Fresh Concepts

What Fresh Concepts does

Fresh Concepts, LLC is a Temecula, California-based managed services company that, since its 1987 founding by brothers Ed and David Liesenfelt, has operated the foodservice industry's first managed produce program. The company contracts with national restaurant chains and growing multi-unit foodservice operators, acting as an outsourced produce procurement function that locks in year-round pricing, delivers food safety oversight, and coordinates a national network of 150+ vetted distributors rather than selling produce directly. The company's claimed average cost reduction for clients is 61%, with management fees structured so that savings delivered to clients are said to cover the fee itself.

The core technology stack centers on proprietary online client dashboards integrated via EDI with leading distributor ERP systems (Produce Pro, FreshByte Software, iBistro, Fresh Software Solutions). Modules include a customized ordering platform, contract performance analysis comparing contract pricing against current Market FOBs, daily invoice audit and price verification with overcharge recovery, and what the company describes as the industry's only real-time produce recall management system showing affected locations. A national Food Safety Manager who is a Certified Food Scientist runs 25+ second-party grower-shipper audits per year and supports FSMA 204 traceability compliance.

Commercial reach is enabled through a 2016 strategic partnership with Buyers Edge Platform, the nation's largest Group Purchasing Organization, and through 150+ carefully vetted distributor partners that distribute into foodservice operators. Distribution-side services have been extended beyond produce into protein, seafood, disposables, and dairy via the Fresh Truck! program. The company also publishes a Weekly Market Report newsletter and operates standard content and social channels. Revenue mechanics are managed-services subscription fees that the company states are offset by client savings, with no public pricing disclosed.

Name

Fresh Concepts

Legal name

Fresh Concepts, LLC

Website

https://freshconceptsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fresh Concepts, founded in 1987, operates the foodservice industry's first managed produce program, serving national restaurant chains and growing brands via proprietary online dashboards, EDI-integrated distributor ordering, and a vetted network of 150+ national distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Produce Management Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links) (AFAAAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Safety Culture & Change Management Programs (AFALANAH)

Keywords

• Produce management services
• Foodservice procurement
• Food safety compliance
• Produce distribution solutions
• Grower-shipper partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Temecula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Managed Produce Program: Fresh Concepts operates a managed produce program where they work as an extension of the client's team. Their management fee is offset by savings delivered to clients - the company states they have 'never failed to save a client money' and these savings include their management fee, meaning working with Fresh Concepts comes at essentially no cost to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fresh Concepts provides a managed produce program for foodservice operators, functioning as an outsourced procurement and risk-management partner. Their services include year-round pricing stabilization, food safety oversight, distributor coordination across 150+ vetted partners, and proprietary online client dashboards with EDI integrations, recall alerts, contract performance analysis, and daily invoice auditing.

Product overview

Fresh Concepts is the food service industry's first managed produce program, founded in 1987, offering a unified platform centered on its Managed Produce Program. The core offering combines Online Client Dashboards with integrated modules including Customized Ordering Platform, Contract Performance Analysis, Price Verification, and Real-time Recall Management. The company also provides ancillary services such as Fresh Truck! for expanded product categories (protein, seafood, dairy), a Food Safety Program with traceability capabilities, and a Weekly Market Report newsletter. All services are accessed through proprietary client dashboards, with technology integrations spanning multiple distributor ERP systems (Produce Pro, FreshByte Software, iBistro, Fresh Software Solutions) and EDI platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Managed Produce Program The company's flagship managed produce program that provides comprehensive produce procurement solutions including pricing management, food safety oversight, and distributor coordination for foodservice operators since 1987.
• Online Client Dashboards Proprietary web-based dashboards providing real-time access to produce price trends, commodity information, order history, and recall alerts. The company claims to be the only produce company in the industry to offer comprehensive online dashboards with this level of transparency.
• Fresh Truck! Service allowing clients to expand produce orders to include protein, seafood, disposables, and dairy with their existing produce orders, reducing orders and deliveries while cutting carbon footprint.
• Food Safety Program Comprehensive food safety and risk management services including a National Food Safety Manager conducting 2nd party audits, online document portal with distributor audits, and FSMA 204 compliance support.
• Comprehensive Traceability Program Industry-leading traceability program with field team members tracking shippers and labels from inception through product labeling inside restaurants.
• Weekly Market Report Weekly newsletter providing outlook into top fresh produce commodities covering availability, overall quality, pricing, and industry trends delivered straight to subscribers' inboxes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 61% average cost reduction for clients using their managed produce program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Buyers Edge PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership began in 2016 with the nation's leading Group Purchasing Organization (GPO). Fresh Concepts works hand-in-hand with Buyers Edge Platform to enhance contract and technology offerings. Together they help usher the foodservice industry into the digital age through state-of-the-art proprietary interactive dashboards and online ordering.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• FreshPoint (Sysco): Sysco-owned specialty produce distributor serving restaurants with sourcing, food safety, and traceability solutions; comparable as a foodservice produce procurement and distribution player, though it also operates physical distribution.
• Buyers Edge Platform: Leading foodservice Group Purchasing Organization and Fresh Concepts' core strategic partner; comparable because it sits in the same procurement-services layer between operators and suppliers, just at a much larger scale and broader category scope.
• KeHE Distributors: Large foodservice specialty distributor with produce and broad-line categories, providing sourcing and category management to operators - comparable as a foodservice procurement services and distribution peer.
• Foodbuy (Compass Group): Major foodservice GPO owned by Compass Group that negotiates produce and other supply contracts for operators; directly comparable procurement-services model targeting the same foodservice customer base as Fresh Concepts.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Foodservice distributor offering produce and broad-line supply with category management and procurement services for restaurant operators - directly comparable procurement-services motion in foodservice.

Emerging players

• Produce Pro Software: Distributor ERP software provider integrated with Fresh Concepts' platform; comparable as a technology vendor serving the produce distribution and procurement workflow that Fresh Concepts also addresses.
• FreshByte Software: Produce distributor ERP software integrated with Fresh Concepts; comparable as a tech peer providing back-office tools in the same produce supply chain that Fresh Concepts manages for foodservice operators.

Direct peers

• Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions (RSCS): Cooperative GPO for the restaurant industry providing procurement, distribution, and supply chain services; comparable as a managed procurement services peer serving multi-unit restaurant operators.
• Markon Cooperative: Foodservice produce supply cooperative that delivers produce, food safety programs, and procurement support to distributors and operators - a close peer in foodservice produce procurement with overlapping safety and quality services.
• Pro*Act: National network of independently-owned produce distributors serving foodservice operators with category management, food safety, and traceability services - directly comparable to Fresh Concepts' managed-produce distribution model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FreshConcepts1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGum3HCHnzkvQFcxC3kmjRw
• Facebookfacebook.com/freshconceptsinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freshconcepts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Fresh Concepts