What CORE Foodservice does

CORE Foodservice is a North American outsourced foodservice sales agency that functions as the field sales arm for consumer food and beverage brands seeking penetration into operator accounts. The company operates eight dedicated channel-dedicated sales teams — Field Sales, Corporate Distribution, Chain Sales, Non-Commercial, K-12 Schools, Military, C-Store, and Culinary & Mixology — reaching restaurants, bars, schools (K-12 and higher education), healthcare facilities, convenience stores, retailers, military installations, lodging properties, and travel/leisure operators across the United States and Canada. Through its wholly owned subsidiary The Culinary Edge (TCE), CORE Foodservice also provides menu innovation, concept creation, brand strategy, guest experience, and operational consulting. Following the January 2023 acquisition of Quebec-based TTS Marketing & Ventes Ltée, the company positions itself as the largest foodservice sales agency in Canada and one of the largest in North America.

The company's underlying technology stack centers on a customized Salesforce CRM platform developed in collaboration with Salesforce to communicate enterprise strategy across selling teams and track execution against planned results, integrated with Microsoft Power BI for sales analytics and target prioritization. This technology layer is supported by an operational footprint of 58 local sales and support facilities across major North American cities, employing over 1,000 associates including 750+ customer-facing selling representatives. CORE Foodservice is organized as horizontal segmentation: each channel team maintains top-to-top relationships with category-relevant counterparties such as Top 1,500 Technomic chains, Top 20 Prime Vendors in the military channel, Acosta C-Store leadership, and Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) in non-commercial segments.

CORE Foodservice operates as a privately held subsidiary of Acosta Group, a global integrated sales and marketing services company, and employs a B2B professional services revenue model in which brand manufacturers pay sales commissions or management fees for outsourced representation. Pricing is negotiated per client engagement rather than disclosed publicly. Customer relationships span enterprise-scale brand manufacturers and operate at the principal level — the prominent operator logos visible in marketing material (e.g., McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, Burger King, Dunkin', Hyatt, Marriott, Coca-Cola, Campbell's, Impossible Foods) reflect the accounts CORE's sell-in motions target rather than its disclosed principal clients. The company is headquartered at 6651 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL (Acosta Group corporate office), with a West Division office at 14550 Central Ave., Chino, CA.

Name

CORE Foodservice

Legal name

CORE Foodservice

Website

https://corefoodservice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CORE Foodservice is a North American outsourced foodservice sales agency providing dedicated channel sales teams to consumer food and beverage brands across restaurants, schools, healthcare, military, and convenience store operators in the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Sales & Marketing Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Special Food Services (7223)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Institutional Foodservice Distribution (Education, Healthcare, Government) (CRAOABAM), Noncommercial/Institutional Broadline Distributors (K-12, Higher Ed, Healthcare, Government) (AFAIAAAC), Regional/Local Broadline Foodservice Distributors (AFAIAAAB)

Keywords

• Foodservice sales agency
• Outsourced sales force
• Foodservice distribution
• Commercial field sales
• Broker sales services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chino

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Outsourced Sales Agency Services: CORE Foodservice operates as an outsourced sales force for foodservice brands, providing sales representation, client management, and market penetration services to food and beverage manufacturers looking to reach foodservice operators.
2. Strategic Sales & Marketing Services: Provides end-to-end sales enablement solutions including field sales execution, sales training, product cuttings, distributor support, culinary support, and business intelligence to foodservice clients across North America.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CORE Foodservice operates as an outsourced sales agency for the foodservice industry, providing channel-dedicated field sales teams (Field Sales, Corporate Distribution, Chain Sales, Non-Commercial, K-12, Military, C-Store, Culinary & Mixology) that represent food and beverage manufacturers to foodservice operators across North America. The company also offers culinary menu innovation and brand strategy services through its subsidiary The Culinary Edge (TCE), supported by a customized Salesforce CRM platform and Power BI analytics.

Product overview

CORE Foodservice is a unified North American foodservice sales agency that combines multiple service divisions with technology infrastructure. The organization operates eight dedicated sales channels: Field Sales, Corporate Distribution, Chain Sales, Non-Commercial, K-12 Schools, Military, C-Store, and Culinary & Mixology. These are supported by a Salesforce-based CRM platform for enterprise-wide sales execution and Power BI analytics for data-driven decision-making. The company also offers The Culinary Edge (TCE) consulting service for menu innovation, concept creation, brand strategy, guest experience, and operations. Together, these products and services provide end-to-end sales enablement and culinary expertise for the foodservice industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Culinary Edge (TCE): Culinary menu innovation, concept creation, brand strategy, menu development, business strategy, guest experience, and operations support service for foodservice industry clients

