What The Class Produce Group does

The Class Produce Group is a third-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor of fresh and certified organic fruits and vegetables headquartered in Jessup, Maryland. Founded in 1936 by William Deemer Class at the Baltimore Marsh Market and consolidated into its current form in 2004, the company serves retail grocery customers (ranging from independent stores to national big-box chains), foodservice operators, and individual gift buyers across a 500-mile radius covering Baltimore/Washington, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The product portfolio includes over 600 SKUs of conventional and certified organic produce, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (CPG Fresh Cuts) processed in a 60,000 sq ft on-campus facility, a tomato repacking division with private-label capability (Jean's Classy Pack house brand), ripening services from 36 pressurized ethylene rooms for avocados, tomatoes, and bananas, fresh salsa and tropical/specialty items, and consumer fruit baskets.

The business operates an asset-heavy cold chain: a 150,000 sq ft primary warehouse with refrigerated storage and loading docks, the 60,000 sq ft fresh-cut facility, 36 ripening rooms, and an owned refrigerated delivery fleet with GPS tracking running 7 days a week. Food-safety infrastructure includes GFSI-audited programs, a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual, Primus GFS certification, FDA facility registration, and USDA National Organic Program handler certification via the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Revenue is generated primarily through transactional wholesale pricing on a per-case/per-load basis (with ad pricing locked up to a month in advance), fee-for-service fresh-cut processing and private-label packaging, managed ripening services, and shipping/backhaul logistics. Go-to-market is sales-led B2B supported by a dedicated Business Development Specialist and field account management, complemented by the myCLASSPRODUCE web/mobile wholesale ordering portal for 24/7 self-service ordering, in-store Corporate Chef demos, and warehouse pickup for individuals. Distribution is direct via the owned refrigerated fleet; there is no third-party marketplace or channel partner model.

Name

The Class Produce Group

Legal name

Class Produce Group LLC

Website

https://classproduce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Class Produce Group is a third-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor of fresh and certified organic fruits and vegetables serving retail grocery, foodservice, and gift customers across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. from its Jessup, Maryland campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jessup

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale fresh produce distribution: Core B2B wholesale revenue from sale of fresh conventional fruits and vegetables (over 500 items) sourced from a network of thousands of growers/shippers/brokers. Pricing offered up to a month in advance through ad pricing programs; sold by the case/load on transactional terms.
2. Certified organic produce distribution: Sale of hundreds of certified organic items handled under USDA National Organic Program certification and Maryland Department of Agriculture organic handler certification, distributed alongside conventional produce.
3. Fresh-cut processing (CPG Fresh Cuts): Fee-for-service and product revenue from fresh-cut fruit and vegetable processing out of a 60,000 sq ft facility, including standardized and customized packaging plus private labeling using customer's logo or Jean's Classy Pack house brand.
4. Tomato repacking and private-label packaging services: Repacking revenue from state-of-the-art tomato repacking division offering vine-ripened, cherry, grape, roma, yellow, cluster, hydroponics, and mature green tomatoes in custom packages (5, 10, 20, 25 lb increments, clamshells, or cellophane), with private labeling.
5. Ripening services: Service revenue from custom ripening of avocados, tomatoes, and bananas in 36 pressurized ethylene ripening rooms to the customer's preferred stage of ripeness.
6. Shipping and backhaul logistics: Distribution/logistics revenue leveraging owned refrigerated fleet for shipping and backhaul services, supporting emergency shorts and standing contract fulfillment.
7. Fruit basket gift program: Retail/gift revenue from custom fruit baskets for occasions such as Get Well, Thank You, or Congratulations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Class Produce Group is a B2B wholesale distributor that supplies fresh conventional and USDA-certified organic fruits and vegetables (over 600 varieties) to grocery retailers and foodservice operators across a 500-mile Mid-Atlantic and Southeast radius from its Jessup, MD campus. The core offering is augmented by in-house fresh-cut processing (CPG Fresh Cuts), tomato repacking with private labeling, custom ethylene ripening services, vendor-managed replenishment, and a private online wholesale ordering portal (myCLASSPRODUCE).

Product overview

The Class Produce Group is a single, integrated wholesale produce distribution business (not a multi-product SaaS platform) built around one core offering — fresh fruits and vegetables — that is augmented by several operational sub-products and service modules: the Organics line (Certified Organic Produce Handler under the USDA NOP), the CPG Fresh Cuts fresh-cut processing program (operating out of a 60,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility, with the Jean's Classy Pack private-label brand), the Tomato Repacking Program, the Ripening Rooms service (36 pressurized ethylene rooms), Shipping/Backhaul (own refrigerated fleet), Value Added Services / Merchandising, the myCLASSPRODUCE online wholesale ordering portal, Fruit Baskets, Salsa, and Tropicals & Specialty Items. These modules share a common backbone of refrigerated warehousing, USDA/FDA/GFSI-compliant food-safety infrastructure, and a vendor-managed replenishment system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPG Fresh Cuts: Fresh Cut Processing program distributing fresh, pre-sliced fruits and vegetables from a modern, state-of-the-art processing facility on the company's Jessup campus.
• Jean's Classy Pack
• myCLASSPRODUCE

