C&C Produce

What C&C Produce does

C&C Produce is a specialty distributor of fresh fruits, vegetables, and adjacent food products headquartered in North Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1992 by Nick Conforti and Joe Cali, the company operates the largest produce warehouse in the Midwest — a 200,000 square foot, fully refrigerated facility with 10 individually climate-controlled coolers and 24/7 datalink environmental monitoring. An 80-truck GPS-tracked refrigerated fleet, routed via ROAD NET software, delivers to over 4,000 customer locations across Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on a 7-days-a-week basis with reported 99% on-time delivery and same-day delivery availability. The facility also houses Cool Creations, an in-house fresh-cut operation that produces daily made-to-order cut fruits, vegetables, blends, trays, and fresh salsa for retail and food-service customers.

The business operates as a vertically integrated, B2B sales-led produce distributor. Revenue is generated through transactional wholesale distribution of fresh produce, specialty items, cheeses, spices, and restaurant supplies, supplemented by value-added services (ripening, reverse logistics, fresh-cut processing) and the Cool Creations sub-brand. Customers — spanning grocers, retailers, restaurants, military, schools, food manufacturers, casinos, and hotels — onboard via a dedicated produce sales representative, in-person or by phone (800-619-5701 / 816-241-4425), and are increasingly served through FreshPortal, the company's proprietary online ordering portal. Sourcing is anchored by a network of 100+ Midwest growers under the largest locally grown produce program in the region, with food-safety credibility established through an ARAA Food Safety Rating from BRC audited via AIB International.

Since 2021 C&C Produce has operated as a subsidiary of GS Foods Group, which is owned by affiliates of Highview Capital, LLC and A&M Capital Partners; founders Conforti and Cali continue to lead day-to-day operations. Go-to-market is primarily direct sales with inside-sales-assisted ordering, supported by SEO-optimized vertical landing pages, a content blog, downloadable produce guides, and a 'Become a Customer' lead capture form on the company website. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

C&C Produce

Legal name

C&C Produce

Website

https://ccproduce.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

C&C Produce is a specialty B2B produce distributor founded in 1992 in North Kansas City, Missouri, operating the largest produce warehouse in the Midwest (200,000 sq ft, 80-truck refrigerated fleet) and serving over 4,000 grocers, retailers, restaurants, schools, military, and foodservice accounts across six Midwestern states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Bread & Rolls Wholesale (AFAIAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE), Fresh-Cut & Value-Added Produce (Washed, Peeled, Sliced, Packaged) (AFAKAFAA), Fresh Produce Distribution (CRAOABAB)

Keywords

• Fresh produce distribution
• Foodservice supply
• Fresh-cut processing
• Refrigerated logistics
• Specialty produce sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

North Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale produce distribution: Core revenue stream from distributing fresh fruits, vegetables, repack, ripening, fruit baskets, cheese, dairy, jams, jellies and spices to commercial food service and retail accounts across the Midwest.
2. Cool Creations fresh-cut and value-added produce: Revenue from made-to-order cut fruits, vegetables, blends, trays, Grab N Go items, deli/salad bar/food service packs and fresh salsa prepared daily in-house.
3. Value-added supply chain services: Revenue from service offerings including ripening, reverse logistics, specialty produce sourcing and fresh-cut produce, sold alongside the core distribution offering.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

C&C Produce distributes fresh fruits, vegetables, and value-added fresh-cut produce to commercial foodservice and retail accounts across the Midwest. The company operates a 200,000 sq ft climate-controlled North Kansas City warehouse with 10 separate coolers, an 80-truck refrigerated fleet with GPS tracking, and an in-house fresh-cut operation (Cool Creations) producing daily-made cut fruits, vegetables, blends, trays, and fresh salsa.

Product overview

C&C Produce operates a single unified produce distribution business centered on its 200,000 square foot refrigerated North Kansas City warehouse (10 separate coolers), delivering fresh fruits and vegetables to grocers, retailers, restaurants, schools, military, manufacturers, casinos, and hotels across MO, KS, NE, IA, OK, and AR. On top of this core distribution offering sit several product lines — Fresh Produce, Specialty Produce, Cheeses, Spices and Herbs, and Restaurant Supplies — plus a set of value-added services (Ripening, Reverse Logistics, Specialty Produce, and Fresh-Cut Produce Service). The Fresh-Cut Produce Service is delivered through Cool Creations, the company's dedicated in-house sub-brand that prepares cut fruits, vegetables, blends, trays, and fresh salsa daily in the same facility. Locally Grown is a sourcing program layered on top of core distribution (the largest in the Midwest, with over 100 growers), and FreshPortal is the customer-facing online ordering portal that ties the catalog and ordering workflow together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cool Creations: C&C Produce's in-house fresh-cut product line, preparing and packaging cut fruits, vegetables, blends, trays, and fresh salsa daily at the North Kansas City, Missouri facility.

