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Radar · Food and Agriculture in Maryland

Best Food and Agriculture Companies in Maryland, United States

The 176 best Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Eat the Change.

176companies tracked
$134.7Mdisclosed funding
0unicorns
31have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · FOOD AND AGRICULTURE × MARYLAND

Our analysis of 175 Food and Agriculture companies

$22.9b in tracked funding; 93% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.

175companies analysed
93%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
7unicorns
2015median founding year
660kcombined LinkedIn audience
90%of audience held by top 3
3companies hiring publicly (12 mo)

Ranked: Best Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland

#CompanyDisclosed fundingLast roundEmployeesFounderTech stackWeb popularityPatents & IP focusRecent signals
1Eat the Change
Brand of nutrient dense snacks
50Funding top 25%Talent bottom 49%Market bottom 46%Global bottom 29%
All 5 signals ▾
Fundingtop 25%
Talentbottom 49%
Marketbottom 46%
Globalbottom 29%
Newsbottom 22%
Funding: Raised $32.6M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 5 yrs (0.8/yr)
Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated
rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100
$33M13 mo ago29Seth Goldman
Co-Founder
———3 launchs
2Curio Wellness
Manufacturer of cannabis products and operator of dispensaries
64Tech top 30%Funding top 31%Growth top 32%Innovation top 36%
All 11 signals ▾
Techtop 30%
Fundingtop 31%
Growthtop 32%
Innovationtop 36%
Producttop 36%
Talenttop 38%
Moattop 48%
Marketbottom 49%
Partnersbottom 47%
Globalbottom 30%
Customersbottom 29%
Tech: 59 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon S3, Amazon Web Services
Funding: Raised $25.6M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 5 yrs (0.6/yr)
rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 64/100
$26M4 mo ago139
139 → 214 (+54%)
Wendy Bronfein
Co-Founder
WordPress Block EditorWordPressApple iCloud Mail+43Top 5M——
3Capital Teas
Specialty tea provider offering over 200 high-quality teas and infusions
$12M126 mo ago100—Cart FunctionalityFast CheckoutBigCommerce+26Top 5M——
4True Lemon
Manufacturer of citrus based products based in USA
$12M122 mo ago31—————
5Halfday Tonics
Internet first brand of tea
$10M34 mo ago8Mike Lombardo
Co-Founder
Cart FunctionalityShopifySentry+26Top 5M—1 launch
6Rethink Brands
Manufactures and markets fruit infused water
$8M83 mo ago2Matthew Swanson
Founder & CEO
————
7Green Planet Group
Tea product processing company
$7M64 mo ago143—————
8Farmers Restaurant Group
Chain of restaurants offering food and drinks
$7M24 mo ago154Dan Simons
Founder and Co-Owner
WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+39Top 50M—1 partnership
9Gusto Farm to Street
Chain of limited service restaurant offering pizza
$5M27 mo ago—Joshua Grim
Founder & CEO
————
10Tessemae's
Organic dressings, marinades, and sauces to simplify food and amplify life
$5M98 mo ago35Greg Vetter
CEO
Cart FunctionalityShopifySentry+33Top 5M——
11Flying Dog Brewery
Brand of beer
$3M222 mo ago83—WordPressMySQLPHP+24Top 5M——
12Zest Tea
Provider of energy tea and functional beverages
$2M60 mo ago—Rickey Ishida
Co-Founder
Cart FunctionalityShopifySentry+42Top 5M——
13GrillMarX
Casual dining experience with hand-crafted meals including colorful salads, hand-cut steaks, and fresh seafood
$1M176 mo ago—Andrew Leach
Co-Owner
————
14Union Craft Brewing
Beer brewing company
$800K160 mo ago27Jon Zerivitz
Co-Founder
WordPressMySQLPHP+28Top 5M—1 job opening
15Blackwater Distilling
Online gaming platform offering slots, live casino, and sports betting
$700K78 mo ago—Jonathan Cook
Founder & COO
————
16Monument City Brewing
Beer brand
$625K120 mo ago—Ken Praay
Co-Founder
WordPressMySQLPHP+18Top 10M——
17Baltimore Spirits Company
Manufacturer of alcoholic beverages
$605K104 mo ago3—Cart FunctionalityWordPressMySQL+35Top 5M——
18FireFly Farms
Cheese brand
$425K53 mo ago29
29 → 22 (-24%)
Mike Koch
President & Co-Founder
WordPressMySQLPHP+33Top 50M——
19Chesapeake Coffee Roasters
Specialty coffee roaster company
$400K168 mo ago12—NetSuiteJavaBootstrap+11Top 10M—1 job opening
20Hearn Kirkwood
Distributor of meat, seafood, poultry, dairy items, and prepared foods
$329K129 mo ago128Peter Gilbert
Founder
————
21THE VINEYARDS AT DODON
Brand of multi category wines
$300K171 mo ago——Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceCommerce7+18Top 10M——
22Plant Sensory Systems
Plant Sensory Systems
$257K110 mo ago3Kathleen Turano
President & Co-Founder
————
23Hoop Tea
Brand of tea
$151K76 mo ago—Danny Robinson
Founder & CEO
Builder.ioNode.jsSvelteKit+9Top 5M——
24Meat The Mushroom
Internet first brand of mushroom
$150K28 mo ago—Marvin Montague
Co-Founder & CEO
Cart FunctionalityShopifyShop Pay+11Top 5M——
25Seawolf Brewery
Brand of beer
$100K66 mo ago—Amit Rupani
Co-Founder
————

