• Who

Our Target Market

Our target market is low to moderate-income individuals and families, with a focus on those earning less than 300% of the federal poverty income level, equating to $93,600 or less for a family of four or $45,180 for an individual in 2024.

• What

Our Mission

• • Eliminate Food Deserts (areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet)
  • Reduce the number of health-related diseases caused/directly tied to diet such as Type II Diabetes or High Blood Pressure
  • Positively affect eating habits of current and future generations through education on healthy eating through classes & demonstrations
  • Provide job training & scholarships in low-income areas that will create a sustainable workforce
  • Establish partnerships with Higher Education, Food Industry, Technology, and other Not-for-Profits to develop sustainable solutions

Concept

Roots In the Community Market aka R.I.C.’s Market is a not-for-profit full-service grocer that will offer affordable healthy food where there is little or no access to it.

R.I.C.’s Market will be at least 25, 000 sq. ft. located in low-income area(s); the first location looks to open in Charlotte, NC in the fourth quarter of 2025 and will offer:

• • affordable prices (subsidies on healthy food for members)
  • fresh meats and produce
  • healthy food options
  • education on healthy food choices and preparation
  • scholarships
  • jobs & job training
  • support of the development of local businesses in partnership with businesses, higher education, and other not-for-profit organizations

• When

As often quoted in business school, the answer to the question of when do you plan to open your first location is, “It depends”.  Many factors will determine our ability to open our first store in the next 6 – 18 months:

• • Location
    • We are specifically targeting the underserved “crescent” communities in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.
    • We will be able to open sooner if we can convert an existing or former grocery store, longer if we have to convert a building other than a grocery store or have to build to suit
  • Funding
    • With a projected yearly operating budget of ~$18M and start-up cost of ~$8M-$10M, this is by far the largest hurdle to getting up and running.
    • Initially, we will rely on fundraising, donations, and grants however we strongly believe that even though the grocery industry has very small profit margins of about 1-3% by reinvesting those profits as well as through other available revenue streams; we will be self-sustaining in possibly as little as 5 years
  • Partnerships
    • The quicker we can establish partnerships with businesses, philanthropic organizations & foundations, higher education, health care, other not-for-profits & government agencies, the sooner we can begin to implement programs and services such as job training & placement, health screening and referrals to name a few
      • Some partnerships will also be revenue streams and/or expense reducers such as partnerships with major grocery chains to generate income by using our store to test/pilot new planograms and/or store layouts, product placements, pricing changes, etc., as well as reduce expenses by providing volunteers and equipment
  • Volunteers
    • To keep costs low, the more donations of time we receive the sooner we will be able to open and offer all programs envisioned
  • Community
    • Once a location is determined, buy-in and support from the community will be essential.  This is where volunteers and donations will help to get people out and involved.  Without community involvement, it will be nearly impossible to achieve the long-term vision of creating healthy communities

• Where

  • We want to open our first location in a High Food Insecurity Risk Area.

    What are High Food Inseurity Risk Areas?

    High Food Insecurity Risk Areas are based on the following criteria:

    a drive time in excess of 5 minutes to a fullservice store, a drive time in excess of 5 minutes to a store that sells fresh produce (fruits & vegetables), and a limited total offering of food stores for any type of food purchase.

    In 2023, nearly 15% of Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents were identified as living in High Food Insecurity Risk Areas.

• Why

Today, across this country, too many areas lack access to healthy, affordable foods. Often those lucky enough to be able to get fresh fruits & vegetables have to travel miles to get to a store. However providing healthy food is not enough to combat the issues of hunger, disease, and even childhood development issues caused by poor diets. To truly begin to address this issue we need to look at access, affordability, education, and hope. R.I.C.’s Market will be more than just a grocery store. Through a partnership with businesses, healthcare, educators, and other not-for-profits; R.I.C.’s will truly look to deliver a solution that looks at developing a healthy person mentally, physically, and spiritually.

To find a holistic, long term sustainable solution, it is going to be necessary to work in partnerships with:

• Businesses
  • R.I.C.’s will be used as a test market for everything from technology to infrastructure, industry best practices, research and development, and product development
• Higher Education
  • R.I.C.’s will look to solve business and social issues around creating and sustaining healthy communities in low-income areas through internships, coursework, case competitions, and research
• Other not-for-profits
  • As to not reinvent the wheel and best utilize scarce resources and funding, we will work to connect the community to existing programs and assistance as well as partner on efforts where applicable. An example of this would be minimizing waste by donating excess or near-expiration items to local food banks.  Another would be leveraging relationships with local culinary programs to prepare fresh products nearing expiration and donate them to local soup kitchens or senior meal programs.
• Healthcare
  • R.I.C.’s will seek to partner with healthcare organizations such as doctors, nutritionists, dieticians, nurses, etc. to provide consultations, health incentives/challenges, health screenings, and product labeling to help specific groups like diabetes know which foods are best, which to eat in moderation and which to avoid.

Food is a necessity to live. As people have migrated from an agrarian to an industrial society (rural to urban) and many small farms gobbled up by large corporations, most Americans are dependent on their local grocer for food. This industry is known to operate on small margins of about 1-3% but can be very profitable because of high volumes. Many stores that offer fresh and healthy foods do so at a premium price and are usually located in areas with higher median income averages. Access to healthy food should not be a luxury because it affects a community’s ability to grow and evolve.