Clark Distributing Company
Clark Distributing Company is a family-owned wholesale distributor of plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian foods, sourcing from 40+ manufacturers and delivering refrigerated, frozen, and shelf-stable products via company-owned trucks to retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes across the Southeast US and Ontario.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersHendersonville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Clark Distributing Company does
Clark Distributing Company is a family-owned wholesale distributor of plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian food products, founded in 1976 and headquartered in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The company sources from over 40 manufacturers — including Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Gardein, Morningstar Farms, Just Egg, Violife, Follow Your Heart, Patagonia Frozen Fruit, and Worthington Foods — and distributes their products in both retail and foodservice pack sizes across refrigerated, dry/shelf-stable, and frozen categories. From a 20,000-square-foot facility, Clark delivers via company-owned trucks to retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes across Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Northern Alabama, Northern Georgia, and Oshawa, Ontario, Canada; Northwest Ohio is explicitly excluded from the service area.
The business operates on a direct wholesale B2B model: quote-based, transaction-priced sales conducted via phone outreach (615-826-7631), website contact forms, and distributed print and digital catalogs (most recent 2026 catalog). The company maintains no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, no public e-commerce storefront, and no disclosed digital procurement tooling; the underlying infrastructure is conventional wholesale logistics — cold-chain warehousing and trucking rather than software or data assets. Customer acquisition is sales-led and relationship-driven, emphasizing personalized service and direct communication as differentiators against larger distributors.
The revenue model is wholesale take-rate on bulk distribution. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per inquiry. No funding rounds, institutional investors, parent company, or M&A activity are recorded; the business remains independently and family-held since founding. Headcount is in the 11–50 range, consistent with a small regional distributor. Regulatory posture includes GDPR and CCPA/CPRA compliance as documented in a privacy policy effective February 6, 2026.
Clark Distributing Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clark Distributing Company
- Legal name
- Clark Distributing Company
- Website
- https://clarkdistributing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Clark Distributing Company is a family-owned wholesale distributor of plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian foods, sourcing from 40+ manufacturers and delivering refrigerated, frozen, and shelf-stable products via company-owned trucks to retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes across the Southeast US and Ontario.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clark Distributing Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Plant-Based Food Distribution
- NAICS
- Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (42442)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Frozen Plant-Based & Vegetarian Meals (CRADADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Frozen & Refrigerated Snack Foods (Ice Cream Novelties, Snack Bites) (CRADABAL)
Keywords
Where Clark Distributing Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hendersonville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Clark Distributing Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Wholesale Distribution of Plant-Based Foods: Bulk wholesale distribution of vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based food products to B2B customers including retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Products sourced from 40+ manufacturers and delivered via company-owned trucks.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Wholesale bulk pricing for B2B customers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Clark Distributing Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clark Distributing Company is a wholesale distributor of plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian food products, representing over 40 manufacturers and supplying retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Products span refrigerated, dry/shelf-stable, and frozen categories including meat substitutes, vegan cheese, butter, milk, eggs, mayo, dressings, sorbets, IQF fruit, snacks, and coffee alternatives, delivered in retail and foodservice sizes.
Product overview
Clark Distributing Company is a wholesale plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian food distributor operating since 1976. The company offers an extensive portfolio of bulk plant-based products across three main storage categories: refrigerated (vegan cheese, butter, milk, mayo, dressings), dry/shelf-stable (vegan meats, snacks, seasonings, coffee alternatives), and frozen (meat substitutes, IQF fruit, sorbet). They distribute products from over 40 manufacturers including Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Gardein, Worthington Foods, Morningstar Farms, Just Egg, Violife, Acai Roots, Patagonia, and many others. The company serves retail stores, food service institutions, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and restaurants across Northern Alabama, Kentucky, Northern Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, operating from a 20,000-square-foot facility in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Clark Distributing Company
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Clark Distributing Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Clark Distributing Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Beyond MeatcoreKey manufacturer partner providing plant-based meat alternatives including Beyond Burger, Beyond Beef, breakfast sausage, and chicken tenders distributed through Clark's wholesale network.
- Impossible FoodscoreMajor plant-based meat manufacturer offering Impossible Burger, Impossible Sausage Patties, Impossible Chicken Nuggets, and Impossible Meatballs distributed through Clark's territory.
