Thurston Foods
Thurston Foods is a family-owned broadline foodservice distributor founded in 1947, distributing 7,500+ SKUs across eight Northeastern U.S. states to restaurants, bakeries, caterers, hotels, healthcare, schools, military, and HMR operators via exclusive private-label brands and UniPro cooperative sourcing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1947
- HeadquartersWallingford, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Thurston Foods does
Thurston Foods, Inc. is a family-owned, broadline foodservice distributor founded on October 22, 1947, and headquartered at 30 Thurston Drive, Wallingford, Connecticut. The company distributes more than 7,500 SKUs across fresh meats, fresh produce, frozen goods, grocery, bakery supplies, paper goods, cleaning supplies, and smallwares and equipment to foodservice operators throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and portions of New York, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
The company's commercial offering is built around eight exclusive proprietary brands — Highland Market, SunSource, Ocean Horizons, Versa, Brighton Farms, SweetSource, Companions, and Cortona Italian Specialties — that span shelf-stable entrees, seafood, oils and shortenings, dairy, sweeteners, disposables, and Italian specialty products, each available in multiple quality tiers. National and local brand access is layered on through long-term membership in UniPro and UniPro's Multi-Unit Group (MUG) cooperative, which the company describes as the largest purchasing, marketing, and logistics cooperative of independently owned U.S. distributors. Customers transact through dedicated account management, a toll-free sales line (1-800-982-2227), and online ordering portals at Orders.Thurstonfoods.com and Orders.Thurstonfoods.net, with new commercial accounts onboarded via a formal credit application process.
Thurston Foods generates revenue through product resale to nine principal customer segments: independent and multi-unit restaurants, bakeries, caterers and country clubs, hotels, hospital and healthcare facilities, schools and universities, camps, home meal replacement operators, and military feeding programs. The pricing model is quote-based B2B with no publicly disclosed rates. The company employs a dedicated team of foodservice professionals who design customized product programs for individual accounts, and it is actively engaged in regional community partnerships with food banks (Foodshare, Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Connecticut Food Bank) and School Nutrition Associations in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Leadership is concentrated in the Thurston family, including John Thurston (President), Tim Thurston (Director of School Sales), Patrick Thurston (V.P. of Human Resources), and Jill Thurston (Director of Purchasing), with non-family executives including CEO Peter Malone, CIO Kevin Sullivan, CFO Mark Larrabee, and functional directors across marketing, sales, operations, and customer service.
Thurston Foods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Thurston Foods
- Legal name
- Thurston Foods, Inc.
- Website
- https://thurstonfoods.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1947
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Thurston Foods is a family-owned broadline foodservice distributor founded in 1947, distributing 7,500+ SKUs across eight Northeastern U.S. states to restaurants, bakeries, caterers, hotels, healthcare, schools, military, and HMR operators via exclusive private-label brands and UniPro cooperative sourcing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Thurston Foods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Foodservice Distribution
- NAICS
- Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449), Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- National/Multiregional Broadline Foodservice Distributors (AFAIAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Noncommercial/Institutional Broadline Distributors (K-12, Higher Ed, Healthcare, Government) (AFAIAAAC), Nonfood Grocery & HBC Wholesale (Paper, Cleaning, Personal Care) (AFAIABAL)
Keywords
Where Thurston Foods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wallingford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Thurston Foods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Foodservice Product Distribution: Thurston Foods generates revenue through the sale of foodservice products including bakery supplies, fresh meats, fresh produce, grocery, frozen goods, paper goods, cleaning supplies, and small ware and equipment to foodservice operators. Revenue is generated through product sales with mutually profitable long-term relationships with customers, employees, and suppliers.
- Exclusive Brand Products: The company sells proprietary exclusive brands including Highland Market, SunSource, Ocean Horizons, Versa, Brighton Farms, SweetSource, Companions, and Cortona Italian Specialties. These branded products offer multiple quality tiers to support budgetary and menu requirements.
- National and Local Brand Products: Through UniPro membership, the company provides customers with both National and Local Brands at competitive pricing, serving as a purchasing, marketing and logistics cooperative benefit.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Thurston Foods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Thurston Foods is a family-owned broadline foodservice distributor selling more than 7,500 food and non-food items (bakery supplies, fresh meats, fresh produce, grocery, frozen goods, paper goods, cleaning supplies, and small ware and equipment) to restaurants, bakeries, caterers, country clubs, hotels, healthcare facilities, schools, colleges, universities, camps, HMR operators, and military feeding accounts. The company also markets eight exclusive in-house brands (Highland Market, SunSource, Ocean Horizons, Versa, Brighton Farms, SweetSource, Companions, and Cortona) at multiple quality tiers, and delivers across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and parts of New York, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Product overview
Thurston Foods is a family-owned broadline foodservice distributor operating since 1947. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of food and non-food products across eight exclusive sub-brands: SunSource (shelf-stable entrees and ingredients), Ocean Horizons (seafood), Versa (oils and shortenings), Brighton Farms (dairy), SweetSource (sweeteners), Cortona Brand (Italian specialties), Companions (disposables), and Highland Market (bakery supplies). These brands provide foodservice operators across multiple segments with core products, quality ingredients, and essential supplies organized into quality tiers to support various budgetary and menu requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Highland Market: Exclusive brand offering core products and quality ingredients for menu creation, including shelf-stable entrees and essential ingredients.
