What Daylight Foods does

Daylight Foods is a privately held foodservice distributor headquartered in a 150,000 sq.ft. facility at 30200 Whipple Road, Union City, California. Founded in 2005, the company purchases fresh produce and complementary food items from more than 300 vendors across California and resells them to restaurants, K-12 school districts, cafeterias, and concessions throughout Northern California and the Bay Area. Named enterprise customers include Cheesecake Factory, STK, Super Duper (San Francisco), Amici, and the Fresno Unified School District, the latter of which Daylight has supplied for over 15 years.

The company's core platform consists of a fleet of more than 70 temperature-controlled delivery vehicles, an in-house Fresh Cuts processing plant, an online foodservice ordering portal, and a mobile ordering app launched in May 2018. The processing plant eliminates third-party processors, reducing cost and lead time for customers. Daylight Foods maintains 100% GFSI Superior certification on its processing operations, follows a strict HACCP food safety program, and has held CCOF organic certification for over 15 years. It is also an approved vendor under the USDA Pilot Project for Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables.

Daylight Foods operates a sales-led, direct-distribution go-to-market model, generating revenue primarily through product markups on produce, dairy, poultry, and dry goods. The Daylight Advantage program aggregates collective purchasing power across customers for cost savings. Adjacent offerings include a Non Produce & Disposables catalog, K-12 school programs (Farm to School, Harvest of the Month, USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, School Gardens grants), the Food Recovery Program (launched 2022 with Stanford University), and the Black Farmer Initiative supporting minority growers. Management is led by CEO Chris Vlahopouliotis, President Jeff Sacchini (joined September 2017), and COO Mike Koskinen.

Name

Daylight Foods

Legal name

Daylight Foods, Inc

Website

https://daylightfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Daylight Foods is a privately held Northern California foodservice distributor that delivers fresh produce from 300+ California farms to restaurants, K-12 school districts, cafeterias, and concessions via a 70-vehicle temperature-controlled fleet out of its Union City facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Service Distribution

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Temperature-Controlled Distribution Centers (DCs) (AFAOAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Leafy Greens & Salad Processing Packhouses (Fresh-Cut) (AFAOAGAI)

Keywords

• Food service distribution
• Fresh produce wholesale
• Institutional produce supply
• Organic produce distribution
• Food service logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Union City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Service Distribution: Daylight Foods generates revenue as a food service distributor by purchasing produce and ingredients from vendors and selling to customers at a markup. They distribute fresh produce, dairy, poultry, dry goods, and specialty items to restaurants, schools, cafeterias, and other food service establishments throughout Northern California.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Daylight Foods distributes fresh produce, dairy, poultry, and dry goods from its 150,000 sq.ft. Union City, California facility to restaurants, K-12 school districts, cafeterias, and concession operators throughout Northern California. The company runs its own in-house produce processing plant for Fresh Cuts, sources from over 300 California vendors, and delivers via a fleet of 70+ temperature-controlled vehicles with GFSI Superior and CCOF organic certifications.

