Highland Wholesale Foods

What Highland Wholesale Foods does

Highland Wholesale Foods Inc. is a privately held, founder-led wholesale distributor of canned foods and dry goods, founded in 1999 by Greg Stagnitto and headquartered at 1604 Tillie Lewis Drive, Stockton, California, adjacent to the Port of Stockton. The company operates a multi-tier brand portfolio — Green Acres (premium), Pomodoro Calda (premium tomato), Great Choice (value), and Our House Brand (house brand) — covering tomato, fruit, vegetable, and dry-goods categories in both foodservice (#10 can) and retail (#300 can) pack sizes. Its product lines are Organic Certified by the California Department of Public Health, HACCP certified, and OU Kosher on select SKUs, and are sourced domestically and internationally through long-standing manufacturer relationships.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and vertical-segmented, with dedicated sales teams addressing five primary end markets: the corrections industry, retail markets, non-profit food agencies and food banks, school nutrition programs, and specialized markets requiring customized repacking. Distribution is executed through a combination of direct sales, partnerships with domestic distribution centers and international export companies, and a dedicated tractor/trailer fleet supported by a trans-loading and warehouse facility with three BNSF-served rail lines and 16+ covered railcar spots. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company also operates a Hot Buys email channel surfacing surplus inventory from over-production, package changes, or cosmetic imperfections.

Revenue is generated principally through wholesale product resale, with margins supported by direct manufacturer relationships, volume procurement through nationwide mixing centers, and inbound logistics optimization via Port of Stockton rail access. The company is privately held, has no disclosed institutional investors or parent entity, and employs between 51 and 100 people. It maintains no disclosed mobile app, public API, or AI/ML capabilities, and its competitive position is anchored in logistics infrastructure, certifications, multi-brand reach, and long-tenured customer relationships in budget-constrained institutional channels.

Name

Highland Wholesale Foods

Legal name

Highland Wholesale Foods Inc.

Website

https://highlandwholesalefoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Highland Wholesale Foods is a privately held, founder-led Stockton, California-based wholesale distributor of canned foods and dry goods, selling multi-brand product lines to corrections, retail, non-profit, food bank, and school nutrition channels via nationwide mixing centers, a dedicated fleet, and Port of Stockton/BNSF rail infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Food Distribution: Highland Wholesale Foods generates revenue through wholesale distribution of canned foods and dry goods to food service and retail customers. Revenue is derived from product sales with pricing influenced by direct manufacturer relationships and volume. The company also offers Hot Buys for additional savings available due to over-production, package changes, or cosmetic imperfections.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Highland Wholesale Foods distributes canned fruits, vegetables, tomato products, dry goods (rice and bulk pantry items), and beans under its own brand tiers (Green Acres premium, Great Choice value, Our House Brand house brand, Pomodoro Calda premium tomatoes). It sells to foodservice operators (#10 cans) and retail (#300 cans) channels from a Port of Stockton warehouse with BNSF rail access.

Product overview

Highland Wholesale Foods is a wholesale food distribution company offering canned food products across four main categories: Tomato Products, Fruit Products, Vegetable Products, and Dry Goods. The company operates three product tiers: Green Acres Brand (premium sub-brand), Great Choice Brand (value sub-brand), and Our House Brand (house brand). Products are sold in both foodservice (#10 can format) and retail (#300 can format) sizes. The company serves markets including corrections industry, retail markets, non-profit food agencies, food banks, and school programs. Core products include canned tomatoes, peaches, pears, various beans (blackeye, pinto, navy, great northern, garbanzo, kidney, black), green beans, carrots, beets, applesauce, fruit cocktails, tropical fruit mixes, marinara sauce, and dry goods. The company is HACCP Certified and Organic Certified, with products sourced both domestically and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green Acres: Premium brand offering high-quality canned fruit and vegetable products.
• Great Choice
• Pomodoro Calda

Products and services

• Tomato Products Canned tomato products including whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, and tomato juice sold in foodservice (#10) and retail (#300) formats.
• Fruit Products Canned and preserved fruits including peaches, pears, tropical fruit mixes, fruit cocktails, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and applesauce in foodservice and retail can formats.
• Vegetable Products Canned and preserved vegetables including green beans, carrots, peas, mixed vegetables, beets, and assorted beans (blackeye, pinto, navy, great northern, garbanzo, kidney, black).
• Dry Goods Bulk pantry items including rice (50lb format) and other dry goods distributed to foodservice and institutional customers.
• Green Acres Brand Premium sub-brand offering high-quality canned fruits, vegetables, and specialty products sourced from international suppliers with premium quality standards.
• Great Choice Brand Value sub-brand offering a wide variety of canned fruits, vegetables, tomato products, and beans targeted at price-sensitive institutional buyers.
• Our House Brand Internal house brand of canned fruits, vegetables, beans, and tomatoes sold in foodservice #10 can formats and retail #300 can formats.
• Pomodoro Calda Brand Premium brand of whole peeled round tomatoes in tomato juice, OU Kosher certified, sold in #10 size for foodservice operators.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KeHE Distributors: KeHE is a leading natural, organic, specialty, and fresh food distributor serving grocery, foodservice, and institutional channels. Highland's organic certification, multi-tier brand strategy, and foodservice/retail split make KeHE a strong peer despite KeHE's much larger scale.
• Ben E. Keith Foods: Ben E. Keith is a broadline foodservice distributor serving restaurants, schools, healthcare, and convenience retail across the South and Southwest. Comparable in product categories (canned, dry, frozen), customer mix (institutional and retail), and dedicated fleet/warehouse model.
• DOT Foods: DOT Foods is the largest food industry redistributor in North America, supplying shelf-stable, refrigerated, and frozen grocery and foodservice items to a broad customer base. Like Highland, it focuses on canned/dry grocery wholesale with multi-brand and multi-channel distribution; it is the most direct comparable in business model and customer mix.
• MBM Corporation: MBM is a broadline foodservice redistributor specializing in center-of-plate and canned/dry grocery items, serving regional foodservice operators and institutions. Comparable in size, customer profile (institutional + retail), and canned/dry product mix to Highland.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Shamrock Foods is a privately held broadline foodservice distributor and dairy/produce manufacturer serving restaurants, schools, and institutions across the western US. Highland's Stockton/CA footprint, foodservice + retail split, and private-founder ownership make Shamrock a close comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Gordon Food Service: Gordon Food Service is a privately held broadline foodservice distributor serving restaurants, schools, healthcare, and retail in North America. Like Highland, it is privately held and family/founder-influenced, and it overlaps in the institutional and retail canned/dry grocery categories.
• Performance Food Group: Performance Food Group is a major US foodservice and convenience distributor serving restaurants, schools, government, and institutions. It overlaps with Highland in the institutional and government channels where Highland has its strongest foothold, but at vastly larger scale.
• Reinhart Foodservice: Reinhart Foodservice is a broadline foodservice distributor (subsidiary of Reyes Holdings) serving restaurants, schools, healthcare, and convenience retail across the Midwest and beyond. Comparable in customer mix and canned/dry grocery emphasis, though significantly larger.
• U.S. Foods: U.S. Foods is one of the largest foodservice distributors in the US, serving restaurants, healthcare, education, and hospitality. It overlaps with Highland in canned/dry grocery and institutional customer segments but operates at national scale with a much broader portfolio.
• Sysco Corporation: Sysco is the largest US broadline foodservice distributor, serving restaurants, healthcare, education, and hospitality with a full assortment including canned and dry goods. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Highland in many of the same institutional end markets, though at far greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highland-wholesale-foods-inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Highland Wholesale Foods