• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

This Startup Wants to Kill Off the Center of the Supermarket

By
Beth Kowitt
Beth Kowitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Beth Kowitt
Beth Kowitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 4, 2016, 11:58 AM ET
Courtesy of Thrive Market
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A new brand is poised to enter the organic and natural food world, but this one won’t grace the shelves of the likes of Whole Foods (WFM)—the mecca for the non-GMO, the gluten-free, and the Paleo.

The new entrant is the private label from Thrive Market, the online natural and organic retailer, which will sell its eponymous brand only on its site.

Thrive’s first private label product, coconut oil, launched in November; its second, organic tomato sauce, hit the online marketplace December 30. Thrive co-founder and co-CEO Nick Green told Fortune that the company plans to develop about 100 private label items in the first half of the year.

The entry into private label is the latest step for Thrive as it attempts to offer natural and organic goods at the price of the conventional non-organic equivalent. “If we can’t do that with a third-party brand, we’ll do it with private label,” Green says.

Thrive prices products to only cover the company’s costs to fulfill and ship, instead making the bulk of its money through a subscription model. The company charges a $60 membership fee, pegged to the cost of a Costco membership. “It’s Whole Foods-type products at Costco-like prices,” Green adds.

Green says that Thrive will develop private label in categories where there is not enough margin to cover its cost. That can happen when brands don’t have enough margin themselves to offer Thrive the pricing to match conventional products, goods are heavier and costly to ship, or the product is commoditized and therefore already low margin.

As an example, take flour and cider vinegar, which the startup has been selling at a loss to date. Both are low margin and costly to ship because of their weight, but they’re also necessary to carry since they’re staples. Green says both items are at the top of the company’s list to private label.

Thrive, with about 150,000 members and about 20,000 new paying members a month, is approaching a $100 million run rate after launching the site at the end of 2014. “We can’t scale the infrastructure fast enough to service the demand,” Green says. Every order over $50 receives free shipping, with 90% of the company’s orders hitting that threshold.

With what Green calls a “hyper-curated catalogue,” the Thrive model also has a little bit of Trader Joe’s thrown in, too. Thrive picks the top three or four brands (think Seventh Generation and Justin’s) in a product category rather than offering 40 choices. As a result, it carries 4,000 SKUs versus some 30,000 to 40,000 for a typical grocery store. Green notes that Thrive is now one of the top-five sales channels for most the brands it carries.

There’s no shortage of startups vying for share of stomach in the food delivery space. But while most of the competition focuses on delivering fresh goods, Thrive sells only non-perishables. Those products that makes up the center of the grocery store that go in the cupboard or medicine cabinet make up about half of a typical grocery bill, Green notes.

“It’s where no one else wants to play,” Green says. “Fresh food is a blood bath right now. We said, let’s look at the part of the grocery that really shouldn’t be in the grocery store.”

Focusing on non-perishables, he explains, simplifies the supply chain because they can be shipped anywhere in the country through an existing service like FedEx or UPS. They also don’t spoil.

One key reason the competition has stayed away from packaged goods? Consumers have shifted their dollars away from them. Shoppers have been increasingly eschewing processed food for fresh goods, which they perceive as healthier. (For more on this trend, see “The War on Big Food.”

But Green contends that there will always be packaged goods. They’ll just take a different form. “The dry goods are going to look less processed food and more like natural foods,” he says, pointing to mixed nuts as an example. “The backlash is toward more chemically laden, scientifically produced mass-agro business consumer packaged goods” that are behind the obesity epidemic, he says.

Packaged goods might not disappear, but Green predicts that in 10 years time they’ll have evaporated from the center of the grocery store in the same way consumers now buy their books online rather than in brick and mortar stores.

“There’s no reason you’re going to buy a bag of granola there,” he says. “Amazon is going to sell a lot of the products. For us, the differentiator is the focus on health and wellness vertical, and that this is a lifestyle category.”

Green points out that the natural and organic category is growing six times as fast as the U.S. economy but is less than 5% of the total consumer packaged goods market. “There will be a multi-tens-of-billion dollar e-commerce player in natural and organic consumer packaged goods in the next five years,” Green says. “It’s just a question of whom. We have a two-year head start.”

Update: An earlier version of this story incorrectly quoted Green as saying, “There will be a multi-tens-of-million dollar e-commerce player in natural and organic consumer packaged goods in the next five years.” The quote should have read multi-tens-of-billion dollar e-commerce player.

About the Author
By Beth Kowitt
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

The 6 Best Exercise Bikes of 2026: Fitness Expert Reviewed
HealthDietary Supplements
The 6 Best Exercise Bikes of 2026: Fitness Expert Reviewed
By Christina SnyderJuly 1, 2026
8 minutes ago
Mark Zandi, Moody's chief economist.
EconomyU.S. economy
‘It’s fair to ask whether it was worth it’: The Iran war has cost Americans $1,000 per household—and that’s a conservative estimate, Mark Zandi says
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as first lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
PoliticsDonald Trump
Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as first lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Donald Trump sits at his desk in the Oval Office, smiling and with his hands folded in front of him.
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
4 hours ago
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
14 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
12 hours ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.