What Fresh Direct Produce does

Fresh Direct Produce Ltd. is a Vancouver-based importer and distributor of fresh, ethnic, tropical, organic, and specialty produce founded in 2003 by Davis Yung, Albert Lum, and Kam Chiu Lee. The company sources over 2,500 SKUs from 36 countries across six continents and distributes approximately five million cartons of produce per year, reaching customers from British Columbia to Manitoba via four owned facilities: a 55,000 sq.ft. Vancouver headquarters warehouse, a 40,000 sq.ft. South Vancouver repackaging center, a 52,500 sq.ft. Calgary distribution and ripening facility, and an Edmonton cross-dock opened in 2022. Its operations run 365 days a year with near-24/7 customer service coverage.

The technology stack centers on cold-chain management: cloud-based cooler temperature monitoring, pressurized ripening rooms for bananas, avocados, papayas, and mangoes, double-bagging packaging equipment, and a 37,000 sqft re-grading/re-packing facility using eco-friendly materials such as anti-fog BOPP film and Giro mesh. The company maintains a portfolio of seven registered sub-brands (Simply Fresh, Simply Local, Simply Exotics, Simply Hot, Simply Ripe, Simply Fresh Organic, and the 2025-launched SPARKEEZ) alongside value-added services including procurement, ripening, repacking, custom labeling, and in-store marketing support.

The business model is B2B distribution with a transactional product-sale revenue stream complemented by fee-based value-added services. Go-to-market is a hybrid of enterprise field sales (dedicated account managers serving grocery, food service, catering, government, and healthcare channels across Western Canada) and inside sales via phone and digital. Named enterprise customers include Gordon Food Service and T&T Supermarket; mid-market accounts include Community Natural Foods, Pomme Natural Market, H&W Produce, and The Root Cellar Village Green Grocer. Vendor partnerships span Sunkist Growers and Vision Produce Company. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but customer weekly spend tiers are bracketed up to "More than $10,000 CAD." M&A activity (Emperor Specialty Foods 2019, Islands West Produce 2019, Mike and Mike's Organics 2020, Yen Bros Food Service 2025) is the primary inorganic growth lever, supplemented by organic facility expansion and new branded product launches.

Name

Fresh Direct Produce

Legal name

Fresh Direct Produce Ltd.

Website

https://freshdirectproduce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fresh Direct Produce is a Vancouver-based importer and B2B distributor of fresh, ethnic, tropical, organic, and specialty produce, serving grocery, food service, catering, government, and healthcare customers across Western Canada through four distribution and repacking facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Distribution (CRAOABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Produce Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAC), Import / Export Produce Wholesale (Cross-Border Trading) (AFAIACAH), Natural, Organic & Health Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAK)

Keywords

• Fresh produce distribution
• Wholesale produce supply
• Specialty foods import
• Cold chain logistics
• Value-added produce services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Distribution: Import and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables to grocery stores, food service businesses, catering providers, government institutions, and healthcare facilities across Canada. Revenue generated through product sales with typical trade terms.
2. Value-Added Services: Repacking, grading, custom labeling, and ripening services provided to customers for additional fees. Includes climate-controlled storage and specialized packaging.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fresh Direct Produce imports and distributes fresh, ethnic, tropical, organic and specialty fruits and vegetables from 36 countries to grocery retailers, food service operators, caterers, and government and healthcare institutions across Western Canada. The company operates four distribution/ripening/repacking facilities (Vancouver, South Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton) and offers value-added services including ripening, repacking, grading, custom labeling and packaging, handling approximately 5 million cartons of produce per year with a 3-4 day inventory turnover.

Product overview

Fresh Direct Produce operates as a premium produce importer and distributor offering a portfolio of branded sub-products under the Simply Fresh® umbrella family, including Simply Fresh®, Simply LOCAL®, Simply Exotics®, Simply Hot®, Simply Ripe®, and Simply Fresh® Organic. Additionally, the company launched the SPARKEEZ™ sub-brand for organic miniature apples. The company provides comprehensive B2B produce services including global sourcing (2,500+ SKUs from 36 countries), procurement, distribution, packing/repacking, ripening, and marketing support. Facilities include climate-controlled warehouses, ripening rooms, and repacking centers across British Columbia and Alberta, with operations spanning Western Canada from BC to Manitoba.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Simply Fresh: Freshest local produce to highest-quality mandarin oranges, pomelos, Asian pears, garlic, ginger, peas, Asian vegetables, and other ethnic items.
• Simply LOCAL
• Simply Exotics
• Simply Hot
• Simply Ripe
• Simply Fresh Organic
• SPARKEEZ

