What UW Provision does

UW Provision Company, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned meat and food products company headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin, founded in 1958 by Jim Kalscheur as a small butcher shop adjacent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Operated across four integrated business lines, the company runs (i) a wholesale food distribution operation selling fresh, frozen, and dry products — meat, seafood, cheese, dairy, groceries, condiments, and beverages — to restaurants, grocers, supermarkets, meat markets, correctional institutions, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations across a 7-state Midwest footprint (Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana); (ii) a USDA-inspected meat processing and custom cutting/grinding operation occupying over 100,000 square feet, expanded 11 times from its original footprint and one of the largest such plants in the Midwest, with boneless beef aged 25–30 days and full HACCP compliance; (iii) two retail specialty grocery storefronts open to the general public without membership requirements — The Meat Market (Middleton, since 1979, 'Dane County's Best Kept Secret') and Local Source Foods (Sun Prairie, since 2016) — that resell restaurant-quality product at wholesale prices alongside beer/wine/liquor, Big Green Egg grills, and raw pet food; and (iv) Sun Prairie Cold Storage, a wholly owned climate-controlled refrigerated warehousing and 3PL/repackaging subsidiary serving Madison-area and Midwest customers.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led: a 14+ person outside sales team covers wholesale accounts while retail demand is generated through weekly email and SMS marketing (VIP Text Club), a recipe-driven content blog, and active organic social presence (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter/X). Logistics are differentiated by an in-house fleet of freight trucks, 10 natural gas vehicles, and solar-powered facilities, enabling multi-state LTL delivery and third-party logistics services for Midwest customers. Operational continuity is a defining characteristic — the company has maintained zero layoffs across 64 years under Kalscheur family multi-generational ownership, with Steve Kalscheur as President and over 60 years of cumulative transportation and logistics experience. The company has no external funding, no public listing, and no disclosed financial statements, and its scale (51–100 employees, 100,000+ sq ft facility, 7-state LTL coverage, dual retail stores) places it among the larger independent specialty meat distributors in the upper Midwest.

Name

UW Provision

Legal name

UW Provision Company, Inc.

Website

https://uwprovision.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UW Provision is a family-owned, Middleton, Wisconsin-based meat and food distributor and USDA-inspected processor serving wholesale customers across seven Midwest states and consumers through two specialty grocery stores, The Meat Market and Local Source Foods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Distribution & Wholesale Meat

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Meat Retailers (445240), Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130)

SIC

Meat Packing Plants (2011), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Retail-Food Stores (5400), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Refrigerated Warehousing (Multi-Client) (AFAOAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food & Beverage Frozen Storage (Meat, Seafood, Dairy, Produce, Bakery) (TLALACAA), Frozen Food Warehousing & Blast Freezing (AFAOAFAC), Chilled/Refrigerated Food Warehousing (0–5°C) (AFAOAFAD)

Keywords

• Wholesale meat distribution
• Food distribution services
• Cold storage warehousing
• Retail meat market
• Meat processing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Distribution: UW Provision sells and distributes meat products (beef, veal, pork, sausages, brats, poultry, lamb, seafood) along with cheese, butter, eggs, pasta and potato salads, buns, desserts, drinks, condiments and sauces to restaurants, wholesalers, grocers, meat shops, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and correctional institutions
2. Retail Store Sales: The Meat Market and Local Source Foods retail specialty grocery stores sell products directly to general public consumers without requiring membership, offering restaurant quality products at wholesale prices
3. Third-Party Logistics & Transportation: Food distribution and logistics services including multi-state LTL coverage throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, and Indiana; third-party logistics for Madison area and Midwest region
4. Cold Storage Warehousing: Sun Prairie Cold Storage provides refrigerated warehousing services including temperature-controlled storage, logistics, and repackaging to local and Midwest businesses

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

UW Provision is a family-owned meat distribution and retail company founded in 1958, headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. The company runs wholesale food distribution to restaurants, grocers, and correctional institutions; operates two retail outlets, The Meat Market (Middleton) and Local Source Foods (Sun Prairie); provides refrigerated warehousing via Sun Prairie Cold Storage; and offers cutting and grinding services for meat products.

