European Imports

What European Imports does

European Imports, Inc. is a US-based importer and distributor of specialty food products founded in 1978 in Chicago by Beverly and Seymour Binstein. The company began as a cheese importer and progressively broadened its catalog through a multi-decade acquisition program (1987-2011), adding exotic meats, charcuterie, pastries, chocolates, and shelf-stable specialties. Since March 2012, European Imports has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sysco Corporation, with its catalog now available nationwide through Sysco Companies while retaining five regional warehouse divisions in Arlington Heights (IL, headquarters), Longview (TX), Front Royal (VA), Alachua (FL), and Vernon (CA).

The company offers over 5,000 specialty SKUs sourced from 70 countries across four core categories: cheese (with a 2,000-square-foot cutting and wrapping facility serving both traditional deli and grab-n-go coolers), meat and seafood (500+ exotic and charcuterie items including venison, buffalo, ostrich, and foie gras), pastry, and shelf-stable specialty goods. Proprietary and acquired brand labels include Life in Provence, Amber Valley, Cucina Viva, Chi Bao, Cocina Selecta, Le Village, and Love of Fare. Customer-facing technology consists of a product-searchable website with direct customer login; no proprietary platform, API, or AI-enabled tooling is disclosed.

European Imports monetizes as a B2B specialty food distributor, generating revenue through transactional sales of imported and domestic artisan cheeses, exotic meats, charcuterie, pastries, and shelf-stable goods to retail stores, hotels, white-tablecloth restaurants, and caterers. GTM combines direct enterprise field sales staffed by category specialists (cheese, game, pastry) with distribution through Sysco's national foodservice network following the 2012 acquisition. Pricing is quote-based/wholesale and not publicly disclosed. Marketing channels include monthly email newsletters, color product and holiday catalogs, trade shows, co-op advertising and in-store demonstration programs, and social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube).

Name

European Imports

Legal name

European Imports, Inc.

Website

https://eiltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

European Imports, Inc. is a US specialty food importer and distributor offering over 5,000 products (cheese, meat/seafood, pastry, shelf-stable) from 70 countries to retail stores, hotels, restaurants, and caterers, operating as a Sysco subsidiary across five regional warehouse divisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food Distribution

NAICS

Dairy Product (except Dried or Canned) Merchant Wholesalers (424430), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (424470)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Wholesale (AFAIAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refrigerated Meat & Charcuterie Wholesale (AFAIAHAI), International Specialty Ingredients & Import Markets (CRAHAFAL), Ethnic/International Bulk & Wholesale Grocers (CRAHAMAE)

Keywords

• Specialty food distribution
• Imported cheeses
• Exotic meats
• Artisan pastries
• Foodservice distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Food Distribution: European Imports generates revenue as a specialty food distributor, selling imported, artisan, and domestic cheeses along with exotic meats, charcuterie, pastries, chocolates, and shelf-stable goods to retailers and foodservice accounts. The company operates as part of Sysco's distribution network following its 2012 acquisition.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

European Imports imports and distributes specialty food products — imported and domestic artisan cheeses, exotic meats and charcuterie, pastries, and shelf-stable specialty goods — to retailers and foodservice operators across the United States. The company sources from approximately 70 countries and operates a 2,000 square foot cheese-cutting and wrapping facility. Since March 2012, it has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sysco, distributing products through Sysco's national network and its own warehouse network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Products available through Sysco Companies across the US
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Atalanta Corporation: Atalanta is one of the largest US importers and distributors of specialty cheeses, meats, and gourmet foods, with a similar product mix (imported cheese, charcuterie, deli meats) and similar customer base of retailers and foodservice operators. It competes head-to-head with EI for the same deli and foodservice specialty accounts.
• Sid Wainer & Son: Sid Wainer & Son is a New England-based specialty food importer and distributor focused on artisan cheese, charcuterie, pastry, and gourmet foods supplied to retailers, restaurants, and hotels. Overlapping assortment, customer base, and category structure make it a tightly comparable regional peer to European Imports.
• Chefs' Warehouse: Chefs' Warehouse is the most direct comparable — a US specialty foodservice distributor focused on artisan cheese, charcuterie, pastry, and center-of-plate proteins for white-tablecloth restaurants and hotels. Like European Imports, it sells to fine-dining and specialty retail, and it was acquired by Sysco in 2019, placing it as a sister specialty platform alongside EI.
• Baldor Specialty Foods: Baldor is a specialty produce, dairy, and gourmet foods distributor serving restaurants and retailers in the Northeast with a strong specialty cheese and imported goods program. Comparable customer profile (chefs, hotels, white-tablecloth restaurants) and imported specialty focus position it as a direct specialty distribution peer.

Broad incumbents

• KeHE Distributors: KeHE is a major US natural and specialty food distributor supplying independent grocers, natural food stores, and foodservice operators with an extensive specialty assortment. It overlaps with EI's retail specialty channel and competes for shelf space in the imported cheese and gourmet category, though it operates across broader natural/specialty rather than foodservice.
• Sysco Corporation: Sysco is the US's largest broadline foodservice distributor and the parent company of European Imports following the 2012 acquisition. It is comparable as the channel through which EI's products reach national scale and as a broader incumbent with overlapping specialty ambitions (most recently Chefs' Warehouse).
• UNFI Specialty: United Natural Foods (UNFI) is one of the largest North American wholesale distributors of natural, organic, and specialty foods serving retailers and foodservice customers. UNFI Specialty is comparable as a scaled distributor carrying imported and artisan foods into retail and foodservice channels where European Imports also competes.

Emerging players

• Dietz & Watson: Dietz & Watson is a specialty meat and charcuterie producer/distributor with a strong retail deli and foodservice presence, comparable to EI's Meat and Seafood category including its 500+ specialty and exotic items (sausages, pâté, charcuterie). It overlaps on deli counter programs and exotic/specialty meats.
• Boar's Head Provision Co. Boar's Head is a major specialty meat and cheese brand with deep retail deli and foodservice penetration, including imported and domestic cheeses and charcuterie. Comparable as a branded specialty supplier competing for the same deli counter and foodservice cheese/charcuterie dollars as European Imports' assortment.
• Sugar Foods: Sugar Foods is a specialty food company supplying portion-controlled condiments, sweeteners, and gourmet grocery items to foodservice and retail. Comparable as a specialty shelf-stable supplier to the same retail and foodservice accounts EI serves, though with narrower category focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@europeanimportssysco
• Facebookfacebook.com/europeanimportssysco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-importers-intl
• Instagraminstagram.com/europeanimports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 European Imports