Root & Rise

Grow with us. Sell what's real.

Root & Rise only partners with suppliers who share our commitment to clean, toxin-free, transparently sourced products. If that's you — you belong here.

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Why Root & Rise

Built for the suppliers we'd want to buy from.

We reward practice, not paperwork

Your tier comes from a 100-point practice scorecard — chemicals, soil, water, biodiversity, welfare, transparency — not from who can afford an audit.

Three ways to verify

Upload a certificate you already hold, request a free Root & Rise site visit, or have two peer vendors co-sign your attestation. Pick one.

Three paths to grow

Everyone starts at Tier 1 (12%). Document your practices for Tier 2 (9%), and a verified full suite of practices earns Tier 3 (6%).

The three tiers

Your commission reflects how safely and sustainably you produce — never how much paperwork you can afford. Practices are scored on a 100-point scorecard built for your category, and evidence can come from a certificate, a farm visit, or documented peer references.

TierCommissionScoreWhat it takesWhat it signals
Tier 1 — Foundational12%0–39 pts / not yet documentedMeets Root & Rise's baseline safety and transparency standard. No documentation required beyond onboarding basics.Everyone starts here. Nobody is locked out of selling on the platform.
Tier 2 — Verified Practice9%40–74 ptsDemonstrates specific, documented safe and sustainable practices via self-attestation plus one verification pathway.The core tier for most local growers and makers doing the right things without a formal label.
Tier 3 — Regenerative / Certified Excellence6%75–100 ptsA comprehensive suite of practices across most scorecard categories, verified by certification, a Root & Rise site visit, or strong documented peer attestation.Our most rigorously vetted vendors — the ones we lead with in marketing and What's Going On features.

Existing partners keep their current rate through the transition window — nobody's commission goes up as a surprise.

Listing fee

$150 one-time listing fee — $150 $0 for 2026

Every new supplier stall carries a one-time $150 listing fee that covers onboarding, product photography setup, and your verification review.

Founding-year promotion: the listing fee is fully waived for any supplier added to Root & Rise in 2026. Apply this year and you pay nothing up front — only commission when you make a sale.

Verification

Three ways to verify — so cost never blocks anyone.

Pick whichever pathway fits your operation. One is enough — you never need all three.

Recognized certification (fast-track)

Best for

Vendors who already hold USDA Organic, Certified Naturally Grown, Real Organic Project, Animal Welfare Approved, GOTS, OEKO-TEX, MADE SAFE, EWG Verified, Leaping Bunny, or an equivalent.

How it works

Upload the certificate once at onboarding or renewal. No further review needed — the third party already did the work.

Root & Rise Verified (site visit)

Best for

Vendors without formal certification, especially at markets we're already scouting in person (Brandywine Park, West Chester, and future markets).

How it works

We fold practice verification into visits already happening. A short on-site checklist plus photos does the same job a paid inspector would — at zero cost to you.

Peer & community attestation

Best for

Established vendors within the same market or What's Going On community who know each other's operations.

How it works

Modeled on Certified Naturally Grown's peer review: two other vendors (ideally one at the same market) co-sign your practice attestation. Cheapest and fastest option.

What we actually score

Each vertical gets its own 100-point scorecard, scored the same way and landing in the same three tiers. Hold a recognized certification? It counts as full marks in the categories it covers — you never redo work a third party already audited.

CategoryPtsFull marks looks likeMinimal marks looks like
Chemical & input management25No synthetic pesticides/herbicides/fungicides, or documented IPM with synthetic use only as a last resortRoutine synthetic pesticide/fertilizer use with no reduction plan
Soil & land stewardship20No-till or low-till, cover cropping, crop rotation, composting — the regenerative coreContinuous conventional tillage, synthetic-fertilizer dependent
Water stewardship15Recirculating/closed-loop system (hydroponic, aquaponic) or drip irrigation with documented runoff managementStandard irrigation, no runoff controls documented
Biodiversity & polyculture15Polyculture, agroforestry, or permaculture design; pollinator habitat maintainedSingle-crop monoculture
Animal welfare15Pasture access, no routine antibiotics/hormones, humane handling documentedConventional confinement standard
Transparency & safety10Full input/ingredient disclosure; farm visits welcomed; documented worker safety practicesMinimal or no disclosure

No animals in your operation? The 15 animal-welfare points are redistributed (+3 to each remaining category) so your scorecard still totals 100.

How common farming methods typically land

Organic farming (practicing, certified or not)75–100 fully documented; 40–74 partialTier 3 or 2
PermacultureTypically 80–100Tier 3
AgroforestryTypically 75–95Tier 3
Regenerative / no-tillTypically 75–95Tier 3
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)Typically 50–80Tier 2 or 3
Hydroponic / aquaponic (closed loop)Typically 55–85Tier 2 or 3
Conventional with a documented reduction planTypically 25–50Tier 1 or 2
Conventional, undocumented0–39Tier 1

This is about documented practice, not the label. An "organic" farm with no soil-building practices scores lower than an uncertified farm doing real cover cropping and IPM.

Start your attestation

How to apply

Four steps to your stall.

  1. 1

    Submit your application

    15 min form

  2. 2

    Upload your certifications

    We verify each one

  3. 3

    Schedule your onboarding call

    30 min, 1:1

  4. 4

    Go live in the market

    Start selling

Start your application

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Questions before you apply? Email us at partnerships@rootandrise.com