Cracking the Code: How CPG Brands Can Successfully Enter Foodservice Distribution
Breaking into the foodservice channel can feel like climbing a mountain for CPG start-ups—yet reach the summit and you'll unlock steady orders and long-term customer relationships. Finding the right customers and preparing your operations for surging demand represents one of the most significant growing pains when expanding your business.
The good news?
We have proven strategies to help you grow your foodservice distribution network and build lasting relationships.
Tailoring Your Products for Foodservice Success
The first step in growing your foodservice business is conceptualizing and tailoring your product offerings for foodservice operators—restaurants, cafes, hospitals, college dining halls, and more. Your packaging's design and utility should allow operators to use your product easily, whether in bulk portions or across various consumption journeys. When your product is intuitive for operators to use, you remove friction from their purchasing decision.
For example, offering corporate cafeterias or break rooms a branded rack or countertop display with their purchase of individual serving products can seal the deal. This approach reduces operator effort in displaying and restocking—making their teams more likely to utilize the product—while increasing visibility for end consumers. We've seen single racks and bulk single-serving options generate numerous long-term, repeat order relationships for brands.
However, packaging and marketing materials alone won't close deals. You still need to get your offerings in front of the right decision-makers. Once your products are foodservice-ready, you'll need to work hand-in-hand with distributors to develop your distribution network.
Getting in Front of Decision-Makers: Key Foodservice Trade Shows
One of the most effective ways to connect with foodservice operators, distributors, and buyers is by exhibiting at or attending major industry trade shows. These events bring thousands of decision-makers together in one place and provide invaluable opportunities to showcase your products, gather feedback, and build relationships that can accelerate your foodservice growth.
Major Foodservice Trade Shows to Consider:
National Restaurant Association Show
(May, Chicago) The Western Hemisphere's largest foodservice event draws over 53,000 attendees, including restaurant operators, foodservice distributors, dealers, and institutional buyers. With 2,000+ exhibitors showcasing innovations across 900+ product categories, this is the premier venue for CPG brands to connect directly with foodservice operators and distributors who make purchasing decisions.
International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) Show
(June) IDDBA welcomes over 10,000 attendees, with 81% representing buyers and key decision-makers. The show actively targets the top 200 retail chains, top 100 wholesale chains, and top 100 convenience stores, making it essential for brands in dairy, deli, and bakery categories looking to expand their foodservice presence.
Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo
(August, Anaheim) This regional event offers strong West Coast presence and focuses on menu trends, state-of-the-art design, and foodservice innovations. It's an excellent opportunity to connect with operators and explore emerging trends in the hospitality sector.
Specialty Distributor Shows:
Several distributor-specific shows provide direct access to their buyer networks:
UNFI Shows (multiple regional shows throughout the year) - Four annual events targeting natural and organic foodservice buyers across different U.S. regions
KeHE Holiday Show (June, Chicago) - Showcases natural, organic, and specialty products to top buyers and brokers
Fancy Food Shows (Winter in Las Vegas, Summer in New York) - While primarily retail-focused, these shows attract significant foodservice buyer attendance and are ideal for specialty food discovery
Attending these shows strategically—starting with regional events and building up to national showcases—can significantly accelerate your path to working with both local and national distributors.
Building Your Distributor Network: Start Local, Scale Strategically
Establishing successful relationships with foodservice distributors requires planning and long-term commitment. These partnerships form the backbone of a reliable distribution network, providing a steady pipeline of new customers, consistent orders, and wider market penetration.
Most small distributors operate within local and regional networks. To get started with them, you typically need to:
Secure one or a few customers who already work with them
Establish a strong local presence
Already partner with another local distributor
Once you've built relationships with local distributors, you'll be better positioned to scale into larger regional or national distributors, unlocking broader market access and accelerating your brand's growth in the foodservice channel.
Scaling to National Distributors: Higher Stakes, Greater Rewards
The requirements for working with national and large distributors differ dramatically from those of local distribution networks. Larger distributors—such as SYSCO and US Foods—generally require direct pitches that include proof of sales, inventory capabilities, and specialty certifications. While having a large foodservice chain as a potential customer can ease onboarding, thorough preparation remains essential to truly break into their networks. Many distributors offer drop-ship programs to help you get started—we recommend taking these opportunities if you can logistically handle them, as they help strengthen your distributor relationships.
Once accepted into a national distribution network, fulfillment standards increase significantly. Large distributors typically expect:
Steep increases in order volume
Shorter lead times for fulfilling orders
Consistent, high-quality product availability
To handle such rapid changes, you'll need robust systems to manage inventory, streamline operations, and adapt quickly to demand spikes. Proper preparation is key to transforming national distributor partnerships into sustainable growth channels.
Operational Support: Your Secret Weapon for Scaling
To manage the rapid growth that comes with large foodservice distributors, consider utilizing automation systems and platforms like SPS Commerce. These tools allow you to receive, plan, fulfill, and invoice orders far more efficiently. However, unless you invest heavily in EDI and API connections across your systems, you'll need real-time operational support to manage larger order flows and ongoing software maintenance.
This is precisely where HigherRing's CPG operational support team excels. Experienced operational support eases the struggle of managing larger order flows and troubleshoots any inventory, shipping, or invoicing issues that arise. The transition to working with larger distributors leaves little room for error when building these critical relationships—preparation is everything.
We offer fractional or full-time assistance, giving you the flexibility to scale without unnecessary overhead. From procurement coordination and shipping logistics to advanced systems implementation and EDI/API troubleshooting, HigherRing ensures your foodservice distribution runs smoothly.
Let HigherRing lighten your load and help you confidently scale your foodservice distribution, allowing you to focus on what you do best: creating amazing CPG products and growing your brand's impact.
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