The online market that’s like a Costco for organic and natural products

Thrive Market, which launches today, is a new online marketplace for natural organic groceries, beauty products, cleaning supplies, and vitamins and supplements. It’s like the online version of Costco, but for better-for-you products only.

Until now, you could buy your healthy staples (somewhat piecemeal) on Amazon.com and supplement your shopping list with trips to places like Whole Foods, but this lets you do all the shopping in one place—for wholesale prices, explains co-founder Kate Mulling, who’s also the former founder of Chalkboard Magazine.

The one big differentiator between Thrive Market and wholesale clubs like Costco? The products don’t come in bulk (so you don’t have to buy 30 bars of soap at a time). You pay a yearly membership fee of $60 to get access to the discounted goods. Shipping is free for orders more than $50 and averages out to about $5 on orders below $50.

The Thrive Market website promises that the products are “always 25 to 50 percent off.” The discounts we found range from an Acure Organics Face Wash for $9.95 ($14.99 on Drugstore.com) and a jar of Justin’s Almond Butter for $8.45 ($9.55 on Soap.com). There won’t be any fresh produce or groceries on ThriveMarket.com (you’ll still have to make a farmers market run for that), but some other brands that might regularly find their way into your shopping cart include Mrs. Meyer’s, Dr. Bronner’s, and Bob’s Red Mill, to name a few.

Thrive Market also has a give-back mentality. For every membership sold, they’ll donating one to a low-income family. “We want to get nutritious products into the hands of people who wouldn’t otherwise have access,” says Mulling.

Just think about how much easier your commute home will be without extra bags from Whole Foods (especially if it’s on the subway)—and how nice it will be to place an order from your living room when there’s five feet of snow on the ground.  —Molly Gallagher

For more information, visit www.thrivemarket.com