Products and services

• Fresh Fruit & Vegetables (Wholesale) Wholesale offering of over 600 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables (including tropicals, specialty items, and fresh salsa), both conventionally grown and certified organic, sourced from a network of thousands of shippers, brokers, and local, national, and international growers and sold to retail grocery and foodservice customers by the case or load.
• Organics (Certified Organic Produce) Hundreds of certified organic produce items handled under USDA National Organic Program certification via the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Organic Certification Program (MOCP), distributed to wholesale customers in Maryland and Virginia.
• CPG Fresh Cuts (Fresh-Cut Processing) Fresh-cut processing program operating out of a 60,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility, delivering pre-sliced fruits and vegetables in standardized or customized packaging with private labeling (customer's logo or Jean's Classy Pack house brand) for foodservice and retail customers seeking portion-controlled, ready-to-serve produce.
• Tomato Repacking Program State-of-the-art tomato repacking service offering vine-ripened, cherry, grape, roma, yellow, cluster, hydroponics, and mature green tomatoes in custom packages of 5, 10, 20, or 25 lb increments, clamshells, or cellophane, with private labeling (Jean's Classy Pack or customer logo).
• Ripening Rooms (Custom Ethylene Ripening) Custom ripening service using 36 pressurized ethylene ripening rooms to bring avocados, tomatoes, and bananas to the customer's preferred stage of ripeness, with advanced controls for precise color stage.
• Shipping / Backhaul Logistics Refrigerated distribution and backhaul logistics service using an owned fleet (Class C Non-CDL through Class A and B CDL drivers) with GPS tracking and tamper-evident dock-door padlocks and seals, supporting emergency short fills and standing contract fulfillment 7 days a week.
• myCLASSPRODUCE (Online Wholesale Ordering) Wholesale online ordering platform that serves as a personal portal for produce partners to place orders around the clock via web browser or mobile device, with new accounts created through the sales team via the Online Ordering Account Creation Form.
• Fruit Baskets (Gift Program) Pre-assembled fruit baskets for gifting occasions such as Get Well, Thank You, and Congratulations, leveraging Class Produce Group's produce sourcing and quality reputation and available for warehouse pickup or direct local purchase.
• Value Added Services / Retail Merchandising Retail-level merchandising program providing media kits, point-of-sale materials, produce handbooks, theme-sale events, in-store produce demonstrations led by a Corporate Chef, and produce department resets by a dedicated Merchandiser at customer retail locations.
• Vendor-Managed Replenishment Program Inventory and replenishment service that partners one-on-one with clients, using Class Produce Group's inventory systems to manage restocking on behalf of customers at their retail locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 fresh conventional produce items and hundreds of organic items stocked
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Maryland Department of Agriculture (Maryland Organic Certification Program / MOCP)coreOthersThe Class Produce Group is a Certified Organic Produce Handler under the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Organic Certification Program (MOCP), which was accredited by the USDA for compliance with the National Organic Program (NOP) in 2002. This certification is required for the company to label, represent, and market products as organic, and underpins its entire Certified Organic product line.
• USDA National Organic Program (NOP)coreOthersClass Produce Group operates as a certified distributor of organic commodities subject to USDA National Organic Program standards. The certification underwrites the company's ability to offer the wide range of certified organic produce it distributes.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• US Foods: National broadline foodservice distributor with a meaningful fresh produce offering. Competes for foodservice and large chain accounts in the same geography as Class Produce.
• FreshPoint (Sysco): Sysco-owned national produce distribution arm serving restaurants, hotels, schools, and healthcare across the U.S. Competes with Class Produce on foodservice produce contracts while leveraging Sysco's national procurement scale.
• Gordon Food Service: Large broadline foodservice distributor with a produce segment and retail store footprint. Competes with Class Produce for foodservice produce spend across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

Direct peers

• Keany Produce: Mid-Atlantic wholesale produce distributor serving the Baltimore/Washington corridor and surrounding states. Overlaps directly with Class Produce on retail and foodservice produce distribution across the same geography.
• Lancaster Foods: Maryland-based fresh produce distributor and fresh-cut processor supplying foodservice and retail customers in the Mid-Atlantic. Closely comparable on cold-chain warehousing, fresh-cut processing, and Mid-Atlantic distribution footprint.
• Coastal Sunbelt Produce: Mid-Atlantic/Southeast fresh produce distributor serving retail and foodservice. Comparable on conventional and organic produce distribution with a regional footprint that overlaps Class Produce's service territory.
• Taylor Farms: National fresh-cut fruit and vegetable processor and supplier with branded retail and foodservice lines. Comparable to Class Produce's CPG Fresh Cuts program on value-added fresh-cut processing and private label.

Emerging players

• Robinson Fresh: Fresh produce sourcing and supply-chain arm of C.H. Robinson with retail and foodservice programs. Comparable on grower network management and seasonal produce supply solutions to retail partners.
• Earthbound Farm: Large organic produce grower and brand supplying retail and foodservice with certified organic fruits and vegetables. Comparable to Class Produce's USDA NOP-certified organic offering on the retail side.

Others

• Produce Alliance: Group purchasing and procurement services organization for foodservice distributors, including fresh produce. Adjacent peer that competes with regional distributors like Class Produce for foodservice chain contracts through aggregated buying power.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Class Produce Group