Hatchery Launches A Marketplace For Artisanal Food Makers

Hatchery launched in October 2013 to bring artisanal ingredients to customers from all over the world. Like many subscription box companies that have come before it, the startup packaged together a bunch of fun ingredients each month and sent it to users as a “Tasting Box.”

Today, however, the company is shifting its model to use the Tasting Box as an added marketing tool with the official launch of the brand new Hatchery Marketplace.

The Hatchery Marketplace is a platform that lets artisans sell and distribute their goods with a much broader audience. Of course, this doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all. The company currently has 100 food makers and chefs enrolled on the Marketplace, selling over 350 different products, but each is hand-selected by the team to ensure they “fit the bill.”

With the Marketplace, users can buy the full size of their favorite ingredients, using the Tasting Box as a way to sample the best and newest products.

Founder Max Friedman explains that he wanted to build Hatchery after traveling across the world and yearning for some of the amazing local foods he had discovered during his journeys.

“Having worked with and connected with so many different food producers across the country, the concept behind Hatchery seemed like the perfect way to support local businesses and small-batch makers, all while helping people discover truly unique, locally sourced ingredients from the comfort of their own home,” said Friedman.

Everything offered on Hatchery is at no charge to the producer. It costs nothing to participate in the Tasting Box, and 50 percent of the profits of the Marketplace goes back to the producer. Once makers hand over the product, Hatchery handles everything from promotion on the website to sales to distribution.

Hatchery has raised an undisclosed seed round from family and friends.

You can check out the new Hatchery Marketplace here.