Products and services

• Simply Fresh House brand of freshest local and ethnic produce including mandarin oranges, pomelos, Asian pears, garlic, ginger, peas and Asian vegetables, sold through Fresh Direct Produce's wholesale and retail channels across Western Canada.
• Simply Local Brand of locally grown Canadian produce sourced from trusted farms across British Columbia and Alberta, supporting local growers and communities with peak freshness.
• Simply Exotics Brand of packaged exotic fruits that bring distinctive global flavors and unique tastes from around the world to retail and food service customers.
• Simply Hot Curated line of peppers from mild to wild across various heat levels, packaged for easy handling by grocery and food service customers.
• Simply Ripe Packaged tropical fruits including papayas, mangoes and avocados that are pre-ripened to peak flavor for retail and food service customers.
• Simply Fresh Organic House-brand organic spices available in 3-4 ounce packages of garlic, ginger, turmeric or shallots for customers seeking guaranteed 100% organic products.
• SPARKEEZ Bite-sized, certified organic miniature apples that are juicy and convenient for on-the-go snacking; a portion of proceeds supports BC Children's Hospital.
• Procurement Services Dedicated produce selection service that ensures a diverse range of top-quality fruits and vegetables matching the unique tastes and preferences of each customer.
• Global Sourcing Services
• Distribution Services
• Packing Services
• Repacking and Grading Services
• Ripening Services
• Custom Labeling and Marketing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 million cartons of produce annually with 3-4 day turnover rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Islands West ProducecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2019Acquired in September 2019 as part of expansion to strengthen produce distribution capabilities
• Emperor Specialty FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2019Acquired in July 2019 as part of expansion strategy to grow specialty produce business
• BC Children's Hospital FoundationcoreOthersLong-standing partnership supporting BC Children's Hospital through annual Race for the Kids event. Fresh Direct has participated for 20 years, raising over $500,000 through corporate team runs and annual mandarin orange sales. The partnership supports children's health and well-being in the community.
• Vancouver's Quest Food ExchangeminorOthersCommunity partner receiving produce donations to support food security initiatives in Vancouver
• Calgary's Community KitchenminorOthersCommunity partner receiving produce donations to support meal programs in Calgary
• Strathcona Community CentreminorOthersCommunity partner receiving produce donations for meal programs supporting the local community
• RBC Race for the KidscoreOthersAnnual charitable running event benefiting BC Children's Hospital. Fresh Direct has been a supporter for 20 years, with corporate team participation, staff, families, and friends joining annually. Proceeds from mandarin orange sales support the cause.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oppenheimer Group (Oppy): Oppy is a leading North American fresh produce marketer and distributor headquartered in Vancouver, BC. Like FDP, Oppy sources globally and distributes to retail and foodservice customers across North America, making it the closest comparable by geography, business model, and product mix.
• Star Produce: Star Produce is a Canadian fresh fruit and vegetable distributor serving retail and foodservice customers across Western Canada. Overlapping customer base, geographic coverage (BC, AB, SK), and produce-only focus make it a direct competitor to FDP.
• Pacific Produce: Pacific Produce is a Western Canada-based fresh produce distributor with a similar regional footprint in BC and Alberta. It serves grocery and foodservice channels with comparable SKU breadth, making it a close direct peer in size and scope.
• ProCyc Distribution: ProCyc is a Western Canadian fresh produce distributor focused on retail and foodservice customers across BC and Alberta. Similar regional concentration, customer types, and produce-centric operating model position it as a direct competitive peer to FDP.

Emerging players

• Thomas Fresh: Thomas Fresh is a Western Canadian fresh produce grower-distributor with operations in Alberta and BC. While more vertically integrated into growing, it overlaps with FDP in distribution to retail and foodservice customers across the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Sysco: Sysco is the largest broadline foodservice distributor in North America with a deep produce category offering to restaurants, hotels, healthcare, and education customers. It competes with FDP on foodservice accounts but at vastly greater scale and with national coverage.
• Gordon Food Service: Gordon Food Service is a major North American broadline foodservice distributor with extensive produce capabilities. It is both an FDP customer (testimonial on file) and an indirect competitor for foodservice produce contracts across Western Canada.
• Fyffes: Fyffes is one of the world's largest tropical produce importers and distributors with strong positions in bananas, pineapples, and melons. It overlaps with FDP's tropical and exotic produce categories and competes for the same global sourcing partnerships.
• Chiquita Brands International: Chiquita is a global fresh produce grower-shipper distributing bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruits worldwide. It competes with FDP in the tropical and exotic category where FDP has specialized ripening and distribution capability.

Others

• Calavo Growers: Calavo Growers is a US-based fresh produce distributor specializing in avocados, tomatoes, and tropical fruits with ripening and packing infrastructure. Overlap with FDP's Simply Ripe tropical fruit program and ripening room capabilities makes it a relevant category peer.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/fresh-direct-produce-ltd-
• Instagraminstagram.com/freshdirectproduce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A5 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Fresh Direct Produce