profitable on a core basis, although the Fresh Access program is subsidized by fundraising rather than commercial margin.

Operations remain small-scale, with a headcount of 1–10 employees despite the substantial 300-acre footprint. The most material change in the forward operating profile is the repurposing of an adjacent church property into a year-round farm store and post-harvest facility, approved in 2025 and scheduled to open in June 2026. This facility is intended to convert the farm from a primarily seasonal CSA into a year-round retail and aggregation hub, expand post-harvest handling capacity for wholesale and food-access distribution, and provide an additional venue for facility rentals. There are no AI/ML, automation, or proprietary technology platforms disclosed; the farm's competitive position rests on land tenure, community relationships, regulatory preservation of acreage, and the reputation built over nearly three centuries of continuous operation.

Name

HOLCOMB FARM INC

Legal name

Friends of Holcomb Farm

Website

https://holcombfarm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1756

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Holcomb Farm is a nonprofit CSA farm on 300 acres in West Granby, Connecticut that supplies chemical-free produce to 1,003 CSA members, regional restaurants, an on-site farm store, and 600+ food-insecure families weekly through its Fresh Access program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Supported Agriculture (Nonprofit Farm)

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Other Crop Farming (1119)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAGAKAD

Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses)

Agriculture & Food Production/Crop Farming/Organic Crop Farming

SECONDARYAFAGAHAC

Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens)

Agriculture & Food Production/Crop Farming/Greenhouse, Nursery & Floriculture Production (Protected Crops, Ornamentals, Seedlings)

Keywords

• Community supported agriculture
• Nonprofit farm operations
• Chemical-free farming
• Fresh produce retail
• Food access programs

Headquarters

HQ city

West Granby

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. CSA Memberships: Community Supported Agriculture program with summer and winter share options. Summer CSA had 528 members, Winter CSA had 175 members. Pick-Your-Own membership option with 300 members.
2. Farm Store Retail: Retail storefront at 87 Simsbury Road selling the farm's own produce plus dairy, meats, and artisan goods from other local farms and makers. Open to public Wednesday through Saturday 10am-6pm.
3. Wholesale Produce: Direct wholesale distribution of produce to select restaurants, caterers, and health food stores in the region.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Annual membership fees starting at $35, event fundraising (Harvest Dinner raised over $14,000), and campaign donations including the $100,000 Squadron Capital challenge gift.
5. Facility Rentals: North Barn and banquet facilities available for private event bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Holcomb Farm is a nonprofit community farm in West Granby, Connecticut that grows produce without chemicals or pesticides (not even organically approved ones) and distributes it through CSA memberships (summer and winter shares), a retail Farm Store at 87 Simsbury Road, and wholesale channels to regional restaurants. The farm also operates the Fresh Access program that distributes fresh produce to 600+ food-insecure households weekly through community partners, maintains 10+ miles of public recreational trails across 300 acres, and rents event facilities such as the North Barn.

Product overview

Holcomb Farm is a nonprofit community farm operating since 1756 in West Granby, CT. The organization operates as a unified farming operation with several interconnected programs: a Summer and Winter CSA subscription service providing weekly produce shares to members; a public Farm Store selling their own produce plus local dairy, meats, and artisan goods; the Fresh Access Program distributing food to 600+ food-insecure households weekly; and recreational trails including the Holcomb Tree Trail. The farm also operates facility rentals for events and provides wholesale produce to local restaurants. These offerings work together to fulfill the organization's mission of preserving historic farmland while providing community access to fresh, chemical-free produce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Memberships

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 tons of produce distributed to 600+ food-insecure families weekly through Fresh Access program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• New Horizons VillageminorOthersNewest Fresh Access partner providing monthly distributions of fresh Holcomb Farm produce to 106 adults with physical disabilities living on fixed incomes in Unionville, CT. Supported by Greater Hartford Gives grant.
• Granby Senior CenterminorOthersFresh Access partner receiving produce distributions for seniors in the Granby community.
• Wheeler HealthminorOthersFresh Access partner and Harvest Dinner sponsor. Their Farm to Family initiative makes fresh produce available to clients for free through the partnership.
• Grassroots Ice CreamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal ice cream shop hosting Give Back Days where 10% of sales from all three locations (Granby, Simsbury, New Milford) are donated to Fresh Access program.
• Deep Roots Street FoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal street food vendor participating in Give Back Days alongside Grassroots Ice Cream, donating 10% of profits to Fresh Access.
• Granby Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding collaboration on land preservation and trail access. Collaborated to preserve 277 acres of Holcomb Farm and recently created new trail access to western trails after 2021 flooding destroyed previous access.
• Granby America 250 CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for community educational events including the America 250 State Tree Scavenger Hunt featuring state trees of the 13 original colonies on the Holcomb Tree Trail.
• Metro Bis RestaurantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with Executive Chef Chris Prosperi who hosts Harvest Dinner at cost (50%+ to Fresh Access), sources produce wholesale, and collaborates on farm-to-table events.
• Granby Board of SelectmencoreOthersTown government body that unanimously approved revised long-term Lease and Use Agreement giving Friends of Holcomb Farm stewardship of former church property, and approved preservation of 277 acres.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shelburne Farms: Vermont-based nonprofit education farm on a historic estate (1,400 acres) producing farm products, operating educational programs, and offering trails. Closest peer in terms of historic estate, multi-program nonprofit structure, and CSA-style product offerings.
• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Nonprofit working farm in Pocantico Hills, NY operating CSA, farm-to-table dining (Blue Hill at Stone Barns), and farmer training programs. Highly comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit farm combining CSA, restaurant supply, and public programming on preserved historic land.
• Glynwood Center for Food & Farming: Nonprofit farm in Cold Spring, NY operating CSA, wholesale to restaurants, and food-access programming with a mission-driven operating model. Comparable in combining CSA, food access, and farm-to-table distribution under a nonprofit umbrella.
• Massaro Community Farm: Nonprofit organic farm in Woodbridge, CT operating a CSA, farm stand, and food donation program on preserved town-owned land. Highly comparable geographic and structural peer in the CT nonprofit CSA/food-access space.

Regional players

• Fort Hill Farm: Certified organic CSA farm in New Milford, CT with on-farm pickups and a farm store. Comparable as a Connecticut-based diversified CSA/wholesale operator with multi-channel direct-to-consumer revenue.
• Wishing Stone Farm: Certified organic vegetable farm in Little Compton, RI operating CSA and wholesale to restaurants. Comparable as a Northeast CSA operator with diversified direct-to-consumer and farm-to-table channels.
• Sub Edge Farm: For-profit CSA and farm store operation in North Granby, CT operating on preserved farmland adjacent to Holcomb Farm's footprint. Comparable as a CT-based CSA operator competing for overlapping member households.
• Provider Farm: CSA and farm store operation in Salem, CT serving the Connecticut River Valley with vegetable shares. Comparable regional CSA peer competing for similar member demographics in central Connecticut.

Broad incumbents

• Trustees of Reservations: Large Massachusetts-based nonprofit land conservation organization that operates multiple working farms, CSA programs, and public trails. Comparable as a broader nonprofit steward of preserved farmland with CSA and public programming across many sites.

Others

• Hudson Valley Seed Co. Northeast-based seed producer and farm offering educational programs and agritourism. Relevant as an adjacent mission-driven farm business with strong community programming and CSA-adjacent direct-to-consumer reach, though focused on seed rather than produce.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HolcombFarm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holcomb-farm-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 HOLCOMB FARM INC