Top 12 Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland

#1
Series B · Baltimore, Maryland · founded 2014 · 139 employees
$25.6Mraised
▾

Manufacturer of cannabis products and operator of dispensaries. This business develops and produces various cannabis items including flower, pre-rolls, vapes, tablets, and topicals. It operates facilities for the cultivation, refinement, and packaging of these goods. Additionally, the company manages a network of retail locations that provide access to its own products and a selection of other brands. The organization focuses on the formulation of items designed for specific health and wellness applications.

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 64how this company ranks against its industry peers
Tech
top 30%
Funding
top 31%
Growth
top 32%
Innovation
top 36%
Product
top 36%
Talent
top 38%
Tech: 59 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon S3, Amazon Web Services · Devops: Nginx
Funding: Raised $25.6M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 5 yrs (0.6/yr) · Last round Series B (Feb 2026)
Growth: Headcount 106 → 139 (+31%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Audience (LinkedIn): 10k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
  • Feb 2026Series B$5.3M
  • Jun 2023Series A$4.2M
  • 2021Series A$21.4M
Founders & team
Wendy BronfeinCo-FounderMichael BronfeinCo-Founder & CEO
Tech stack
Amazon S3Amazon Web ServicesApache Http ServerApple Icloud MailBootstrapCdnjs
#2
Series B · Bethesda, Maryland · founded 2020 · 29 employees
$32.6Mraised
▾

Brand of nutrient dense snacks

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 50how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 25%
Talent
bottom 49%
Market
bottom 46%
Global
bottom 29%
News
bottom 22%
Funding: Raised $32.6M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 5 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round Series B (May 2025)
Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated
Market: 29 employees (top 45% of Food & Beverage Products)
Audience (LinkedIn): 13k LinkedIn followers — 2.0% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 3 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • May 2025Series B$1000K
  • Oct 2023Series B$14M
  • Aug 2022Series B$14.5M
  • Feb 2021Series A$4.1M
Founders & team
Seth GoldmanCo-Founder
Investors
Collab Fund, S2G Investments
#3
Series B · Silver Spring, Maryland · founded 2005 · 154 employees
$6.6Mraised
▾

Operator of concept development and restaurant management company intended to provide an interactive dining experience. The company leverages technology to operate modern and upscale restaurants serving local farm-sourced ingredients, enabling customers to offer fresh and locally sourced ingredients.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 14k LinkedIn followers — 2.1% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 partnerships (incl. Tranquility Farm & Winery) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Jun 2024Series B$4.5M
  • Apr 2016Series A$2.2M
Founders & team
Dan SimonsFounder and Co-OwnerMark WatneOwnerMike VucurevichCo-Owner
Tech stack
AccessibeApple Icloud MailBootstrapCdnjsCloudflareCloudflare Browser Insights
#4
Series A · Bethesda, Maryland · founded 2015
$5.4Mraised
▾

Chain of limited service restaurant offering pizza

Funding rounds
  • Mar 2024Series A$3.4M
  • May 2019Seed$2M
Founders & team
Joshua GrimFounder & CEO
Investors
Emil Capital Partners
#5
Series A · Cumberland, Maryland · founded 2020 · 8 employees
$10.3Mraised
▾

Internet first brand of tea

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 22k LinkedIn followers — 3.3% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 3 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Aug 2023Series A$7.3M
  • Oct 2022Seed$3M
Founders & team
Mike LombardoCo-FounderKayvon JahanbakhshCo-Founder
Investors
BeyondSKU, TR Ventures
Tech stack
AccessibeCart FunctionalityCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsFacebook Pixel
#6
Series A · Baltimore, Maryland · founded 2003 · 31 employees
$11.6Mraised
▾

True Citrus Inc. produces and supplies citrus-based products. It offers grapefruit, lemon, lemonade, lime, orange, and citrus drink mixes; and citrus products for water, tea, and recipes, as well as for cooking, baking, and seasoning. It markets and sells its products through grocery stores and retailers in the United States and internationally, as well as online.

