Ready to start your own ComFoo?

Over the past year, we’ve had a handful of people reach out asking how we built ComFoo and whether they could start something similar in their own community.

Short answer: yes—you can.

Long answer: it’s simple, but it’s not always easy.

This page will walk you through what a food club like ComFoo actually is, how it works, and what I’d think about if I were starting from scratch again.

What is ComFoo, really?

At its core, ComFoo is a private membership food club.

It’s not a grocery store.
It’s not a farmers market.
It’s not a co-op (at least not in the traditional sense).

It’s a group of families who’ve chosen to source food together, directly from farmers and producers they trust.

Everything flows through that idea:

"real food, from real people, for a committed community"

Why did you structure it as a PMA (Private Membership Association)?

The PMA structure allows us to:

• Operate privately with members

• Build direct relationships with producers

• Offer foods that don’t always fit into conventional retail systems

• It's not an LLC
• It's not a 501c3 (although that can help...when the time is right)

It also shifts the mindset:

You’re not running a store for the public.
You’re stewarding a community food system.

(Important: if you’re going this route, you should do your own research or get guidance on PMA structure. We can schedule a call, and I can tell you what we have learned.)

How does it actually work week to week?

We keep it very simple.

• Orders open every other week

• Members place orders during a set window

• We collect from producers

• We pack everything in one central location

• Members pick up at a scheduled time

That rhythm is everything.

If it’s inconsistent, people fall off.
If it’s predictable, it becomes part of their life.

What do I need to get started?

At a basic level:

• A small group of committed people (even 10–15 is enough to start)

• A few reliable producers

• A way to collect orders

• A place to pack and distribute food

• A clear schedule

That’s it.

You do not need:

• A storefront

• A massive product list

• Fancy systems

Start small. Build trust. Grow from there.

How do I find farmers and products?

Start with relationships.

• Local farmers markets

• People already raising or making food

• Word of mouth

What worked for us:

• Start with a handful of high-quality staples

• Build consistency first

• Add variety later

It’s better to have:

10 great products every week
than 50 inconsistent ones. At the start we asked every family to commit to spending $50 or more on each order.

How many members do I need?

You can start with very few.

• 10–15 families → you’re off the ground

• 25–40 → things start to feel stable

• 50+ → you gain real buying power

But here’s the truth:

Engagement matters more than numbers

We’ve had weeks where fewer people ordered—but it still worked because the core group was committed.

How do you make money doing this?

We use a simple markup on products (around 15%) and a membership fee.

Most of the time with our buying power that still brings us in under retail which is a huge benefit to members.

We also never ask a farmer to lower their prices. But we do sometimes suggest a lower a price could generate more sales.

Some clubs also use:

• Membership fees

• Bundles or featured items

The goal isn’t just profit—it’s:

• Covering your time

• Making the system sustainable

• Keeping prices fair for members

What are the biggest challenges?

A few stand out:

1. Consistency

If your schedule changes, people drop off.

If you run out of inventory people stop ordering

If your products are below premium people stop buying.

2. Communication

People need reminders, education, and encouragement.

3. Overcomplicating things early

Too many products, too many systems—it’ll wear you out fast.

4. Getting people to actually order

Most people need guidance, not just options.

They also need lots of communication from multiple touch points.

How do you get members to order regularly?

This is one of the biggest pieces.

What’s worked for us:

• Simple, regular communication (email/text)

• Highlighting a farm or product each week

• Creating bundles (meals, snacks, pantry items)

• offering subscriptions to the staples like milk and eggs

Most people don’t want to build a cart from scratch.

They want:

“Just tell me what’s good this week.”

 

Do I need a website or Shopify?

Not at first.

You can start with:

• Google Forms

• Simple payment methods

• Manual tracking

We use Shopify now, but we didn’t start there.

We started with a spreadsheet. everyone texted me their orders and then I complied them and sent them to the farmers.

Don’t let tech slow you down.

This is probably the hardest part but if your serious you can make it happen.

*Also we do offer a service that sets this all up for you.

Do I need a building or storefront?

No.

Many food clubs operate out of:

• A garage

• A barn

• A shared space (church, school, etc.)

What matters is:

• Organization

• Flow on pickup day

Not aesthetics.

Having a place for freezers and refrigerators is very nice. Also a place for a little inventory.

But you could have it all in coolers and boxes.

What would you do differently if you started again?

A few things:

• I would not use a third party app. always own the ordering platform.

• I would make it clear that we had to have some income to cover all the effort and time for the club. Trying to do all of this for free is a disaster waiting to happen. Cover your time and costs.

• Focus more on communication early

   

Is this actually worth doing?

If you’re just looking for a side hustle—probably not.

If you care about:

• Food quality

• Supporting farmers

• Building community

Then yes—it’s absolutely worth it!

But it takes:

• Consistency

• Patience

• Willingness to figure things out as you go

• And most importantly a committed community to help. Just 2-3 people that share your passion. Family or friends or both.

You don’t need permission to start something like this.

You just need:

A few people

A few farmers

And the willingness to begin

The rest you build along the way.