Quirch Foods

What Quirch Foods does

Quirch Foods is a private, B2B wholesale food distributor founded in 1967 and headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. The company specializes in protein (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) and specialty/Hispanic food distribution, serving independent and chain supermarkets, foodservice distributors, restaurants, cruise lines, processors, manufacturers, and export customers across the United States, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe. Quirch operates as a portfolio company of Palladium Equity Partners and runs 23 distribution facilities with nearly 400 refrigerated trucks and over 2.3 million square feet of cold chain capacity, handling more than 200,000 fresh and frozen food cases daily and shipping 100+ export containers weekly. Its product portfolio combines six proprietary retail brands (High River Angus, Panamei Seafood, Diamond Reef Seafood, Mambo Foods, KikiriQuirch, Great Fish Co.) with exclusive distribution rights for Certified Angus Beef and Chiquita, plus non-food foodservice supplies.

The company's core technology is its cold chain logistics infrastructure, including electronic temperature monitoring on all shipments over four hours transit, one-up/one-down barcode traceability tagging every case, refrigerated container consolidation with disposable bulkheads, and dual-temperature loading for export operations. A proprietary SUSPSENDED FRESH program addresses food waste reduction. Quality systems are backed by SQF certification at 7 distribution centers, HACCP plans across all centers, GFSI compliance, BAP/MSC/ASC/Global G.A.P. seafood certifications, and C-TPAT importer/exporter status, with an in-house QA team carrying 50+ years of combined experience.

Quirch generates revenue through a transaction-based wholesale model, selling protein and specialty food products at wholesale pricing to retail, foodservice, cruise line, and export customers. Managed services revenue is generated through two subsidiaries, Phoenix Logistics & Cold Storage (cold storage) and Helmsman Freight Solutions (international freight and documentation). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Growth has been driven by serial acquisitions (Butts Foods in May 2020, Colorado Boxed Beef in October 2020, Scariano Wholesale in August 2021), geographic expansion (Southern California in March 2025, Opa-locka cold storage in April 2025), and a $1.1 billion strategic debt refinancing completed in November 2025 to fund continued growth and acquisitions. A planned CEO succession from Frank Grande to Joe Ward takes effect April 2026.

Name

Quirch Foods

Legal name

Quirch Foods, LLC

Website

https://quirchfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Quirch Foods is a private B2B wholesale food distributor founded in 1967, specializing in protein and specialty/Hispanic food distribution to retailers, foodservice operators, cruise lines, and export customers across the US, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Latin America through 23 cold chain facilities and 400 refrigerated trucks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Food Distribution

NAICS

Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated/Chilled Foods Wholesale (Deli, Prepared, Fresh Pasta, etc.) (AFAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ethnic Groceries & Shelf-Stable Foods Wholesale (AFAIAIAA), Ethnic Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Wholesale (AFAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale food distribution
• Protein product distribution
• Cold chain logistics
• Foodservice supply
• Ethnic food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Coral Gables

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Distribution & Wholesale: Distribution of protein and specialty food products to retail, foodservice, wholesale, cruise line, and export customers. Revenue generated through product sales at wholesale pricing with transaction-based model.
2. International Export Services: Export division shipping meat, seafood, and perishable foods to Caribbean, Central & South America, and Europe markets with logistics and documentation services.
3. Cold Storage & Logistics Services: Phoenix Logistics & Cold Storage provides cold storage services; Helmsman Freight Solutions provides freight and documentation services for international shipments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quirch Foods is a wholesale food distributor that sources, imports, and distributes protein and specialty food products—including beef, pork, poultry, seafood, deli, retail-ready, and Hispanic/ethnic foods—to retail supermarkets, foodservice distributors, processors, manufacturers, cruise lines, and restaurants. Distribution is enabled by a fleet of nearly 400 refrigerated trucks, 23 distribution facilities covering 23 states plus Puerto Rico, and a dedicated export division shipping perishable foods internationally. The company also operates subsidiaries providing cold storage and international freight services.

