Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
Strategic acquirers, private equity (buyout funds and growth funds) firms, and valuation benchmarks for Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services
1.1 - About Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
Companies in the Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services category aggregate, source, and deliver ambient, chilled, and frozen foods to commercial and institutional buyers. They operate national and regional networks that manage procurement, inventory, and cold-chain logistics to ensure reliable availability, on-time delivery, and food safety compliance. Strategic buyers in this space provide breadth of assortment, contract pricing, and scalable service across geographies.
Typical offerings include wholesale procurement and supplier management tied to category management and merchandising support, temperature-controlled warehousing with WMS-driven picking and cross-docking, demand forecasting and inventory optimization, and last‑mile delivery via DSD fleets. Many provide e‑commerce ordering portals and EDI integrations, private‑label programs, ingredient portioning and custom packaging, and rigorous quality assurance with traceability to meet FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI standards, while import/export capabilities expand access to specialty and international products.
Primary customers include restaurant and foodservice operators, grocery and convenience chains, and institutional buyers such as schools and healthcare systems. These distributors improve fill rates and on‑time performance, reduce spoilage and working capital through optimized inventory turns, ensure regulatory compliance and traceability, and enable menu and assortment expansion with reliable sourcing. They also provide scalable regional and national coverage for multi‑unit operators.
2. Buyers in the Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
2.1 Top strategic acquirers of Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services companies
US Foods
- Description: Provider of food supply and distribution services, delivering a broad portfolio of fresh and frozen items such as meats, hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, beverages, desserts and ready meals. The company serves independent and multi-unit restaurants, government, education, healthcare and hospitality customers through a network of U.S. distribution centers.
- Key Products:
- Exclusive Brands Portfolio: Range of high-quality foodservice products designed to consistently meet diner expectations, elevating menus and driving product excellence across diverse culinary applications
- Scoop Labor-Saving Products: Innovative menu ingredients and solutions that reduce kitchen labor, inspiring culinary creativity through ready ideas, recipes and applications that streamline back-of-house operations
- Tender by Design Process: Proprietary freezing technique producing frozen steaks matching fresh quality, giving operators convenient inventory control without sacrificing tenderness or flavor consistency
- Chef's Line Gluten-Free Breaded Chicken Chunk RWA: Fully cooked, antibiotic-free, gluten-free chicken pieces delivering trend-forward protein option that satisfies dietary needs and simplifies prep.
- Company type: Private company
- Employees: ●●●●●
- Total funding raised: $●●●m
- Backers: ●●●●●●●●●●
- Acquisitions: ●●
2.2 - Strategic buyer groups for Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
M&A buyer group 1: Wholesalers
Sysco
- Type: N/A
- Employees: ●●●●●
- Description: Provider of foodservice distribution, Sysco Corporation markets and delivers fresh meat, seafood, produce, canned and dry groceries, dairy and beverages, plus disposable tableware, kitchen equipment, cleaning supplies and related non-food items through a network of distribution centers and fleet vehicles serving restaurants, healthcare, education, government and lodging customers across the Americas and Europe.
- Key Products:
- Food Product Sales & Marketing: Sysco sells and markets an extensive range of food products to restaurants, healthcare, education and lodging customers, helping them prepare meals away from home
- Food Product Distribution: Through 334 distribution facilities worldwide
- Sysco delivers food items quickly to approximately 725,000 customer locations, ensuring consistent supply and freshness
- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies: Offers equipment and hospitality supplies alongside food, enabling customers to outfit kitchens and service areas with necessary tools for efficient operations
- Supply Chain & Trucking Services: Provides supply chain management and trucking capabilities, integrating distribution logistics to move products reliably from warehouses to customer sites.
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●● companies3. Investors and private equity firms in Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
3.1 - Buyout funds in the Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
2.2 - Strategic buyer groups for Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
4 - Top valuation comps for Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services companies
4.2 - Public trading comparable groups for Food and Agriculture Wholesale Distribution Services sector
Valuation benchmark group 1: Industrial Equipment and Parts Distributors
Parker Hannifin
- Enterprise value: $●●●m
- Market Cap: $●●●m
- EV/Revenue: ●.●x
- EV/EBITDA: ●●.●x
- Description: Provider of motion and control technologies and systems, offering precision-engineered solutions for mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets to enhance productivity and operational efficiency across various applications worldwide.
- Key Products:
- Hydraulic Components: Systems and components for fluid power applications
- Pneumatic Systems: Components and systems for air power applications
- Filtration Solutions: Filters and filtration systems for various industries
- Sealing Solutions: High-performance sealing and shielding products
- Process Control: Instrumentation and control technologies for industrial processes.