Artisanal Solutions / Guides / Faire Alternatives for Food Makers

Alternatives

Faire alternatives for food makers

Faire is the largest wholesale marketplace, but its commissions and broad catalog do not suit every food brand. These are the wholesale channels food makers use instead of, or alongside, Faire.

Updated November 2026 by the Madeline's team, who set these tools up for makers and farms.

Wholesale channels compared
5In view
3On track
0Needs you
ChannelBest forFood focusHow you pay
Faire Broadest retailer reach Part of catalog Commission
Mable Grocers and specialty food Yes Commission
Abound Curated gift and lifestyle Part of catalog Commission
IndieMe Handmade makers Part of catalog Membership
Your own portal Repeat accounts Yours No commission
Commissions, terms and buyer networks change; check each platform before you list.

The short answer

Mable is the most food-focused alternative. Abound is a curated general wholesale marketplace. IndieMe suits handmade makers in North America. Your own wholesale portal keeps the margin on your best accounts. Most brands use one marketplace for discovery and their own portal for reorders.

The alternatives

  1. Mable

    Best for grocers and specialty food

    A wholesale marketplace built for food and beverage brands, focused on helping independent grocers and specialty shops find local and regional products.

    Good fit if
    • Your buyers are grocers and specialty food shops
    • Your products are shelf-stable or regional
    Watch for
    • Smaller retailer network than Faire
  2. Abound

    Best for curated gift and lifestyle

    A curated wholesale marketplace for independent brands, strongest in gift, home and lifestyle shops that also carry packaged food.

    Good fit if
    • Your food sells as a gift
    • You want a curated catalog
    Watch for
    • Food is one category among many
  3. IndieMe

    Best for handmade makers

    A wholesale marketplace for handmade goods made in the US and Canada, including artisan food.

    Good fit if
    • Your brand is handmade and small batch
    • You prefer a membership to a commission
    Watch for
    • Smaller buyer network
  4. Madeline's

    Best for retail reach for specialty food

    Not a wholesale marketplace: Madeline's is a retail marketplace where you keep your brand on the product page and ship your own boxes, on commission only.

    Good fit if
    • You want online retail sales without running ads
    • You ship your own orders
    Watch for
    • Retail, not wholesale; pair it with a wholesale channel
  5. Your own wholesale portal

    Best for repeat accounts

    A password-protected ordering page with your price list, case packs and minimums, so your best stores and restaurants reorder without a marketplace cut.

    Good fit if
    • You have accounts that reorder
    • You want to keep the full wholesale margin
    Watch for
    • You bring the buyers; it does not find new ones

Want one of these set up for you?

Tell us what you make. We send back a short plan and a price.

Get a plan and a price

How it works

  1. Tell us what you make

    What you make and what you use now. A spreadsheet and a Square account is a fine answer.

  2. Get a short plan

    Keep this, replace that, connect these, and the cost.

  3. We set it up

    Setup and migration done for you. You approve before anything goes live.

  4. Run it or hand it off

    Take it from there yourself or keep us on for the upkeep.

Questions

What is the best Faire alternative for a food brand?

Mable is the most food-focused. Many food brands also keep Faire for discovery and move repeat accounts to their own wholesale portal.

Is Tundra still an option?

No. Tundra shut down in 2022, so older guides that recommend it are out of date.

Should I leave Faire entirely?

Usually not. Use a marketplace to find new retailers and your own portal for accounts that reorder, so you pay commission only on discovery.

Can Madeline's build a wholesale portal for me?

Yes. We set up price lists, case packs, minimums and net terms in a portal on the store you already run.

Get a plan and a price

Tell us what you make and what you use today. A spreadsheet and a Square account is a fine answer. We reply by email with what we would keep, what we would change and what it costs.

The newsletter for artisans, makers and farmers

Tools worth using, shipping and labeling how-tos, and what is working for other small producers. Email only, unsubscribe any time.

All solutions