Thrive Market—the latest in online grocery retailing—has broken new ground in the world of e-commerce. In order to do so, the Los-Angeles-based company, which sells natural and organic nonperishable foods, personal care products and household items, has merged the discount membership business model with healthful products.
Jeramiah McElwee, the company’s vice-president of purchasing and merchandising, notes that on some level, Thrive is the lovechild of Costco and Whole Foods. “Basically, [the project] came together with the mission of democratizing access to healthy, organic and non-GMO food, as well as sustainable products,” he says.
To use the service, members pay $60 a year to buy items like snack foods, household cleaners and cereals that are discounted 30 to 50 per cent off retail price. Due to membership fees and the low overhead associated with online business, Thrive is able to keep its prices lower than competitors.
Additionally, all products sold on Thrive Market are non-GMO and have a “heavy focus” on organic options, says McElwee. However, customers will not currently find a vast array of brands or products on the site.
“Right now we have around 4,000 products and that’s intentional,” notes McElwee. “We really try to provide the best in class, highest quality product options in each category [without] a lot of other noise.”
Furthermore, for every membership purchased, Thrive donates a free one to a low-income family, a teacher or a veteran: “communities and audiences that are traditionally underserved and don’t have access to healthier products or can’t afford to carve out a part of their budget to buy organic or non-GMO,” says McElwee.
In the future, the company plans to expand its business to Batesville, Indiana, and to execute an educational component to help customers eat better. Thrive also hopes to launch a line of private label products and expand into home goods, gardening and natural pet products.
