Capital City Fruit

What Capital City Fruit does

Capital City Fruit Co. Inc. is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned fresh produce distributor founded in 1949 in Des Moines, Iowa, and currently headquartered in Norwalk, Iowa. The company operates as a vertically integrated grower, shipper, repacker, and supply chain manager, sourcing from a global network of family farms across the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, South America, and Central America. Its core service lines include whole produce procurement with managed ripening capabilities, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, local Midwestern produce, private label services, custom packaging, and co-packing. Distribution is supported by wholly-owned sibling logistics companies Pyra Logistics and Fresh 3PL, enabling nationwide delivery from the company's Midwest location near the I-80/I-35 interchange.

The company serves four primary B2B segments—retail grocery chains, foodservice operators, convenience stores, and food processors—through an enterprise field sales model with dedicated account executives. Customer-facing technology includes Produce Pro Software for supply chain traceability and field-to-fork traceback systems that can identify any item's source field within minutes. Capital City Fruit also operates two distinct growth verticals: a Food as Medicine program delivering medically tailored produce boxes to health plans, hospitals, and community programs across 48 states (2M+ boxes delivered, 85%+ year-over-year growth), and direct-to-consumer channels via Farm Produce Direct e-commerce and an Amazon storefront for gift fruit baskets. Revenue is generated through transaction-based wholesale pricing, quote-based enterprise contracts, and managed services for healthcare programs.

The company holds 100% PrimusGFS audit scores across all major food safety categories and has passed unannounced FDA and State of Iowa inspections with no deficiencies. It was the sole Iowa company selected among 850+ applicants for the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program contract during COVID-19. Leadership remains within the Comito family, with Christian Comito as President & CEO, Brendan Comito as COO, Kieran Comito as VP of Purchasing, and Joe Comito as Chairman. The company employs 150+ people and reports average employee tenure exceeding eight years.

Name

Capital City Fruit

Legal name

Capital City Fruit Co. Inc.

Website

https://capitalcityfruit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Capital City Fruit is a fourth-generation, family-owned fresh produce distributor founded in 1949, serving retailers, foodservice operators, c-stores, and processors nationwide. It also operates a fast-growing Food as Medicine program for health plans and hospitals across 48 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwalk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Whole Produce Sales: Fresh fruits and vegetables sold wholesale to retailers, food service operators, convenience stores, and processors. Products sourced from global farm network and delivered at customer specifications.
2. Private Label Services: Custom branded produce packaging allowing retailers and brands to promote their own labels with consistent year-round supply.
3. Custom Packaging & Co-Packing: Break/split cases, custom packaging designs, FSMA compliant packaging, and co-packing services for other brands. Revenue from packaging services and per-unit pricing.
4. Fresh Cut Produce: Ready-to-use fresh-cut fruits, vegetables, salsa mixes, stew packs, fruit mixes, and fajita mixes for foodservice and retail.
5. Food as Medicine Programs: Packing and shipping fresh produce, pantry staples, and protein boxes for health plans, hospitals, and community programs. Delivered nationwide through multiple fulfillment centers.
6. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Farm Produce Direct club pack delivery service shipping fresh produce boxes to consumers. Minimum order $35 with free shipping to Midwest region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Capital City Fruit is a grower, shipper, repacker, and supply chain manager of fresh fruits and vegetables serving retailers, food service operators, convenience stores, and processors. The company sources produce from a global network of family farms and delivers it whole, fresh-cut, private-labeled, or custom-packaged to customer specifications, and also runs a Food as Medicine program delivering medically tailored produce boxes to health plans, hospitals, and community programs nationwide.

Product overview

Capital City Fruit operates as a grower, shipper, repacker, and supply chain manager of fresh produce, offering a portfolio of services centered on Whole Produce, Fresh Cut Fruits & Vegetables, Local Produce, Private Label, Custom Packaging, and Shipping & Logistics. The company also runs a Food As Medicine program for health plans and a consumer e-commerce operation selling fruit baskets. The services work together as an integrated supply chain: Whole Produce and Fresh Cut form the core product offerings, supported by Local Produce for regional sourcing, Private Label and Custom Packaging for brand and packaging customization, and Shipping & Logistics (via sister companies Pyra Logistics and Fresh 3PL) for distribution. The Food As Medicine program represents a separate health-focused vertical.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whole Produce
• Fresh Cut Fruits & Vegetables
• Local Produce
• Private Label
• Custom Packaging
• Shipping & Logistics
• Food As Medicine
• Fruit Baskets (E-commerce)

Quantifiable outcome

• Produce is 3-5 days fresher than grocery store when delivered direct to consumer
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 202023 food bank and food pantry partners receiving fresh produce boxes through the USDA program, reaching over 50,000 Americans per week during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Pyra LogisticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSibling company providing access to a fleet of trucks and third-party transportation logistics and traffic management. Supports inbound sourcing from growing regions across the U.S.
• Fresh 3PLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSibling company providing third-party logistics services and fleet transportation capabilities to support Capital City Fruit's distribution network nationwide.
• International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)minorOthersIndustry trade association membership providing access to produce industry networking, education, and advocacy resources.
• Southeastern Produce Council (SEPC)minorOthersRegional produce industry trade association membership for networking and industry education.
• Partner Grower NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of family farms and national growers across U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, South America, Central America, and Midwest. Farms provide produce while CCF handles distribution, marketing, and sales. Includes GAP certified farms in seven Midwestern states.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FreshPoint: Sysco subsidiary and the largest specialty produce distributor in North America, providing fresh fruits and vegetables to foodservice and retail customers. Directly comparable as a multi-region fresh produce distributor with value-added services like fresh cut and ripening.
• Four Seasons Produce: Full-service wholesale produce distributor serving retail and foodservice customers, with strong organic and local sourcing programs. Comparable as a regional-to-national distributor with strong grower relationships and private label offering.
• Robinson Fresh: A division of C.H. Robinson that sources, packs, and distributes fresh produce from a global grower network. Highly comparable in grower-network-led supply chain model, category management, and fresh-cut/ripening capabilities.
• Castellini Group of Companies: Family-owned produce distributor and repacker serving retail and foodservice customers across the Midwest and beyond. Direct comparable in size, family ownership structure, repacking operations, and Midwest base.
• ProAct Foodservice: Specialty produce distributor supplying fresh fruits, vegetables, and value-added items to foodservice operators across the U.S. Comparable mid-size distributor with foodservice focus and value-added fresh-cut capabilities.
• KeHE Distributors: Major U.S. distributor of fresh, natural, organic, and specialty foods to grocery, foodservice, and convenience channels. Comparable as a multi-category distributor with strong fresh and value-added capabilities.
• FreshEdge: One of the largest fresh produce distribution companies in the U.S., serving retail, foodservice, and convenience store customers across multiple states. Comparable mid-size regional-to-national distributor with similar customer segments and value-added services.
• L&M Companies: Family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of fresh produce, particularly onions, melons, and mixed vegetables. Comparable grower-distributor model with integrated supply chain.

Emerging players

• Lipman Family Farms: One of the largest open-field tomato and vegetable growers in North America, with growing repack and distribution capabilities. Comparable as a vertically integrated produce grower-shipper with repacking operations.

Broad incumbents

• Driscoll's: Global market leader in berries with a grower-owned supply chain and broad retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable supply-chain-led model with strict food safety and quality standards, though focused on a single category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CapitalCityFruit
• Facebookfacebook.com/capitalcityfruit
• Xx.com/CapCityFruit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/capital-city-fruit

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Capital City Fruit