Start or grow your CSA with A Fresher Place.
Community Supported Agriculture is the most direct way to build a relationship between your farm and the families you feed. This guide walks you through setting up a CSA that works for your operation and your community.
What is a CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Families subscribe to your farm's harvest before the season starts. They pay upfront or monthly, and in return they receive a weekly share of whatever you grow. The model gives you predictable revenue before you plant, reduces waste by growing to order, and builds loyalty that lasts beyond a single farmers market visit. CSA families are not customers. They are members of your farm community.
Setting Up Your CSA
Define Your Share Types
Decide how many tiers to offer. A common shape is three tiers: Standard (full-size), Community (smaller), and Access (SNAP-priced). You set your own prices. Sliding-scale pricing is encouraged.
Choose Your Pickup Locations
You can use your own farm, attend a farmers market, or tap into A Fresher Place's hub-and-spoke network (senior centers, housing developments, community organizations).
Set Your Season
Most CSA seasons run May through October (20-24 weeks). Some farms extend into fall or offer winter shares with stored crops, jarred goods, and greenhouse production.
Configure Payments
A Fresher Place uses Stripe Connect Standard. Families pay through Stripe Checkout. Funds land in your Stripe account. AFP does not hold your money. Onboarding takes about 10 minutes. You can accept card and ACH. SNAP/EBT is handled separately at pickup through your EBT terminal.
Build Your Profile
Create your farm profile on A Fresher Place. Add your story, crops, photos, and CSA details. Tag your crops with cultural specialty and health properties so families can find you by searching for what matters to them.
Launch and Grow
Start with 10-20 families in your first season. Use A Fresher Place's event calendar to host cooking demos, pop-up distributions, and community gatherings that convert attendees into members.
Tools We Use
Stripe Connect Standard
Payment processing for weekly and seasonal shares. You connect your own Stripe account in about 10 minutes. AFP charges no platform fee on top of Stripe's standard processing rates. You keep everything else. SNAP/EBT is processed at pickup through your own EBT terminal, separate from card payments.