Product overview

UW Provision is a family-owned meat distribution and retail company operating as a four-segment business: wholesale distribution, two retail stores (The Meat Market in Middleton and Local Source Foods in Sun Prairie), and Sun Prairie Cold Storage for refrigerated food storage. The company offers fresh, frozen, and dry food products including beef, pork, poultry, seafood, lamb, goat, and specialty meats, along with cheese and dairy, grocery products, beer/wine/liquor, Big Green Egg grills, and raw pet food. Core services include food distribution and logistics (multi-state LTL coverage), cutting and grinding specialists, cold storage warehousing, and food safety compliance with USDA inspection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wholesale Food Distribution B2B wholesale distribution of meat and food products to restaurants, grocers, and correctional/institutional accounts in the Wisconsin region.
• The Meat Market (retail store) Company-owned retail butcher shop located in Middleton, Wisconsin, selling fresh meat and related grocery items directly to local consumers.
• Local Source Foods (retail store) Company-owned local foods retail store located in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, selling meat and grocery products to consumer shoppers.
• Sun Prairie Cold Storage Refrigerated warehousing services providing temperature-controlled storage capacity for meat and perishable food products.
• Cutting & Grinding Services Custom meat cutting and grinding services performed in-house to buyer specifications, supporting both wholesale and retail customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero layoffs in 64 years of business

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of Wisconsin-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW Provision is associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, providing the meat and other food products for the Kohl Center's sporting events as well as any university event or fundraiser. This partnership has been ongoing since the company's founding in 1958 near the UW campus.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sysco Corporation: Sysco is the largest broadline foodservice distributor in North America, distributing meat, dairy, produce, and grocery products to restaurants, healthcare, and education customers. UW Provision operates the same core business model (wholesale food distribution to foodservice + retail) at a regional Midwest scale.
• US Foods: US Foods is a major broadline foodservice distributor serving restaurants and foodservice operators across the U.S., with meat and specialty categories as core offerings. Comparable to UW Provision's wholesale distribution business serving restaurants, grocers, and meat markets in the Midwest.
• Performance Food Group: Performance Food Group is one of the largest foodservice distributors in the U.S., operating broadline, specialty, and convenience segments. Overlaps with UW Provision's wholesale food distribution, custom meat processing, and food retail support across multiple customer types.
• SpartanNash: SpartanNash is a food solutions company that operates wholesale food distribution, military distribution, and corporate-owned retail grocery stores, with strong Midwest concentration. Shares UW Provision's dual wholesale + retail model and Midwest operating footprint.
• Lineage Logistics: Lineage Logistics is one of the world's largest temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics companies, operating public refrigerated warehouses for food producers and distributors. Directly comparable to UW Provision's Sun Prairie Cold Storage multi-tenant refrigerated warehousing service.

Direct peers

• Gordon Food Service: Gordon Food Service is a family-owned broadline foodservice distributor and one of the largest privately held food distributors in North America. Structurally the closest peer to UW Provision: private, family-led, broadline distribution with retail stores and foodservice/wholesale focus.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Shamrock Foods is a privately held foodservice distributor and dairy producer serving restaurants, hotels, and schools primarily across the Southwest. Comparable to UW Provision as a privately held, vertically integrated food distributor combining wholesale distribution, processing, and retail-adjacent operations.
• Reinhart Foodservice: Reinhart Foodservice is a broadline foodservice distributor (a Reyes Holdings company) serving the Midwest and other U.S. regions with center-of-the-plate, produce, beverage, and specialty products. Directly comparable to UW Provision's Midwest wholesale food distribution model.
• Ben E. Keith Company: Ben E. Keith is a broadline foodservice distributor serving the South Central and Southwest U.S. with food distribution, beverage, and foodservice operations. Comparable to UW Provision as a regional broadline distributor with foodservice focus and similar service offerings.

Regional players

• Upper Lakes Foods: Upper Lakes Foods is a regional broadline foodservice distributor serving Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Midwest with meat, dairy, frozen, and grocery products. Direct regional peer to UW Provision in Wisconsin/Minnesota/Iowa territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uwprovision
• Facebookfacebook.com/uwprovision
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uwprovision
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwprovision_themeatmarket
• Pinterestpinterest.com/UWProvision

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 UW Provision