What True Grade does

True Grade Foods is a Miami-based, privately held food distribution company founded in 2012 that supplies protein, produce, and beverages exclusively to global cruise line operators. The firm distributes more than 200 million pounds of food across 1,000+ SKUs annually to cruise operators worldwide, making it a vertically specialized distributor in a niche where the cruise industry consumes an estimated 250 million pounds of seafood per year.

The company's core differentiator is an end-to-end digital supply chain traceability system for seafood, developed in partnership with Wholechain (announced January 30, 2026). True Grade claims to be the first cruise-line-focused distributor to deploy such traceability infrastructure, addressing regulatory pressures including evolving EU digital certificate policies. The technical differentiator is described as integration and interoperability, enabling tracking across large volumes and complex ship-based logistics.

True Grade operates a B2B enterprise field sales motion, generating revenue through product sales and distribution fees on the food it moves for cruise operators. The company is led by CEO Antonio Malave and President/COO Chris Wheeler, employs 51–100 people, and raised $15 million in a single funding round in September 2019. Its global footprint spans cruise operators worldwide from its Miami headquarters, with no disclosed additional offices.

Name

True Grade

Legal name

True Grade Foods

Website

https://truegradefoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

True Grade Foods is a Miami-based food distribution company supplying protein, produce, and beverages to global cruise line operators, distributing over 200 million pounds of food across 1,000+ SKUs annually with end-to-end digital traceability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food Distribution Services: Distribution of food products (seafood) to cruise lines, handling over 200 million pounds of food and 1,000+ SKUs annually. Revenue is generated through product sales and distribution fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

True Grade is a Miami-based food distribution company that procures and delivers protein, produce, and beverages — over 200 million pounds and 1,000+ SKUs annually — to cruise line operators worldwide. The company combines large-scale procurement, cold-chain logistics, and (through its Wholechain partnership) end-to-end digital traceability to support regulated, high-volume ship provisioning.

Product overview

True Grade Foods is a Miami-based food distribution firm serving the cruise line industry. The company distributes over 200 million pounds of food and 1,000+ SKUs annually to cruise lines worldwide. The available source data does not describe a product portfolio or modular offering; True Grade Foods appears to operate as a food distribution service rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cruise Line Food Provisioning Bulk distribution of protein, produce, and beverages to cruise ship operators worldwide; covers sourcing, cold-chain handling, logistics, and port-side delivery for 1,000+ SKUs.
• Digital Supply Chain Traceability

Quantifiable outcome

• Tracks over 200 million pounds of food and 1,000+ SKUs delivered annually to cruise lines worldwide

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WholechaincoreTechnology or Integration · 30 January 2026True Grade Foods has partnered with Wholechain, a supply chain traceability firm, to implement end-to-end digital traceability across its seafood supply chains. This partnership makes True Grade the first distributor to deploy such a system specifically for the cruise line industry. The collaboration addresses True Grade's need to track over 200 million pounds of food and 1,000+ SKUs delivered annually while helping meet evolving regulatory requirements including EU digital certificate policies.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• True World Foods: Specialty seafood distributor serving sushi restaurants and broader foodservice. Directly comparable to True Grade in seafood product focus and foodservice distribution channel.
• Fortune International: Specialty seafood distributor serving foodservice operators nationally. Directly comparable to True Grade in seafood distribution focus and foodservice customer base.
• Inland Seafood: Specialty seafood processor and distributor serving restaurants and foodservice operators. Comparable to True Grade in seafood product focus and foodservice distribution model.
• Slade Gorton & Co. Specialty seafood distributor serving retail and foodservice channels, with strong focus on traceability and sustainability programs. Closely comparable to True Grade in seafood distribution and traceability emphasis.

Emerging players

• Shifts seafood / seafood sourcing platforms: Digital-first seafood sourcing and traceability platforms (e.g., Tradex Foods, Pescafresh) addressing the same regulatory and traceability pain points in seafood distribution that True Grade's Wholechain partnership targets.

Others

• Wholechain: Supply-chain traceability technology provider and True Grade's announced technology partner. Listed as an ecosystem enabler whose platform underpins True Grade's differentiation.

Regional players

• Orca Beverages / Provisioning specialists: Smaller regional foodservice provisioning firms serving cruise lines or maritime customers in specific geographies (e.g., Mediterranean, Caribbean). Comparable to True Grade in vertical focus but with narrower geographic reach.

Broad incumbents

• Sysco Corporation: Largest broadline food distributor in North America serving restaurants, healthcare, hospitality, and travel/leisure channels. Comparable to True Grade as a foodservice distributor and potential future competitor in cruise-line provisioning if it builds vertical specialization.
• US Foods: Major broadline foodservice distributor with broad customer reach across restaurants and hospitality. Overlaps with True Grade in foodservice distribution model and could expand into cruise-line specialty distribution.
• Performance Food Group: Large-scale foodservice and convenience distributor with significant foodservice segment. Comparable to True Grade in business model and could target cruise-line vertical through its foodservice arm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/truegrade1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truegrade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about True Grade