Limehouse Produce

What Limehouse Produce does

Limehouse Produce is a third-generation, family-owned wholesale produce distributor headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, founded in 1945 by H.B. Limehouse. The company distributes fresh produce, dairy, eggs, and gourmet market items to foodservice and hospitality customers — restaurants, hotels, casinos, caterers, grocery retailers, schools, and corporate cafeterias — across South Carolina and coastal Georgia (including Columbia, Bluffton, Beaufort, Hilton Head, Florence, Augusta, and Savannah). Operations are anchored by a 50,000-square-foot headquarters warehouse in North Charleston (expanded in 2017 from a 32,000 sq ft facility) and a secondary warehouse in Myrtle Beach, supported by an owned refrigerated delivery fleet, on-site solar PV generation, and an in-house truck repair division.

The company's technology stack is operational rather than analytical: a warehouse management system (WMS) handles order selection and inventory; Omnitracs provides truck routing and tracking via iPhone for drivers; MobileCast and Roadnet power dispatch and route planning; and customer ordering runs through a proprietary online portal (orders.limehouseproduce.com) plus a white-labeled iOS/Android mobile app. Food safety is a defining capability — Limehouse holds HACCP, PrimusGFS (GFSI benchmark), USDA National Organic Program, FDA FSMA, USDA Voluntary Plant System Audit, US Army Food Safety & GMP, GMP, and South Carolina Department of Agriculture certifications, and partners with Clemson University (since 2012) to streamline GAP certification for local growers. Customer-facing content includes weekly Market Notes, a Local List of regionally sourced produce, and a Chef Specialty List.

Limehouse operates a transaction-based wholesale distribution model with a $100 minimum order for most accounts and account-specific pricing visible only inside the portal/app. Go-to-market is sales-led: a Director of Sales leads a team of account executives assigned per customer, supported by a General Manager who oversees procurement strategy and client relationships. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company is privately held with no identified external investors or parent company, and ownership has remained with the Limehouse family since 1945.

Name

Limehouse Produce

Legal name

Limehouse Produce, LLC

Website

https://limehouseproduce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Limehouse Produce is a family-owned wholesale produce distributor founded in 1945, serving restaurants, hotels, schools, grocery, and corporate cafeterias across South Carolina and coastal Georgia via refrigerated fleet delivery from warehouses in North Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Terminal Market / Produce Market Wholesalers (AFAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale (AFAIAJAB), Online Specialty Grocery (Organic/Health/Ethnic/Gourmet) (CRAHAIAE)

Keywords

• Wholesale produce distribution
• Foodservice supply
• Fresh produce delivery
• Refrigerated fleet delivery
• Dairy and eggs distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

N Charleston

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. Wholesale Produce Distribution: Limehouse Generate produces revenue through the wholesale distribution of fresh produce, dairy, eggs, and gourmet food items to foodservice establishments. Customers place orders with minimum thresholds of $100, and orders are fulfilled and delivered via the company's refrigerated fleet.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Limehouse Produce is a wholesale distributor of fresh produce, dairy, eggs, and gourmet food items serving foodservice establishments across South Carolina and Georgia. Customers place orders through an online portal, mobile app, or sales team, with a $100 minimum order, and products are delivered via the company's own refrigerated fleet from warehouses in North Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Fruits Wholesale fresh fruit catalog including apples, avocados, bananas, berries, citrus, grapes, melons, organic fruit, stone fruit, pears, pineapple, tomatoes, tropical fruits, and specialty fruits, delivered to foodservice customers.
• Fresh Vegetables Wholesale fresh vegetable catalog including artichokes, asparagus, beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger, herbs, leafy greens, lettuce, micros, edible flowers, mushrooms, onions, organic vegetables, peppers, potatoes, root vegetables, specialty lettuces, specialty vegetables, sprouts, and squash.
• Fresh Cut Produce Value-added fresh-cut products including fresh cut fruits, fresh cut vegetables, blends/medleys/mixes, and snack packs for foodservice operators.
• Dairy & Eggs Wholesale dairy products, eggs, and dairy alternatives supplied to foodservice customers.
• Market Items (Gourmet & Specialty Foods) Gourmet and specialty food items including kitchen essentials, spices, water and juices, nuts and dried fruits, refrigerated items, floral, holiday items, grains and rice, and specialty products.
• Mobile Ordering App Mobile application for iOS and Android enabling foodservice customers to place orders, view pricing and product availability, and manage their accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 143 metric tons of CO2 emissions prevented annually through solar energy
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, community and featured.