Products and services

• Field Sales Field sales team that makes calls on foodservice operators, conducts sales trainings, product cuttings, and distributor support activities. Targets restaurants, bars, and taverns across North America.
• Corporate Distribution Sales execution strategy and plan development with seamless coordination, serving as a centralized point of contact to cascade and track initiatives across all points of distribution.
• Chain Sales Dedicated sales team focused on Regional and Super Regional Chains, driving significant volume through distribution while leveraging culinary resources, trend information, and menu insights for the Top 1,500 Technomic relationships.
• Non-Commercial Sales Focused on non-commercial sectors including Healthcare, Colleges & Universities (C&U), Business & Industry (B&I), and Lodging, maintaining top-to-top relationships with Contract Manufacturers (CM) and Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs).
• K-12 Schools Sales Sales team focused on gaining new menu slots with strong engagement and K-12 industry leadership, providing full-service bid management for primary and secondary school nutrition programs.
• Military Sales Dedicated military sales team collaborating with clients to build robust channel strategy, managing relationships with Top 20 Prime Vendors and the largest military bases worldwide (both OCONUS and CONUS).
• C-Store Sales Leverages Acosta Convenience headquarter relationships to drive foodservice growth in convenience store channels with a Director of Convenience Foodservice ensuring alignment with the Acosta C-Store sales team.
• Culinary & Mixology Creates stronger connectivity between clients and associates through culinary and beverage expertise, collaborating with sales on large ideation presentations with key customers.
• The Culinary Edge (TCE) Culinary Consulting Culinary menu innovation, brand positioning, menu and product development, business strategy, guest experience, and operations services. Includes case studies with First Watch and SweetGreen, with First Watch named America's Favorite F&B Brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest foodservice agency in Canada following TTS Marketing acquisition (January 2023)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TTS Marketing & Ventes LtéecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2023Acquisition of Quebec-based TTS Marketing & Sales, expanding CORE Foodservice's presence in Canada and establishing the largest foodservice agency in the country. The acquisition integrates operations and leverages combined resources to better serve the North American foodservice market.
• The Culinary Edge (TCE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Culinary Edge is a separate company acquired and partnered with CORE Foodservice to bring cutting edge culinary menu genius, unmatched council and business strategy, new concept creation and guest experience. TCE offers innovation, brand positioning, menu & product development, business strategy, guest experience, and operations services. Case studies include First Watch (America's Favorite F&B Brand) and SweetGreen partnerships.
• UCF Rosen College of Hospitality ManagementminorOthersInternship Program collaboration offering students practical experience and industry insights, fostering future talent and innovation in foodservice.
• Mizzou Business College (University of Missouri)minorOthersInternship Program partnership providing students with hands-on sales experience, enhancing their learning and ensuring CORE stays at the forefront of the industry.
• Women in Foodservice (WFF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCORE Foodservice partners with WFF to advance women in the foodservice industry. Support for initiatives like the Leadership Conference highlights commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Acosta GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCORE Foodservice is a subsidiary of Acosta Group, which fuses storied expertise, unmatched connectivity, and advanced insight to accelerate brand growth. The uniting of Acosta and The CORE Group created a strategically resourced organization designed to meet new customer behaviors and expectations.
• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationCustomized CRM platform developed in collaboration with Salesforce providing enterprise-wide platform to communicate strategy across selling teams and proactively report progress against planned results.
• Microsoft (Power BI)coreTechnology or IntegrationPower BI analytics tools integrated into sales execution to manage foodservice data growth, enabling qualified targets with volume potential to collaboratively grow business.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Advantage Solutions: Advantage Solutions is the largest US sales and marketing agency for consumer goods and foodservice brands, operating a brokerage model with dedicated sales reps and category management — the most direct competitor to CORE Foodservice's outsourced foodservice sales force.
• PowerTec Solutions: PowerTec Solutions is a foodservice-focused outsourced sales agency providing field sales, broker services and chain account management to manufacturers — directly comparable in business model and target customer base to CORE Foodservice.
• Daymon Worldwide (Advantage Solutions): Daymon is a sales and branding agency focused on private-label and branded foodservice sales, now part of Advantage Solutions. It competes with CORE in providing outsourced sales representation to food and beverage manufacturers.
• Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions (RSCS): RSCS is a K-12-focused foodservice supply chain solutions provider offering distribution, procurement and broker services to school districts — directly comparable to CORE's K-12 Schools channel in mission and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Acosta Group: Acosta Group is CORE Foodservice's parent company and a global integrated sales and marketing services firm with broader CPG and retail coverage. It is comparable as the wider operating platform that owns CORE and offers overlapping capabilities across channels.
• Compass Group: Compass Group is the world's largest contract foodservice and support services company, operating across the same operator segments CORE sells into (healthcare, education, B&I). It is comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping customer relationships in the foodservice channel.
• Sodexo: Sodexo is a global food services and facilities management company operating in education, healthcare, corporate and leisure segments — overlapping with CORE's Non-Commercial and Lodging channels as a large incumbent foodservice operator.
• Aramark: Aramark is a global provider of food, facilities and uniform services to education, healthcare, business and sports clients — comparable to CORE's Non-Commercial and K-12 channels as a large incumbent operating in the same operator categories.
• Gordon Food Service: Gordon Food Service is a large North American broadline foodservice distributor with retail and operator-facing capabilities. It is comparable as a channel intermediary whose relationships overlap with CORE's North American field sales and chain account work.

Others

• Sysco Corporation: Sysco is the largest US broadline foodservice distributor and a critical channel partner for CORE's field sales. While not a direct competitor in the agency model, Sysco is comparable as a dominant intermediary whose strategy directly shapes CORE's relevance in the foodservice value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/corefoodservice
• Facebookfacebook.com/COREFoodservice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corefoodservice

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about CORE Foodservice