Alchemist Community Development Corporation

Alchemist CDC was founded in 2004 and, after 20 years, continues as a mission-driven organization that connects Sacramento-region communities to land, food, and opportunity.

In short, we cultivate healthy, vibrant communities through the local food system. Our work includes:

• Operating three certified farmers' markets and providing CalFresh/EBT access and Market Match nutrition incentives at 9 local markets. The impact of this program grows each year, and in 2024 we distributed over $1.4 million in benefits over 44,000 customer transactions! Every dollar distributed puts nutritious food on the table for food-insecure households while supporting California's small farms.
• Alchemist Kitchen is a business training program and incubator serving aspiring food entrepreneurs from low-income and under-served communities in the Sacramento region. AK consists of two phases that build business acumen:
  • Alchemist Microenterprise Academy (AMA) is a 12-week business training course that teaches the basics of starting a safe, legal, successful food business.
  • The Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Program (AKIP) is open to select graduates of AMA and provides in-depth assistance customized to specific business needs including technical assistance, mentorship, market opportunities, and low-cost kitchen access. Tailored to each unique participant, AKIP participation generally continues for 3-5 years. You can find a directory of AKIP businesses here.
  • We also operate a shared-use commercial kitchen in North Sacramento that provides affordable, legal production space for around 30 Alchemsmall food businesses.
• Neighborhood Empowerment - Alchemist CDC is committed to working with local neighbors to support grassroots efforts to solve community problems and pursue visions of the common good.We believe that communities have within themselves the vision, passions, and ability to do good and great things and have a history of collaboration with neighbors to help good ideas to be implemented and to grow. This work falls under three primary areas:
  • Community Food Connections – This collaboration with multiple partners helps to get groceries (including farm-fresh produce) to some of the most vulnerable families in the Sacramento City Unified School District.
  • Land-based work – Through these projects, we help transform under-utilized and vacant land into vibrant, neighborhood amenities through direct community engagement, design, and hands-on participation in creating public gardens and community gathering spaces. These include:
    • Oak Park Sol Community Garden – A community garden and small urban farm in the heart of Oak Park. This garden grew out of a neighborhood desire to have a creative green space that could serve as a place to grow food, demonstrate sustainable practices, share knowledge, and build community connectivity. The urban farm allows volunteers to help grow nutritious food hungry neighbors.
    • Pansy Avenue Community Garden Park – A small corner park with community garden plots adding green-space and recreational access in a neighborhood lacking those amenities.
    • Oak Park Art Garden – In development with an expected opening in 2025, this project will be a shared community space and will also host an e-bike lending library and a tool library.
• Alchemist Public Market - our largest project so far, we are bringing all of our programs together in one space to amplify their impact. Opening in Sacramento's River District in 2026.

With a commitment to community development centered on the local food system, we find that each of our programs are not only inextricably linked to one another but also to many issues, policies, and partner organizations throughout the region and across the state.