Product overview

Quirch Foods operates as a diversified food distribution company offering a broad portfolio of protein products and specialty foods organized across core product categories and proprietary brands. The company distributes beef, pork, poultry, and seafood through multiple proprietary retail brands including Panamei Seafood (frozen seafood), Mambo (frozen Hispanic foods), High River Angus (premium beef), Diamond Reef Seafood (sustainable seafood), Great Fish Co. (seafood), and KikiriQuirch (chicken), along with licensed brands such as Chiquita (tropical fruits and vegetables). The product portfolio spans fresh and frozen proteins, deli service items (300+ products), retail-ready foods, non-food foodservice supplies, and ethnic/Hispanic specialty products. The company serves retail, foodservice, wholesale, cruise line, and export customers through a network of 23 distribution facilities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Panamei Seafood: Extensive variety of retail-ready frozen seafood products, over 100 retail SKUs including Shrimp, Fish, Shellfish and many more.
• Mambo
• Chiquita
• Diamond Reef Seafood
• High River Angus
• Great Fish Co.
• KikiriQuirch

Products and services

• Panamei Seafood Proprietary retail-ready frozen seafood brand offering over 100 retail SKUs including shrimp, fish, and shellfish, with marketing support and in-store point-of-purchase materials for retail and foodservice customers.
• Mambo Proprietary retail line of frozen products featuring all-natural vegetables, Jamaican-style Patties, Empanadas, Tequeños, and Arepas with traditional Hispanic flavors in convenient packaging for retail and foodservice customers.
• Chiquita (Licensed Distribution) Licensed distribution of Chiquita-branded tropical vegetables, fruit pulps, and frozen fruit products known for all-natural, gluten-free, traditional formulations.
• Diamond Reef Seafood Proprietary seafood brand committed to sustainable sourcing from responsible fisheries, offering 100% net weight products with third-party credentialing for retail and foodservice buyers.
• High River Angus Proprietary premium Angus beef brand offering consistent, high-quality beef products, including the High River Angus Exclusive top-tier program featuring Certified USDA Choice beef for retail and foodservice customers.
• Great Fish Co. Proprietary seafood brand providing consistent supply of quality seafood products through Quirch's own processing plants, vessel fleet, and salmon farms in Chile, plus direct imports from Canada, China, and worldwide ports.
• KikiriQuirch Proprietary retail-ready refrigerated or frozen chicken brand with FDA approval, featuring crisp attractive packaging with product visibility for retail customers.
• Beef and Imported Meats Wholesale beef distribution supplying fresh, frozen, domestic, and imported beef products including chuck, rounds, ribs, loins, thin meats, grinds, and offal to retail and foodservice customers.
• Seafood Wholesale frozen seafood distribution as one of the largest direct importers in the U.S., offering wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and specialty seafood to retail and foodservice customers.
• Pork Wholesale fresh, frozen, and processed pork products from major U.S. pork producers including butts, picnic, shoulder, loins, ribs, spareribs, bellies, and smoked meats to retail and foodservice customers.
• Poultry Wholesale poultry products including chicken (roasters, parts, boneless cuts, wings, leg quarters), turkey (roasters, parts, ground, smoked), and specialty birds (hens, duck, quail) for retail and foodservice customers.
• Deli Service Wholesale deli program with over 300 products including hams, beef, pork, chicken breast, turkey breast, salamis, cheeses (domestic, imported, Hispanic), and specialty deli meats for retail deli counters and foodservice operators.
• Retail-Ready Foods Wholesale shelf-ready meats, dairy products, and frozen foods including sausages, franks, chorizos, cheeses, pizzas, hamburgers, and specialty Hispanic frozen foods packaged for retail placement.
• Non-Food Products Wholesale foodservice supplies including aluminum, butcher papers, meat films, take-out containers, can liners, cups, cutlery, deli supplies, films, bags, gloves, trays, napkins, and plastic products for foodservice operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ fresh and frozen food cases distributed daily
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scariano Wholesale Food DistributioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Acquired in August 2021, adding a 75,000 square foot state-of-the-art distribution facility in Hammond, Louisiana to Quirch Foods.