• Clemson UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership since 2012 to streamline GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification process for local farms. Limehouse helps reduce documentation burden and infrastructure improvement requirements, enabling local farms to meet food safety standards and access new markets.
• Pay It ForwardcommunityOthersNon-profit partnership for community support and food donation programs helping address food insecurity in the Charleston area.
• Lowcountry Food BankcommunityOthersPartnership for consistent donations of fresh produce to local food banks and shelters addressing food insecurity in the community.
• Local FarmerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDirect sourcing partnerships with local farmers to support the local agricultural industry and reduce transportation emissions.
• McLeod FarmsfeaturedChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily-owned farm since 1916 featured as Grower Spotlight on Limehouse website. Supplies produce to Limehouse for distribution.
• Dalai Sofia KombuchafeaturedChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocally made kombucha featured in product spotlight, sold through Limehouse's market items category.
• Charleston County ParkscommunityOthersCommunity partnership with Charleston County Parks for local community support initiatives.
• South Carolina AquariumcommunityOthersCommunity partnership supporting the South Carolina Aquarium and its environmental initiatives.
• Charleston Wine and FoodcommunityOthersPartnership supporting the Charleston Wine and Food festival and culinary community events.
• Tricounty Family MinistriescommunityOthersPartnership with local ministry providing food support to families in need.
• Lowcountry Local First (LLF)communityOthersMember of Lowcountry Local First organization supporting local business community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ben E. Keith Foods: Broadline foodservice distributor with strong Southeast presence. Competes for restaurant and institutional customers and offers overlapping produce, dairy, and gourmet SKUs.
• Gordon Food Service: Large broadline foodservice distributor with significant produce and center-of-plate offerings. Competes for the same foodservice accounts across the Southeast, with greater scale and broader assortment.
• US Foods: Second-largest US broadline foodservice distributor. Overlaps with Limehouse in restaurant and hospitality accounts across the Carolinas and Georgia, with broader assortment and negotiated pricing leverage.
• FreshPoint: Largest US fresh produce distributor, subsidiary of Sysco. Operates with regional warehouses and refrigerated fleets similar to Limehouse, but at national scale with broader sourcing and category breadth.
• Sysco: Largest US broadline foodservice distributor. Competes for chain restaurant and institutional accounts in the Southeast and sets the wholesale pricing benchmark for produce and dairy SKUs.

Others

• PRO*ACT: National produce procurement and supply-chain cooperative serving independent distributors. Indirectly comparable as the supply-side counterpart Limehouse buys through; not a direct competitor but a relevant ecosystem participant.

Direct peers

• Keany Produce: Mid-Atlantic wholesale produce distributor serving restaurants, hotels, schools, and institutions. Most directly comparable B2B produce-only distributor with similar fleet, certification, and account-exec-led sales model.
• Martin Preferred Foods: Specialty foodservice distributor focusing on premium produce, dairy, and gourmet items for chefs and restaurants. Highly comparable in value-added, chef-focused assortment and foodservice customer base.

Emerging players

• Baldor Specialty Foods: Specialty produce and foodservice distributor with strong chef/restaurant focus and an emphasis on digital ordering. Comparable in premium assortment and direct-to-chef distribution model, though larger and Northeast-focused.

Regional players

• Nickey Gregory Company: Atlanta-based wholesale produce distributor serving foodservice operators across the Southeast. Directly comparable in geography (adjacent Georgia market) and customer base, and a likely direct competitor in the Savannah/coastal Georgia territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LimehouseLocal
• Facebookfacebook.com/limehouselocal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/limehouse-produce-co

Compliance4 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 Limehouse Produce