Pepper

What Pepper does

Pepper (legal entity Pomegranate Technologies, Inc.) is an AI-first SaaS company founded in 2019 by former Uber Eats executives and headquartered in New York City. It sells an integrated B2B eCommerce and operations platform to independent food distributors in the United States, Canada, and (post-Alima acquisition) Latin America, targeting the long tail of roughly 25,000 distributors that compete against large broadliners such as Sysco, US Foods, and Performance Food Group. Pepper's platform is composed of modular products — Storefront (B2B digital ordering), Order Agent (multimodal AI order automation accepting text, email, voice notes, voicemails, photos, and PDFs in multiple languages), Sales Hub (DSR Connect and Casey AI Copilot for sales reps), Marketing Hub (Pepper Ads retail media and Item Promotions), Finance Hub (end-to-end accounts receivable including check scanning, in-person terminals, branded credit card, pay-by-link, autopay), Growth Agent, and Price Management — layered with Pepper AI recommendations and SALT, a brand-owner-licensed product content library. The platform connects to 60–70+ ERP systems including NECS, Produce Pro, QuickBooks, and AS400, and is sold via direct field sales inside North America, channel partnerships with cooperative buying groups (UniPro, Pro-Act, Countrywide, Unity Advantage Group), and self-serve demo flows.

Pepper monetizes through modular SaaS subscriptions (customers can adopt individual modules such as Finance Hub-only or Storefront-only), transaction-based fees on payments processed through its Finance Hub and white-labeled Branded Card program, advertising revenue from foodservice manufacturers (including McCain Foods, Indiana Packers, and Aspire Bakeries) running point-of-purchase digital ads via the Marketing Hub, and professional services for ERP integration and customer success. At approximately $100M in cumulative funding (Series A $16M in 2021 led by Index Ventures; Series B $30M in 2024; Series C $50M in February 2026 led by Lead Edge Capital with participation from ICONIQ, Greylock, Harmony Partners, and Interplay), Pepper serves 500+ distributors representing roughly $30 billion in annual gross merchandise volume and 100,000+ active operators, with reported customer outcomes including 20%+ basket size increases, 80%+ sales growth advantage vs. competitors, and 10–20 hours per week of sales-rep time saved.

Name

Pepper

Legal name

Pomegranate Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://usepepper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Pepper is an AI-first B2B eCommerce and operations platform serving 500+ independent food distributors across North America and Latin America, providing storefront, AI order automation, sales-rep enablement, marketing/retail media, and AR/payments modules that integrate with 60+ ERP systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Distribution Software

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale-to-Business Online Ordering (B2B Food E-Commerce) (AFAIAMAD)

Keywords

• B2B food distribution software
• Foodservice eCommerce platform
• AI order automation
• Distributor sales enablement
• ERP-integrated commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform subscription (Storefront, Order Agent, Sales Hub, Marketing Hub, Finance Hub modules): Recurring SaaS subscription across modular product suite (Storefront, Order Agent, Sales Hub, Marketing Hub, Finance Hub, Growth Agent, Price Management). Customers can adopt individual modules (e.g., Finance Hub-only or Storefront-only), implying land-and-expand motion. Pricing not publicly disclosed.
2. Payments / transaction processing (Finance Hub): Transaction-based revenue from payments processed through Pepper's payments stack (check scanning, terminals, branded card, pay-by-link). Branded card processing rates are positioned as "less than half of what most distributors pay today," implying residual/interchange economics.
3. Manufacturer retail media / Pepper Ads (Marketing Hub): Advertising/media revenue from manufacturers (e.g., McCain Foods, Indiana Packers, Aspire Bakeries) running targeted digital ad campaigns at the point of purchase to operators via the distributor storefronts.
4. Implementation, ERP integration, and customer success services: Professional services for implementation, ERP integration, and ongoing customer success; Series C funding explicitly allocated to "invest in go-to-market and customer success initiatives."

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pepper sells an AI-first B2B eCommerce and operations platform that lets independent food distributors run storefronts, automate inbound orders from voice/text/email/photo/PDF, manage sales reps, run digital marketing and promotions, and process AR and payments, with native integrations to 70+ ERP systems. The platform is sold as modular SaaS products (Storefront, Order Agent, Sales Hub, Marketing Hub, Finance Hub, Growth Agent) that customers can adopt individually or in combination, layered with a Pepper AI engine for recommendations, order automation, and growth signals.