Funding rounds
  • Apr 2016Series A—
  • Nov 2015Series A$2.5M
  • Mar 2012Series A$4M
  • May 2011Series A$2M
Investors
Liquid Capital Group, Inflection Point Ventures, Alerion Partners, Juggernaut Capital Partners
#7
Series B · Annapolis, Maryland · founded 2007 · 100 employees
$11.6Mraised
▾

Specialty tea provider offering over 200 high-quality teas and infusions

Funding rounds
  • Dec 2015Series B$6M
  • Mar 2014Series A$5M
  • Apr 2012Seed$600K
Investors
Pear Tree Partners, U.S. Boston Growth Capital
Tech stack
Amazon S3Amazon Web ServicesAuthorize.NetBigcommerceCart FunctionalityCdnjs
#8
Public · Gaithersburg, Maryland · founded 1994 · 143 employees
$6.8Mraised
▾

Tea product processing company

Funding rounds
  • Jan 2021Post IPO$6.8M
#9
Series A · Columbia, Maryland · founded 2015 · 2 employees
$8.3Mraised
▾

ReThink manufactures and markets fruit infused water. It supplies water in various flavors such as fruit punch, apple, orange, mango, berry, strawberry, lemon etc. It also offers information regarding the ingredients and nutritional contents of its products. The company claims its products are free of sugar, sodium, and have zero calories. Its products can be purchased online throguh the website.

Funding rounds
  • Jun 2019Series A$1.3M
  • Jul 2018Series A$6.7M
  • Mar 2016Seed$345K
Founders & team
Matthew SwansonFounder & CEOChristopher O'DonovanFounder
Investors
AF Ventures, Canty Ventures, Germin8 Ventures, Bluestein Ventures
Tech stack
Squarespace CommerceSquarespaceHsts
#10
Seed · Baltimore, Maryland · founded 2013
$1.9Mraised
▾

Zest Functional Beverages offers high caffeine energy teas and functional drinks to help individuals achieve more every day with science-backed ingredients. Their range includes energy tea drinks, plant-powered sleep teas, immunity support teas, and more.

Funding rounds
  • May 2021Seed$50K
  • Oct 2019Seed$650K
  • Jan 2019Seed$1M
  • May 2018Conventional Debt$130K
Founders & team
Rickey IshidaCo-Founder
Investors
USM, Lord Baltimore
Tech stack
AdrollAdroll Cmp SystemAmazon AlbAmazon Web ServicesApple PayBootstrap
#11
Series A · Baltimore, Maryland · founded 2009 · 35 employees
$5Mraised
▾

Organic dressings, marinades, and sauces to simplify food and amplify life. They offer a range of organic and dietary-conscious products, including dressings, marinades, and sauces catering to various needs like Whole30, gluten-free, keto, and vegan. The company provides recipes and meal planning resources to inspire customers. They focus on simplifying food choices and amplifying the enjoyment of life through flavorful and healthy options. They offer a subscription to their newsletter for discounts. The website offers account login, cart functionality, and secure checkout. They also provide wholesale options, shipping information, and customer support. They are committed to accessibility and data privacy.

Funding rounds
  • Apr 2018Series A$1.1M
  • Sep 2015Series A$5M
Founders & team
Greg VetterCEO
Investors
War Horse, Sagamore Ventures, SFP Capital
Tech stack
Amazon S3Amazon Web ServicesApple PayAttentiveCart FunctionalityCloudflare
#12
Seed · Perry Hall, Maryland · founded 2021
$150Kraised
▾

-

Funding rounds
  • Jan 2024Seed$150K
Founders & team
Marvin MontagueCo-Founder & CEO

Funding & investor landscape

$134.7Mtotal disclosed funding
28companies funded
67disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
United States Department of Agriculture3 rounds
SFP Capital2 rounds
USM2 rounds
AF Ventures1 rounds
ARPA-E1 rounds
Ahold Delhaize1 rounds
Alerion Partners1 rounds
Angeles Investors1 rounds
Angelo Gordon1 rounds
Appalachian Capital1 rounds

Notable founders

Wendy Bronfein
Co-Founder · Curio Wellness
Michael Bronfein
Co-Founder & CEO · Curio Wellness
Seth Goldman
Co-Founder · Eat the Change
Dan Simons
Founder and Co-Owner · Farmers Restaurant Group
Mark Watne
Owner · Farmers Restaurant Group
Joshua Grim
Founder & CEO · Gusto Farm to Street
Mike Lombardo
Co-Founder · Halfday Tonics
Kayvon Jahanbakhsh
Co-Founder · Halfday Tonics
Matthew Swanson
Founder & CEO · Rethink Brands
Christopher O'Donovan
Founder · Rethink Brands
Rickey Ishida
Co-Founder · Zest Tea
Greg Vetter
CEO · Tessemae's
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 2,042,753 docs

Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage

Share of Food and Agriculture coverage by sub-theme.

