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Masa
Techstars '22Portland, US · Founded 2020 · 13 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors
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Masa is a Portland-based company working to streamline how shoppers and vendors participate in farmers markets. Its product is intended to reduce the logistical friction involved in buying and selling local produce and goods.
Also known as Masa Fresh
Investors · 3
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Company profile
researched Sep 2026Masa, which operates as Masa Fresh, is a Portland, Oregon-based online marketplace that connects local farmers, gardeners, foragers and artisan producers directly with nearby shoppers. Rather than buying and reselling inventory, the company runs a platform on which sellers create accounts, upload their own products and prices, and set their own pickup or delivery routes; shoppers browse local offerings, in early versions via a map of fresh goods produced around their neighborhood, and can leave ratings, reviews and photos.
In its Portland delivery model, shoppers select seasonal produce from farms within a roughly 100-mile radius and pre-order by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Orders are sent to farms on Thursday, which harvest to fill them, and the orders arrive at customers' doorsteps by Saturday for a $9.99 delivery fee. Unlike a CSA box, customers choose the specific items they want, and unlike conventional grocery delivery the produce comes directly from smaller farms, many of which lack the yield to supply grocery stores. The approach is intended to avoid warehouse storage waste and to give small-scale growers access to Portland customers and chefs beyond the physical farmers market. The company also offers a membership: for $24 a year, members can shop directly from local farmers and producers.
Founding story
Masa was founded by Trang Ho and Trang Sharbaugh, then residents of southeast Portland, with a stated mission of moving regenerative agriculture into the mainstream. The name is short for Masanobu Fukuoka, the Japanese farmer and philosopher associated with natural, no-till, no-pesticide farming and the book The One-Straw Revolution; the founders said they were inspired by his books early in their work together and by the idea that natural farming can be productive while regenerating the ecosystem. Ho has said she moved to Portland specifically for the business because of the density of local farms and community support for the movement.
Business model
Masa operates as a marketplace platform rather than a retailer: it does not purchase goods from vendors to resell, but lists sellers' own products at prices the sellers set, with sellers choosing their pickup or delivery routes.
Reported revenue components include an annual shopper membership of $24 per year and a $9.99 delivery fee per order in the Portland delivery model.
Traction
Following a year-and-a-half market trial begun in 2020, the platform was delivering farmer-direct produce across Portland by 2022 with multiple named farm vendors on the platform, and in 2025 was onboarding additional growers seeking help reaching nearby customers.
Latest developments
In May 2025, local broadcast coverage described Masa Fresh as a membership-based online farmers market charging $24 per year, with farmers self-onboarding through dashboards to list products and set pickup or delivery routes, and featured Newberg hydroponic grower Great Harvest Farm as an example of a producer using the platform to reach customers.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Masa positions itself as a virtual farmers market distinct from both CSA subscription boxes, because buyers choose individual items, and from conventional grocery delivery, because goods come directly from small farms that often do not supply grocery stores.
The company emphasizes that it is not a store and takes no ownership of inventory, that produce is harvested to order and delivered within days of picking, and that participating farms are screened for practices such as no-till, small-scale and chemical-free growing.
Technology
The platform provides each seller with an account and dashboard to upload products and prices and to select pickup or delivery routes, and gives shoppers a browsable catalog, originally including a map of fresh goods produced nearby, plus ratings, reviews and photo-based feedback.
Go-to-market
Growth has relied on recruiting sellers through partnerships and community channels, including a partnership with the Portland Farmers Market to source farmers and a neighborhood seller referral program that rewarded members for introducing new sellers. Local media coverage has highlighted individual partner farms.
Two-sided: on the supply side, small-scale farmers, gardeners, foragers and artisan producers, including hydroponic and certified-organic growers in the Portland region; on the demand side, local households and chefs who want produce direct from nearby farms.
Geography
Operations are centered on Portland, Oregon and farms within roughly a 100-mile radius, with named partner producers including Eloisa Organic Farm, Our Table Cooperative in Sherwood, Kiyokawa Family Orchards in Parkdale, K Family Farm in Albany and Great Harvest Farm in Newberg. As of 2022 the team said it hoped to build similar local-farm networks in other communities in future years.
History
The founders launched with a market trial in 2020 that ran for about a year and a half, partnering with the Portland Farmers Market to recruit farmers and applying similar vendor criteria, excluding growers distributing to 10 or more states or selling products treated with growth hormones and favoring no-till, small-scale and chemical-free practices. By late 2021 the company was running a seller referral program in the Sunnyside neighborhood, rewarding referrers with a dozen local eggs for each new seller. By mid-2022 it was operating farmer-direct home delivery across the Portland area, and by 2025 it was described as a membership-based online farmers market with self-serve farmer dashboards.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsMasa partnered with the Portland Farmers Market to find farmers for its platform, applying similar vendor guidelines and criteria, such as excluding farmers distributing to 10 or more states or selling products treated with growth hormones.
Masa offered pre-ordered seasonal produce from farms within 100 miles, with orders placed by Wednesday night, harvested Thursday and delivered to customers' doorsteps by Saturday for a $9.99 delivery fee.
Masa promoted a seller referral program inviting residents to recruit local farmers, gardeners, foragers and artisans to sell on the platform, offering a dozen local fresh eggs for every new seller referred.
Co-founders Trang Sharbaugh and Trang Ho launched the company with a market trial in 2020 that ran for about a year and a half.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Masa Fresh a way to 'shop directly from farmers'koin.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Masa do?
- Masa Fresh is a Portland, Oregon online marketplace where shoppers buy produce and fresh goods directly from local farmers.
- Who are Masa's investors?
- Masa's investors include Techstars, Digital Currency Group, Unshackled Ventures.
- Where is Masa headquartered?
- Masa is headquartered in Portland, US.