E-commerce platform Homesome to begin accepting online SNAP

E-commerce platform provider Homesome will soon enable its merchant customers to accept SNAP payments, through a partnership with payment processor Forage, the company announced this week.

Homesome will roll out the new payment capability at LaBonne’s Markets and expand to the rest of its merchants over the next year. 

San Jose, California-based Homesome noted that its independent grocer customers play “a critical role in ensuring access to healthy, affordable food in their communities.” One in five recipients of SNAP benefits has a disability, and as many as 14 million Americans live in food deserts, Homesome added.  

“We’re very excited to bring SNAP as a payment method to our Homesome merchants,” says Rahul Chabukswar, Homesome CEO and founder, in a statement. “Unlocking this capability has a direct impact on the customers and communities they serve, and we couldn’t be more proud to play a part.”  

Forage is one of only three payment companies—Fiserv Inc. and FIS Inc.’s Worldpay are the other two—authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to process online SNAP payments.  

“When choosing who to work with to enable EBT SNAP online it was an easy decision,” Chabukswar in a statement. “When you partner with Forage, you get superior technology and extensive knowledge of USDA’s approval process, but for a business like Homesome, a platform hosting many different grocery merchants, Forage’s streamlined process for onboarding additional merchants was the determining factor. Forage is the only player in the space that has a scalable solution.” 

Related:SNAP goes digital with online purchases

Ofek Lavian, CEO and co-founder of Forage, said in a statement that the ability to accept online SNAP payments will help Homesome merchant customers better serve their customers and grow their business.   

"Enabling EBT SNAP online is an expansion of Homesome’s capabilities and demonstrates their commitment to feeding families and improving access to healthy, affordable food,” Lavian said.  

Forage has been in the news a lot this year as a pioneer of the technology bringing SNAP to online orders. Lavian said in an interview with WGB earlier this year that the company aims to make online SNAP payments as ubiquitous as credit and debit cards.