About Milk Market
Our Mission
Milk Market exists to restore the direct connection between local dairy farmers and the people they feed. We believe everyone deserves access to fresh, high-quality dairy products without middlemen inflating prices or dictating what you can buy.
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the U.S. dairy industry generated $45.9 billion in cash receipts in 2023, yet the USDA Food Dollar Series shows farmers receive just 15.9 cents of every food dollar. Direct food sales from farms reached $17.5 billion in 2022, up 25% since 2017, reflecting growing demand for transparency and freshness in the food supply chain.
Why We Built This
The modern dairy supply chain is broken. Large processors and retailers capture most of the value, while small farmers struggle to survive and consumers pay premium prices for products that may be weeks old. The USDA Food Dollar Series shows that 84.1 cents of every food dollar goes to marketing, processing, and retail — leaving farmers with just 15.9 cents. Direct sales cut out those middlemen.
“The shorter the chain between raw food and fork, the fresher it is and the more transparent the system is.”
— Joel Salatin, Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal
Milk Market solves this by creating a permissionless marketplace where farmers list products, set their own prices, and keep their earnings. There are no mandatory platform fees — farmers can optionally elect a donation rate to support the site, but it's always their choice. No gatekeepers. No middlemen.
What Makes Us Different
No Mandatory Fees
There are no mandatory platform fees. Farmers can elect an optional donation rate to give back to the site if they wish, but every sale defaults to 100% going to the farmer.
Privacy-First
Built on the Nostr protocol, all communications are encrypted end-to-end. Your data is never sold or shared with third parties.
Multiple Payment Options
Pay with Bitcoin (Lightning Network), credit cards via Stripe, or arrange cash and other methods directly with your farmer.
Decentralized & Censorship-Resistant
No central authority can shut down the marketplace or prevent farmers from selling legal products. Food freedom is a core value.
Our Team
Milk Market was founded by a team of technologists and food sovereignty advocates who believe that the future of food commerce is decentralized, private, and fair. Our team brings together expertise in:
- Decentralized protocols — Deep experience building on the Nostr protocol and Bitcoin payment infrastructure
- Agricultural economics — Understanding the challenges facing small-scale dairy farmers in the modern supply chain
- Privacy engineering — Commitment to end-to-end encryption and user data sovereignty
- E-commerce platforms — Years of experience building marketplace technology at scale
We are headquartered in the greater Seattle area and serve dairy farms and consumers across the United States, with plans to expand internationally.
Industry Context
The direct-to-consumer dairy movement is accelerating. Key statistics:
Ready to Get Started?
Whether you're a farmer looking to sell or a consumer seeking fresh local dairy, Milk Market is here for you.