Farm Runners is a for-profit distributor and retail grocer with headquarters in Hotchkiss, Colorado, that was established in 2015. It fills the local food distribution gap, making it easier for new and established farms to get their product into far away retail outlets. In 2024, the company worked with over 100 local producers and distributed local food to over 500 wholesale customers in both urban and remote rural communities across the Western Slope. In addition to wholesaling local food, Farm Runners found an innovative way to reduce waste and improve food access by operating their own small grocery store, called The Station, out of their aggregation facility.

Rolling Grocer is a full-service nonprofit grocery store in Hudson, New York. It was established in 2018 by a group of local organizations and community members seeking to improve food access and affordability. While initially a mobile grocery that served locations across Columbia County, it is now a brick-and-mortar storefront that also offers local delivery free of charge to anyone in the county. A particularly innovative feature of this store is its three-tiered Fair Pricing System, which aims to make high quality and local food more accessible to low-income residents. In 2024, 1,700 community members were enrolled in the Fair Pricing System, with 60% of shoppers receiving subsidized pricing. The nonprofit grocery store offered products from 50 local producers.

Farm to Freezer is a for-profit food processor that freezes organic and conventional fruits and vegetables grown by small and midsized farmers in the Great Lakes region who would otherwise struggle to access larger processors. It was established in 2014 to extend the availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables in northwest Michigan. What started as a nonprofit workforce development initiative then transitioned to a for-profit company with facilities in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City. The company’s products are sold throughout the year at various outlets, including grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and hospitals. In 2024, the company worked with over 40 local producers, and their products were sold to over 500 wholesale customers.

Farmacy Marketplace is a nonprofit grocery store based in the rural town of Webb, Mississippi. It was established in 2022 as an initiative of In Her Shoes, an organization dedicated to improving economic stability and quality of life in the Mississippi Delta. To support beginner- and intermediate-level farmers in selling to Farmacy Marketplace and other retail outlets, In Her Shoes also provides technical assistance and training through the Farm Business Enhancement Program (FBEP). In 2024, eight local producers completed the FBEP, and the nonprofit grocery store offered products from 12 local producers. The same year, the organization began operating Farmacy Mobile, which brings fresh food to nearby communities each week.

Balls Food Stores is a grocery chain in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Founded in 1923, the company now has 25 store locations across Kansas and Missouri. While local food was always an important part of the company’s identity, the process of ordering and delivering local food for each individual store was logistically complicated. The company’s primary wholesaler was also unable to meet demand. To address this problem and streamline operations, Balls Food Stores developed a central warehouse where it aggregates and distributes local food on its own. In 2024, the supermarket chain offered products from over 100 local producers.