Product overview

Pepper (Pomegranate Technologies, Inc.) is a unified AI-first eCommerce and operations platform for independent food distributors, built as a core platform with multiple product modules. The core platform integrates with 70+ ERP systems and powers six primary modules: Storefront (digital B2B ordering and storefront), Order Agent (AI-powered omnichannel order automation from voice, text, image, and PDF), Sales Hub (DSR tools, DSR Connect, live commission estimates), Marketing Hub (digital ads and Item Promotions), Finance Hub (end-to-end AR including check scanning, terminals, autopay, and the white-labeled Branded Card), and Growth Agent (data-backed AI growth signals). Layered on top is Pepper AI, which embeds AI capabilities (recommendations, order guides, slip alerts, autonomous order intake) across every module. Additional add-ons include Pepper Endless Aisle (open dropshipping), Price Management (AI peer-range pricing), Casey (AI Copilot for reps), Intelligent Inbox (omnichannel order inbox), Item Promotions, SALT (eCommerce content library), and Pepper-Built Websites. In March 2026, Pepper expanded its AI and product content capabilities through the acquisition of YC-backed Alima.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pepper Platform (Distributor Overview) Unified AI-first B2B eCommerce and operations platform for independent food distributors, combining storefront, order automation, sales, marketing, finance, and growth modules with integrations to 70+ ERP systems. Sold as the umbrella offering with modular adoption.
• Storefront Mobile-first B2B digital ordering storefront for foodservice operators, including order guides, par sheets, line-item notes, stackable badges, multi-discount promotions, image enhancement, and content management. Sold as a standalone product that can be adopted independently of other modules.
• Order Agent AI-powered omnichannel order automation product that ingests orders from text, email, voice notes, voicemails, photos, and PDFs across multiple languages, performs catalog-aware matching, and delivers structured orders back to the ERP. Sold as a standalone module.
• Sales Hub Sales enablement product for distributor sales reps (DSRs), including DSR Connect, rep-first keyboard-driven order entry, live commission estimates, prospect filtering, browsing-activity insights, route/stop details, and account alerts. Sold as a standalone module.
• Marketing Hub Distributor-to-operator marketing product offering digital ads, Item Promotions, branded card/loyalty, and supplier-funded retail-media campaigns (Pepper Ads) with measurable ROI. Sold as a standalone module.
• Finance Hub End-to-end accounts-receivable product including check scanning, in-person card terminals, pay-by-link, live statements, payment plans, autopay, and a white-labeled Branded Card program. Sold as a standalone module.
• Growth Agent Data-backed AI growth product helping distributors drive incremental case growth and sales-rep productivity, surfacing slip alerts, reorder nudges, and discovered items. Sold as a standalone module.
• Pepper Endless Aisle Dropshipping program that lets independent distributors feature goods they don't currently carry without holding additional inventory, extending catalog reach via multiple fulfillment models.
• Price Management Standalone AI product that analyzes peer price ranges and recommends pricing decisions in real time so distributor sales reps can capture margin.
• Casey AI Copilot Standalone AI Copilot product for distributor sales reps, providing mobile AI assistance, slipping-customer alerts, reorder nudges, and AI-generated order guides.
• Pepper-Built Websites for Distributors Service that builds demand-generating B2B websites for distributors, ready in days rather than weeks, optimized to convert and rank in Google and AI search.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20%+ increase in order sizes via AI recommendations
• +16 more outcomes

Named customers32 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability14 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Choco: Choco is Pepper's named direct competitor in foodservice B2B eCommerce and order automation, explicitly described as the only other 'production-level ready' peer in the niche. Both target independent food distributors with B2B ordering and AI-powered order entry.
• Cut+Dry (formerly BlueCart): Cut+Dry provides B2B eCommerce and ordering software for foodservice distributors and operators. Directly competes with Pepper's Storefront and Order Agent modules in the same independent-distributor buyer persona.
• MarketMan: MarketMan offers ordering and inventory management tools for foodservice distributors, suppliers, and restaurants. Overlaps with Pepper's Storefront, Order Agent, and catalog-management capabilities in the same distributor-to-operator workflow.

Broad incumbents

• Sysco: Sysco is the largest US broadline foodservice distributor. While not a software competitor, it represents the structural incumbent whose size advantage Pepper's platform helps independents counter — and which could eventually build or buy comparable technology.
• Performance Food Group: Performance Food Group is one of the 'Big Three' US broadline foodservice distributors (alongside Sysco and US Foods). Comparable as the structural backdrop against which Pepper's independent-distributor customers compete for operator share.
• US Foods: US Foods is the second-largest US broadline foodservice distributor. As a broad incumbent, it defines the competitive pressure on Pepper's independent-distributor customer base and is a potential acquirer of platform-style technology.
• Shopify (B2B / Shop Pay): Shopify's B2B commerce and Shop Pay components offer broader B2B ordering infrastructure that overlaps conceptually with Pepper's Storefront, though Shopify is horizontal and not purpose-built for foodservice distribution.

Emerging players

• Restaurant365: Restaurant365 provides back-office and procurement software to restaurants. Comparable as an ecosystem participant whose operator-side software could integrate with — or compete for workflow share against — Pepper's distributor storefront.
• Faire: Faire operates a B2B wholesale marketplace connecting brands and retailers with automated ordering and payment workflows. Comparable as an emerging platform addressing manual B2B ordering with software-led automation, though in different verticals (retail vs. foodservice).

Others

• Datassential: Datassential is the foodservice market research provider whose operator intelligence powers Pepper's Casey AI Copilot. Comparable as an ecosystem partner and data vendor enabling Pepper's AI features for sales reps.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PepperEcommerce
• Facebookfacebook.com/usepepperpro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usepepper

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pepper