- GardeincoreLeading plant-based protein brand providing meatless meatballs, beefless products, chick'n products, and fishless options for wholesale distribution.
- Worthington FoodscoreEstablished plant-based food manufacturer providing vegetarian meats including FriPat, Chicketts, dinner roasts, deli slices, and vegan salami products.
- Morningstar FarmscoreMajor plant-based food brand offering vegetarian bacon strips, chick'n nuggets, veggie dogs, sausage patties, and grillers products.
- Follow Your HeartcorePlant-based food manufacturer providing vegan cheese and ranch dressing products including Violife cheese and Follow Your Heart brand items.
- Just Egg (Eat Just)corePlant-based egg alternative manufacturer providing Just Egg Folded and Just Egg Liquid Frozen products for wholesale distribution.
- Vegetarian PluscoreAsian-inspired plant-based food manufacturer providing vegan chicken, lamb, kung pao, teriyaki, fish fillets, shrimp, and holiday seasonal products.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Clark Distributing Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Misfits Market: Online direct-to-consumer distributor of organic, specialty, and plant-based foods; intersects with Clark's plant-based product portfolio but serves consumers rather than B2B accounts.
- Thrive Market: Online membership retailer of natural, organic, and plant-based products; adjacent to Clark's product range with overlapping manufacturers (Beyond Meat, Califia, etc.) but operates as a DTC retailer rather than B2B distributor.
Broad incumbents
- Performance Food Group: Large foodservice and specialty distributor competing for institutional accounts including schools, hospitals, and restaurants across the same US Southeast regions Clark serves.
- Gordon Food Service: Family-led broadline foodservice distributor with strong regional concentration in the Midwest and Southeast; competes for the same restaurant and institutional customer base.
- US Foods: Major broadline foodservice distributor with national footprint and growing specialty/plant-based category offering; overlaps with Clark's foodservice customer base.
- United Natural Foods (UNFI): Largest publicly traded natural and organic food distributor in North America; serves retailers and foodservice with a portfolio that includes the same plant-based brands Clark distributes, but at national scale.
- Sysco Corporation: Largest US broadline foodservice distributor; competes with Clark for the same restaurant, school, and hospital foodservice accounts and has been expanding plant-based portfolio.
Regional players
- Baldor Specialty Foods: Specialty food distributor serving restaurants and retailers in the Northeast US; comparable product breadth in premium and specialty categories but different geography.
Direct peers
- KeHE Distributors: Major North American specialty and natural food distributor serving retailers, restaurants, and foodservice with product assortment that includes substantial plant-based and organic categories — directly comparable business model to Clark.
- DPI Specialty Foods: Specialty and natural food distributor with similar B2B wholesale model focused on natural, organic, and plant-based categories for retailers and foodservice operators.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Clark Distributing Company social profiles
Digital presenceClark Distributing Company compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Clark Distributing Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clark Distributing Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Clark Distributing Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clark Distributing Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clark Distributing Company
What does Clark Distributing Company do?
Clark Distributing Company is a wholesale distributor of plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian food products, representing over 40 manufacturers and supplying retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Products span refrigerated, dry/shelf-stable, and frozen categories including meat substitutes, vegan cheese, butter, milk, eggs, mayo, dressings, sorbets, IQF fruit, snacks, and coffee alternatives, delivered in retail and foodservice sizes.
Is Clark Distributing Company a public or private company?
Clark Distributing Company is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Clark Distributing Company founded?
Clark Distributing Company was founded in 1976. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Clark Distributing Company based?
Clark Distributing Company is headquartered in Hendersonville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Clark Distributing Company make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Distribution of Plant-Based Foods.
Who are Clark Distributing Company's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Misfits Market and Thrive Market. Broad incumbents are Performance Food Group, Gordon Food Service, US Foods, United Natural Foods (UNFI) and Sysco Corporation. Baldor Specialty Foods is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are KeHE Distributors and DPI Specialty Foods.
Does Clark Distributing Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clark Distributing Company.
What industry is Clark Distributing Company in?
Clark Distributing Company's product category is Wholesale Plant-Based Food Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADADAF, Frozen Plant-Based & Vegetarian Meals, with a secondary code of CRADABAL, Frozen & Refrigerated Snack Foods (Ice Cream Novelties, Snack Bites). Its NAICS code is 42449 and its SIC code is 5141.