Product overview

Daylight Foods is a premier full-service food service distributor in Northern California, operating as a unified platform delivering fresh produce and ingredients from field to fork. The core offering centers on fresh produce distribution supplemented by an in-house Fresh Cuts processing plant for pre-cut items, while the Daylight Advantage program aggregates purchasing power for cost savings. Extended offerings include K-12 School Programs (USDA programs, Farm to School, School Gardens), the Food Recovery Program for food waste reduction, and the Black Farmer Initiative for supporting minority farmers. The company also offers a Non Produce & Disposables catalog for complete food service needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Produce Distribution Full-service food service distribution of fresh produce, dairy, poultry, and dry goods, sourced from over 300 California vendors and delivered via a 70+ vehicle temperature-controlled fleet to restaurants, schools, cafeterias, and large chains throughout Northern California and the Bay Area.
• Fresh Cuts In-house produce processing service that delivers pre-cut fruits and vegetables (organic and non-organic) to food service customers, eliminating the need for third-party processors and saving customers time and money. Operates under a strict HACCP program with GFSI Superior certification.
• K-12 School Programs Specialized K-12 school food service program suite including the USDA Pilot Project for Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), Harvest of the Month, Farm to School initiatives, and School Gardens grants; offered to public school districts in California for over 15 years.
• Daylight Advantage Group purchasing program for participating food service customers that aggregates collective buying power to negotiate supplier contracts and deliver cost savings on fresh produce, specialty, and broadline items.
• Non Produce & Disposables Catalog Extended catalog offering non-produce food items and disposable supplies that complement Daylight Foods' fresh produce distribution for full food service operation needs.
• Daylight Foods Mobile Ordering App Mobile application launched in May 2018 that enables Daylight Foods' food service customers to order high quality produce on demand. Customers request login credentials and download instructions from their customer service representative, and the app includes video guides on basic functions and features for easy ordering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves customers time and money by eliminating third-party processors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Daily BowlcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Daylight Foods partners with Daily Bowl as part of their Food Recovery Program. In 2022, Daylight Foods initiated a Food Recovery Program where they pick up prepared food that was not used, bring it back to their warehouse, and Daily Bowl picks it up to redistribute to feed food-insecure individuals in the Bay Area.
• Parkview ProducecoreOthers · 1 March 2018Daylight Foods acquired San Francisco-based Parkview Produce in March 2018, joining forces to expand their distribution capabilities. Robert Tantillo was the owner of Parkview Produce and Chris Vlahopouliotis is the CEO of Daylight Foods.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford University was the pilot partner for Daylight Foods' Food Recovery Program in 2022. Daylight picks up prepared food that was not used from Stanford, brings it back to their warehouse for redistribution to food-insecure individuals.
• Community Alliance of Family Farmers (CAFF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaylight Foods partners with the Community Alliance of Family Farmers to supply school districts with tracking, marketing materials, and consultation for their Harvest of the Month and Farm to School programs.
• Sherman Produce (Donald Sherman)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of their Racial Equity and Supporting Black Farmers Initiative, Daylight Foods partners with Donald Sherman who owns and operates Sherman Produce, a year-round diversified vegetable farm distributing throughout Fresno County for over 3 decades. Daylight ships his produce to university partners.
• USDAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaylight Foods is an approved vendor through the USDA Pilot Project for Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, which allows schools to purchase unprocessed and minimally processed products using DOD commodity money. They also participate in the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).
• Oakland Food WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the partners in Daylight Foods' Food Recovery Program that receives redistributed food to feed food-insecure individuals in the Bay Area.
• White Pony ExpressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Food Recovery Program that redistributes food to food-insecure individuals in the Bay Area.
• City of Fremont Senior CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Food Recovery Program that receives redistributed food for senior feeding programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• US Foods: Major broadline foodservice distributor with national distribution and significant produce segment. Comparable to Daylight as a foodservice distributor with an overlapping customer base of restaurants and institutions.
• Sysco: Largest broadline foodservice distributor in North America, serving restaurants, schools, and healthcare. Directly comparable to Daylight Foods in customer base and product mix, but operates at vastly greater national scale and SKU breadth.
• Performance Food Group: Large-cap foodservice distributor with broadline and specialty/produce segments serving restaurants and institutions. Comparable to Daylight's broadline-plus-produce distribution model at significantly greater scale.

Direct peers

• FreshPoint: Sysco's specialty produce subsidiary operating fresh produce distribution centers across the U.S. Closely comparable to Daylight's core business of distributing fresh produce to restaurants and foodservice operators, with regional DC and processing capabilities.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Privately held broadline and produce foodservice distributor serving the Western U.S. Comparable to Daylight as a regional distributor with integrated produce and broadline capabilities targeting restaurants and institutions.
• Markon Cooperative: Cooperative of produce distributors supplying fresh produce to foodservice operators across North America. Comparable supply-chain aggregation role to Daylight's 300+ vendor sourcing model and institutional customer focus.
• Robinson Fresh: Produce-focused supply chain and distribution company (subsidiary of C.H. Robinson) serving foodservice and retail customers. Comparable to Daylight's produce distribution and grower sourcing activities.
• Coastal Sunbelt Produce: Regional fresh produce distributor serving Mid-Atlantic and Southeast foodservice customers. Directly comparable as a produce-focused foodservice distributor with processing capabilities and a regional DC footprint.

Regional players

• Charlie's Produce: Largest independent produce distributor in the Pacific Northwest, serving restaurants, schools, and foodservice operators from regional DCs. Highly comparable business model and customer mix to Daylight Foods, but operating in a different regional geography.

Emerging players

• KeHE Food Distributors: Specialty and natural foods distributor with growing fresh produce exposure, serving independent retailers and foodservice. Comparable to Daylight on the produce-and-fresh distribution side, though KeHE's specialty/natural positioning differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/daylightfoods

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Daylight Foods