- SunSource
- Ocean Horizons
- Versa
- Brighton Farms
- SweetSource
- Companions
- Cortona Brand
Products and services
- Broadline Foodservice Distribution
Companies that use Thurston Foods
Customer profileSegments9 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Thurston Foods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Thurston Foods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UniProcoreThurston Foods is a long-term member of UniPro and UniPro's Multi_Unit Group (MUG), the largest purchasing, marketing and logistics cooperative of independently owned and operated distributors in the United States. Through this membership, Thurston Foods provides customers with both National and Local Brands at competitive pricing.
- FoodshareminorRegional food bank serving Connecticut's Hartford and Tolland counties where 127,000 people struggle with hunger. Member of Feeding America national organization. Thurston Foods supports their mission to maximize access to nutritious food.
- Bridgeport Rescue MissionminorOrganization dedicated to fighting poverty by providing services to those dealing with hunger, homelessness, and addiction. Thurston Foods supports their community mission.
- Connecticut Food BankminorLargest centralized source of emergency food in Connecticut, distributed enough food to provide more than 18 million meals last year. Thurston Foods supports their food distribution mission.
- School Nutrition Association of MassachusettsminorOrganization dedicated to educating, supporting and inspiring school nutrition professionals. Thurston Foods supports their mission to promote quality child nutrition programs.
- School Nutrition Association of ConnecticutminorOrganization with vision of well-nourished minds and bodies for Connecticut children. Mission to educate and support members to advance good nutrition in Connecticut communities.
- DineBestNetwork.comminorRestaurant network helping bring fine restaurants and exciting events to attention of people in New England and Canada. Thurston Foods supports their restaurant community.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Thurston Foods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Performance Food Group: Major U.S. foodservice and Vistar distributor that acquired Reinhart Foodservice. Comparable to Thurston Foods as a broadline distributor operating across multiple foodservice verticals including restaurants, healthcare and education.
- Gordon Food Service: Family-controlled broadline foodservice distributor in North America with strong U.S. presence. Comparable to Thurston Foods as a family-owned broadline distributor combining retail cash-and-carry with broadline B2B distribution across foodservice segments.
- Sysco Corporation: Largest broadline foodservice distributor in North America, operating across the U.S. including the Northeast. Directly comparable as the dominant broadline incumbent whose national scale sets the competitive ceiling for regional independents like Thurston Foods.
- US Foods Holding Corp: Second-largest U.S. broadline foodservice distributor with national coverage and a heavy presence in the Northeast. Comparable to Thurston Foods as a broadline competitor serving restaurants, healthcare and hospitality with national-brand procurement scale.
Regional players
- Cash-Wa Distributing: Family-owned broadline foodservice distributor serving the central U.S. Comparable to Thurston Foods as a privately held, family-operated broadline distributor serving restaurants, schools, healthcare and hospitality across a multi-state regional footprint.
- Shamrock Foods Company: Family-owned broadline foodservice distributor and dairy producer based in Arizona with expanding regional operations. Comparable to Thurston Foods as a family-owned broadline distributor operating regionally with proprietary brands and institutional/restaurant exposure.
- Ben E. Keith Company: Privately held foodservice distributor serving the Southwest and adjacent markets, with both food and beverage divisions. Comparable to Thurston Foods as an independent broadline distributor combining national brands with exclusive/private-label offerings.
- Nicholas & Company: Family-owned broadline foodservice distributor serving the Intermountain West. Comparable to Thurston Foods as an independent regional broadline distributor with multi-segment foodservice exposure (restaurants, healthcare, schools) and exclusive brands.
- Martin Brothers Distributing: Independent broadline foodservice distributor serving the Upper Midwest. Comparable to Thurston Foods as a privately held regional broadline distributor serving restaurants, schools, healthcare and other foodservice operators with a broad SKU line.
Others
- UniPro Foodservice: Purchasing, marketing and logistics cooperative of independently owned foodservice distributors of which Thurston Foods is a long-term member. Comparable as the network/cooperative that provides Thurston with national-brand procurement scale and multi-unit bidding capability.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Thurston Foods social profiles
Digital presenceThurston Foods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Thurston Foods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Thurston Foods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Thurston Foods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Thurston Foods
What does Thurston Foods do?
Thurston Foods is a family-owned broadline foodservice distributor selling more than 7,500 food and non-food items (bakery supplies, fresh meats, fresh produce, grocery, frozen goods, paper goods, cleaning supplies, and small ware and equipment) to restaurants, bakeries, caterers, country clubs, hotels, healthcare facilities, schools, colleges, universities, camps, HMR operators, and military feeding accounts. The company also markets eight exclusive in-house brands (Highland Market, SunSource, Ocean Horizons, Versa, Brighton Farms, SweetSource, Companions, and Cortona) at multiple quality tiers, and delivers across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and parts of New York, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Is Thurston Foods a public or private company?
Thurston Foods is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Thurston Foods founded?
Thurston Foods was founded in 1947.
Where is Thurston Foods based?
Thurston Foods is headquartered in Wallingford, United States, in the North America region.
How does Thurston Foods make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foodservice Product Distribution is the primary driver. The others are exclusive Brand Products and national and Local Brand Products.
Who are Thurston Foods's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Performance Food Group, Gordon Food Service, Sysco Corporation and US Foods Holding Corp. Regional players are Cash-Wa Distributing, Shamrock Foods Company, Ben E. Keith Company, Nicholas & Company and Martin Brothers Distributing. UniPro Foodservice is listed as an others.
Does Thurston Foods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Thurston Foods.
What industry is Thurston Foods in?
Thurston Foods's product category is Foodservice Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIAAAA, National/Multiregional Broadline Foodservice Distributors, with a secondary code of AFAIAAAC, Noncommercial/Institutional Broadline Distributors (K-12, Higher Ed, Healthcare, Government). Its NAICS code is 42449 and its SIC code is 5141.