In response to growing public interest in regionally-focused food systems, there is an increasing array of business models and innovations for small and medium-sized businesses to choose between when considering how to enter and/or expand in these markets. However, beyond case studies there exists little analysis that evaluates market performance and stakeholder welfare associated with these business models. The Ag of the Middle group first developed a scheme to categorize value chains in the early 2000’s (http://www.agofthemiddle.org) that helped to justify the need to further explore how new marketing initiatives may intersect with scale and financial sustainability.