• Butts FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2020Acquired in May 2020, adding 4 distribution facilities throughout Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi to Quirch Foods' distribution network.
• Helmsman Freight SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance for international freight and documentation services supporting Quirch Foods' export operations to Caribbean, Central & South America, and Europe markets.
• Colorado Boxed Beef (CBBC Holdings, Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in October 2020, expanding Quirch Foods' geographic footprint by adding 11 distribution centers and protein distribution capabilities to ethnic grocers and foodservice distributors.
• Florida International University (FIU)minorOthersPartnership with FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, providing scholarship opportunities for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Food Industry.
• United Way of MiamiminorOthersDirect community investment and engagement with United Way of Miami events, causes, and volunteer opportunities.
• Feeding AmericaminorOthersSupporting the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, aligning with the mutual mission of ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for all.
• Hispanic Heritage Literature Organization / MilibrohispanominorOthersThrough the 'Appetite for Knowledge' initiative, team members are encouraged to donate books to Community Libraries and Programs promoting Spanish language literature.
• Cristo Rey Miami High SchoolminorOthersCorporate Work Study Program (CWSP) partnership offering full-time, entry-level positions for students to gain meaningful work experience.
• Certified Angus BeefcoreOthersExclusive distributor of Certified Angus Beef brand products.
• ChiquitacoreOthersLicensed distributor of Chiquita Frozen Tropical Vegetables and Fruits brand products.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sysco Corporation: Largest broadline foodservice distributor in the US serving restaurants, healthcare, and hospitality. Directly comparable as a B2B protein and specialty food distributor, though significantly larger and broader in product mix than Quirch.
• Reyes Holdings: Private foodservice and beverage distributor operating Martin-Brower (global chain restaurants) and Reyes Beverage Group. Comparable as a private, multi-segment food and beverage distributor with similar scale and customer mix.
• Performance Food Group: Major US foodservice and convenience distributor with significant protein distribution through its Vistar and Performance Foodservice segments. Comparable B2B model with similar customer verticals.
• Gordon Food Service: Private broadline food distributor serving restaurants, schools, and healthcare across North America. Closely comparable as a large private distributor with similar customer verticals and distribution center footprint.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Private broadline food distributor with strong protein focus serving foodservice and retail across the western and southwestern US. Closely comparable private, family/PE-aligned protein distributor with regional depth.
• Ben E. Keith Company: Private broadline food distributor serving foodservice customers across the southern and southwestern US. Highly comparable regional distributor with similar protein and specialty foods emphasis and private ownership profile.
• Fortune International Seafood: Specialty seafood and gourmet food distributor serving restaurants and retailers across the US. Comparable as a protein/seafood-focused distributor with similar B2B customer mix and cold chain requirements.
• US Foods Holding Corp: Second-largest US broadline foodservice distributor with a comparable protein-heavy product mix and similar customer base across restaurants and institutional foodservice. Closest scale-comparable peer to Quirch's foodservice business.

Regional players

• Inland Seafood: Specialty seafood distributor serving the southeastern US from a base in Atlanta. Comparable as a protein-focused distributor with overlapping footprint in Quirch's South Atlantic region and similar cold chain logistics model.

Emerging players

• Lipari Foods: Specialty food distributor focused on deli, dairy, and ethnic/Hispanic products serving independent retailers. Comparable as a specialty/Hispanic food distributor with similar ethnic grocer customer base, though smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/quirchfoods
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/QuirchFoods
• Facebookfacebook.com/quirchfoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/quirchfoods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 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 Quirch Foods