General Food

What General Food does

General Food S.p.A. (commercially "Generalfood", also operating under the dba "Imperatore") is an Italian frozen-food distributor headquartered in Calcinato (BS), founded in 1986 through the transformation of predecessor Ortocasa into General Food Srl and converted to an S.p.A. in 1997. Originally focused on the production, packaging, and trading of frozen vegetables, from the early 1990s the company expanded its catalog to a full frozen range — fish, poultry, first courses, desserts, fruit, and other specialties — sourced directly from national and international producers. The legal form is a single-shareholder joint-stock company (S.p.A. Unipersonale), and the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional or private-equity investors.

Operationally, the company runs three service lines — vendita e distribuzione (sales and distribution), stoccaggio e ridistribuzione (storage and redistribution), and confezionamento (packaging) — out of a single Italian hub. The underlying technology is an owned refrigerated logistics network supplemented by a computerized lot-management system that provides real-time traceability across the cold chain, with products offered in raw, partially cooked, whole, cut, or ready-to-cook formats. Certifications held include ISO 9001:2015 (quality management), BIO (organic), and MSC (sustainable seafood), and the company has adopted an Italian D.lgs. 231/01 organizational model with a Code of Ethics and Whistleblowing procedure.

The commercial model is direct B2B sales targeting five primary segments — institutional cafeterias (mense), catering groups, public-procurement contracts (appalti per forniture pubbliche), large organized retail (GDO), and wholesale distributors (grossisti) — served via a distribution network that covers nearly all of Italy using authorized cold-chain vehicles. Two sub-brands address distinct channels: Generalfood for catering and Imperatore for retail. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based on volume, product mix, and contract terms.

Name

General Food

Legal name

GeneralFood Spa Unipersonale

Website

https://generalfood.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

General Food S.p.A. is an Italian frozen-food distributor (HQ Calcinato, BS) that sources frozen vegetables, meat, fish, specialties, fruit, and desserts directly from producers and sells them B2B — via the Generalfood and Imperatore sub-brands — to institutional cafeterias, catering groups, public-procurement contracts, large retail chains, and wholesalers across nearly all of Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Food Distribution

NAICS

Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (42442), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Foods Distribution (CRAOABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Prepared Meals & Entrées Wholesale (AFAIAHAG), Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF)

Keywords

• Frozen food distribution
• B2B food service supply
• Cold chain logistics
• Institutional catering supply
• Frozen vegetable trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Calcinato

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Frozen Food Distribution: General Food commercializes frozen foods (vegetables, meat, fish, specialties, fruits, and desserts) through B2B sales to cafeterias, catering groups, public procurement contracts, and large retail chains (GDO). Products are sourced directly from national and international producers and distributed through their own distribution network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Core offering

General Food sources frozen foods directly from national and international producers and commercializes them to B2B buyers across Italy, including vegetables, meat, fish, specialties, fruits, and desserts offered as raw, partially cooked, whole, cut, or ready-to-cook. The company complements product supply with dedicated sales, distribution, storage, redistribution, and packaging services, supported by computer-controlled lot traceability and documented cold-chain controls from storage through transport.

Product overview

General Food operates as a frozen food distributor with two sub-brands (Generalfood and Imperatore) serving two product lines: catering and retail. The company commercializes frozen products including vegetables, meat, fish, specialty items, fruit, and desserts, destined for canteens, catering groups, public supply contracts, and large-scale retail distribution. Products are sourced directly from national and international producers and offered in various preparation types (raw, partially cooked, whole, cut, or ready-to-cook). The service offering includes three core components: Sales and Distribution, Storage and Redistribution, and Packaging services, with computer-controlled lot management ensuring real-time product traceability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frozen Food Sales and Distribution (Vendita e distribuzione) B2B sales and distribution of a complete range of frozen foods (vegetables, meat, fish, specialties, fruits, desserts) in multiple preparation formats (raw, partially cooked, whole, cut, ready-to-cook), targeted at institutional cafeterias, catering groups, public procurement contracts, large retail chains, and wholesalers.
• Frozen Food Storage and Redistribution (Stoccaggio e ridistribuzione) Temperature-controlled storage and redistribution services for frozen foods, with computer-controlled lot management providing real-time traceability of goods during storage and onward transport for B2B customers.
• Frozen Food Packaging (Confezionamento) Packaging service for frozen food products delivered in multiple preparation variants: raw, partially cooked, whole, cut, or ready-to-cook formats, supporting B2B customers' downstream handling and portioning needs.
• Generalfood Sub-Brand (frozen food product line) Sub-brand of General Food used to market the company's range of frozen food products (vegetables, meat, fish, specialties, fruits, desserts) into catering and retail channels in Italy.
• Imperatore Sub-Brand (frozen food product line) Sub-brand of General Food used to market the company's range of frozen food products (vegetables, meat, fish, specialties, fruits, desserts) into catering and retail channels in Italy.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Commercial Partners (Partner Commerciali)minorOthersGeneral Food mentions commercial partners in their privacy policy in the context of sending marketing information and offers. These partners are not named specifically in the available source data. The company may share marketing-related data with these partners, though the policy states data will not be transferred to third parties without consent.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Orogel: Italian frozen food producer and distributor headquartered in Cesena, supplying frozen vegetables and prepared foods to retail and foodservice channels across Italy. Highly comparable to General Food as a domestically-rooted Italian frozen-food operator with multi-category distribution.
• Ardo: Belgian-headquartered frozen vegetable, herb, and fruit producer with deep European foodservice and retail distribution. Comparable to General Food's frozen vegetable wholesale roots and institutional B2B distribution model across Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Bonduelle: Global leader in processed vegetables with a major frozen-vegetable portfolio, including significant Italian operations. Comparable to General Food in frozen vegetable sourcing and B2B foodservice distribution, though operating at substantially larger scale and with owned production.
• Findus Italia: Established Italian frozen-food brand selling frozen vegetables, fish, and ready meals through retail and foodservice channels. Comparable to General Food as a multi-category frozen-food operator in the Italian market with overlapping B2B and B2C exposure.
• McCain Foods: Global frozen food manufacturer (potatoes and prepared foods) with established foodservice distribution in Italy and Europe. Comparable to General Food as a frozen-food supplier to catering and institutional buyers, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Greenyard Frozen: European frozen-vegetable and fruit producer/distributor serving retail and foodservice channels. Comparable to General Food in frozen produce manufacturing and B2B distribution, with overlap in Italy and broader Europe.
• Birds Eye (Nomad Foods): Major European frozen-food brand owned by Nomad Foods, distributing frozen vegetables, fish, and prepared meals across retail and foodservice. Comparable to General Food's multi-category frozen-food distribution, particularly through European retail and institutional channels.
• Cremonini Group (MARR): Italy's leading B2B foodservice distributor (MARR brand), supplying frozen and chilled foods to restaurants, hotels, and catering operators nationwide. Comparable to General Food in serving institutional foodservice buyers with frozen products, though at substantially larger scale and broader category range.

Regional players

• Surgelati Atlas: Italian frozen-food distributor serving catering, retail, and foodservice operators with a multi-category portfolio. Highly comparable to General Food as a domestic Italian B2B frozen-food distributor with overlapping customer segments.
• Friliver (Friliver S.r.l.): Italian frozen-food distributor serving the catering and institutional channels with multi-category frozen assortments. Comparable to General Food's focus on catering groups, public procurement, and foodservice distribution in Italy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/general---food-s.p.a.

Compliance3 records

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 General Food