Regulatory-risk over time rising

Funding & growth over time

funding rising · growth rising

RESEARCH SIGNALS · United States

How research on Agritech is moving in the United States

A read on the academic research around Agritech — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 652 United States-affiliated papers.

research sentiment over time
201020192026
enthusiastic · positive · guarded tone
Tone is overwhelmingly optimistic and intensifying — the enthusiastic (strongly-positive) share moved 24% → 62% across 2010–2026.
top research entities
  • International Food Policy Research Institute25
  • University of California, Davis22
  • Cornell University22
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign17
  • Agricultural & Applied Economics Association17
leading researchers
Saraju P. Mohanty · Bouali Et-taibi · Mohamed Riduan Abid · H.S. Jat · Andrea Cattaneo · Leslie Lipper · El‐Mahjoub Boufounas · Driss Benhaddou
▲ Breakthroughs103 · 16%
▲ 2%→22% share
▲11.0× share momentum2 median citations92% since 2021mostly methods-led
Robot research surged 1→19 papers, driving Breakthroughs field-share from 2%→22% in US agritech.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Robot1→19
Newly emergingAgriculture 0→51 · Precision agriculture 0→17 · Cloud computing 0→11
Landmark The Robotanist: A ground-based agricultural robot for high-throughput crop phenotyping · 151 cites
◆ Advancements253 · 39%
▲ 32%→42% share
▲1.3× share momentum3 median citations71% since 2021mostly empirical
Advancements intensifying — Agriculture papers rose 24→127 and IoT newly emerged with 18 papers.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Agriculture24→127
  • Robot4→21
  • Climate change2→17
  • Agroforestry3→15
  • Productivity2→13
Newly emergingInternet of Things 0→18 · Agricultural engineering 0→15 · Precision agriculture 0→13
Landmark Responses of soil carbon sequestration to climate‐smart agriculture practices: A meta‐analysis · 470 cites
▼ Concerns186 · 29%
▼ 39%→25% share
▼0.6× share momentum6 median citations57% since 2021mostly empirical
Concerns segment cooling (39%→25%) despite Food security papers tripling from 7→25.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Agriculture35→83
  • Food security7→25
  • Productivity2→10
  • Agricultural economics2→10
  • Internet of Things1→8
Newly emergingAgroforestry 0→10 · Sustainability 0→9 · Agricultural science 0→7
Landmark Climate-smart agriculture: what is it good for? · 334 cites
RESEARCH HOTSPOTS · United States

Where agritech is researched across United States

Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.

New York23 · +0.10
Hot · AgricultureOpportunity · Robot
SF Bay Area15 · +0.03
Hot · Natural resource economicsOpportunity · PEST analysisConcern · Agriculture
Ann Arbor7 · +0.01
Opportunity · Cover crop
Boston6 · +0.60
Hot · AgricultureOpportunity · Agricultural engineering
Atlanta6 · +0.75
Opportunity · Internet of Things
PATENT SIGNAL · United States

Who's filing agritech patents in the United States

United States agritech patent filing is accelerating — 24 filings from 35 assignees (2016–2025), led by Microsoft, Vision Robotics, Koselka Harvey; annual filings 1→5.

24 filings35 assigneespeak 5/yr2016–2025
filing momentum (YoY 2016–2025)
top patent filers
  • Microsoft7
  • Vision Robotics5
  • Koselka Harvey5
  • Wallach BRET5
  • IBM4
  • X DEV3
  • Gerrish Steven R3
  • CROP One Holdings2

Common questions

How many Food and Agriculture companies are there in Maryland, United States?
Radar tracks 176 indexable Food and Agriculture companies headquartered in Maryland, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland, United States?
The Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland, United States on this list have raised a combined $134.7M in disclosed equity funding across 28 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Food and Agriculture company in Maryland, United States?
Eat the Change is the highest-funded Food and Agriculture company in Maryland, United States, with $32.6M in disclosed equity funding.
How many Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland, United States are funded?
28 of the 176 Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Food and Agriculture unicorns are there in Maryland, United States?
None of the Food and Agriculture companies in Maryland, United States on this list currently has a disclosed valuation of $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in Maryland, United States Food and Agriculture companies?
The most active investors in Maryland, United States Food and Agriculture companies on this list include United States Department of Agriculture, SFP Capital, USM, AF Ventures, ARPA-E.
Riya SenguptaFinancials

Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.

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