Products and services

• Fresh Produce

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% on-time delivery history with 7-days-a-week and same-day delivery
• +3 more outcomes

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• GS Foods GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021C&C Produce was acquired by GS Foods Group in 2021, becoming part of its family of specialized foodservice distribution companies. GS Foods' subsidiaries (Good Source Solutions, Inc. and Gold Star Foods, Inc.) collectively serve over 8,000 customers nationwide, giving C&C access to a broader national foodservice platform while its founders Nick Conforti and Joe Cali continue to run the company day-to-day.
• Local Midwest growers (100+)coreOthersC&C Produce operates the Largest Locally Grown Produce Program in the Midwest, partnering with over 100 growers that produce specifically for C&C's customers. A dedicated buyer maintains these grower relationships, and C&C is constantly seeking new partners to expand its homegrown assortment.
• BRC / AIB International (audit bodies)minorOthersC&C Produce's North Kansas City facility holds an ARAA Food Safety Rating from BRC (British Retail Consortium) through AIB International, which conducts the third-party audits underpinning its food safety and quality programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FreshPoint: Sysco's specialty produce distribution subsidiary, operating regional fresh produce warehouses serving restaurants, grocers, and foodservice accounts nationwide. Directly comparable to C&C in business model (regional produce distribution with fresh-cut/value-added capability), customer mix, and scale ambition.
• Keany Produce: Mid-Atlantic specialty produce distributor acquired by KeHE Distributors, serving restaurants, schools, healthcare, and grocers from regional warehouses. Closely analogous mid-sized regional produce distributor with value-added fresh-cut operations and similar foodservice vertical mix.
• Ben E. Keith Foods: Texas-based broadline foodservice distributor with a dedicated produce division (Ben E. Keith Produce) serving restaurants, schools, and healthcare across the South-Central U.S. Comparable as a regional foodservice distributor with strong produce specialization and similar foodservice vertical orientation.
• North American Produce: Specialty produce distributor serving foodservice and retail customers across multiple U.S. regions, with fresh-cut capability. Highly analogous in product mix (full-line fresh produce plus value-added fresh-cut) and B2B foodservice customer base.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Arizona-based broadline foodservice distributor with a substantial produce program serving restaurants and institutional customers across the Western U.S. Comparable as a regional foodservice distributor that competes with C&C in serving multi-unit restaurant and institutional accounts.
• Russ Davis Wholesale: Midwest-based foodservice distributor (Wisconsin) with a meaningful produce focus serving restaurants, schools, and healthcare across the Upper Midwest. Directly comparable as a regional foodservice distributor with overlapping geographic reach in C&C's Midwest corridor.
• Coosemans Atlanta: Specialty produce distributor serving restaurants, hotels, and country clubs with broad assortment and value-added fresh-cut offerings. Comparable as a specialty produce house competing in foodservice and hospitality verticals with curated, high-touch service.

Broad incumbents

• Sysco Corporation: Largest U.S. broadline foodservice distributor, whose FreshPoint subsidiary is a direct competitor but whose broader portfolio (center-of-plate, frozen, dry) can bundle produce against pure-play distributors. Relevant as the dominant broadliner shaping competitive intensity and pricing across C&C's verticals.
• US Foods Holding Corp: Second-largest U.S. broadline foodservice distributor with a significant produce program serving restaurants, healthcare, and hospitality. Comparable as the broadline incumbent whose produce capability and bundled offering set the competitive ceiling on regional specialists like C&C.
• Performance Food Group: Major U.S. broadline foodservice distributor (Vistar, Roma, Core-Mark segments) with produce exposure through its specialty and foodservice divisions. Relevant as a broadline incumbent shaping competitive intensity across C&C's restaurant, school, and convenience-channel customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cc_produce

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 C&C Produce