What Culina does

Culina is a Singapore-based, privately held distributor of premium food and beverage products, founded in 1994 and employing 251-500 people. The company specializes in fine wines, fresh produce, meat, and quality foods, serving enterprise customers across Singapore's high-end restaurant, hotel, and premium food retail segments through a direct B2B sales model. Its core competency is acting as a logistics intermediary and import distribution platform between international premium food suppliers and Singapore's food service industry.

The company's revenue model is transaction-based, earning margins on the import and sale of premium food products. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and quotes are provided per inquiry to enterprise buyers. Its distribution channels are direct B2B sales relationships with restaurants, hotels, and food retailers in Singapore, with no software or digital product layer disclosed.

In November 2025, Culina secured a landmark $2 million export partnership with Jeju Provincial Government and Daehan F&B to become the primary importer of Korean hanwoo beef and handon pork into Singapore, following the end of 10 years of trade negotiations. Culina committed to bringing in 200 heads of hanwoo and 50 tonnes of handon in the first year and had already imported 40% of that target within three months. The company holds first-mover positioning tied to Jeju Island's World Organisation for Animal Health FMD-free status (declared May 2025), which makes Jeju the sole approved source for Korean meat exports to Singapore.

Name

Culina

Website

https://culina.com.sg

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Culina is a Singapore-based distributor (founded 1994, 251-500 employees) of premium food and beverage products — fine wines, fresh produce, meat, and quality foods — serving enterprise restaurant, hotel, and premium retail customers across Singapore via direct B2B sales, with a recently added Korean premium meat import line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Meat Import and Distribution: Culina generates revenue through importing and distributing premium meat products, specifically Korean hanwoo beef and handon pork, to customers in Singapore. The company acts as a logistics intermediary between Jeju-based suppliers and Singaporean buyers, earning margins on the import and sale of meat products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Culina is a Singapore-based distributor of fine foods and wines, specializing in fresh produce, premium meat, and quality foods. The company operates as a B2B importer and logistics partner, notably serving as the primary channel for bringing premium Korean hanwoo beef and handon pork from Jeju Island suppliers to Singapore's food service and retail market. Culina earns revenue through margins on importing and distributing these premium products to enterprise customers including restaurants, hotels, and food retailers.

Product overview

Culina is a logistics and distribution company specializing in fine foods and wines. The company serves as a major importer and logistics partner for premium international food products, notably handling the importation of South Korean hanwoo beef and handon pork through partnerships with Jeju-based suppliers. Culina operates as an import distribution platform rather than a single unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Korean Hanwoo Beef Import Premium South Korean hanwoo beef imported from Jeju Island and distributed to enterprise customers including restaurants, hotels, and food retailers in Singapore. Jeju Island is the sole approved source for Korean meat exports to Singapore, declared free from foot-and-mouth disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health.
• Korean Handon Pork Import Premium South Korean handon pork imported from Jeju Island suppliers and distributed to enterprise customers in Singapore. Part of the $2 million export deal between Jeju Provincial Government and Singapore facilitated by Culina.
• Fine Foods and Wines Distribution Core distribution offering of Culina, encompassing fine wines, fresh produce, meat, and quality foods supplied to enterprise customers in Singapore's food service and retail sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Imported 40% of first-year target (80 heads of hanwoo + 20 tonnes of handon) within first three months of operations

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jeju Provincial GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 November 2025Culina is the logistics partner for the $2 million export deal between Jeju Provincial Government and Singapore for beef and pork products. The partnership facilitates the first exports of Jeju-origin hanwoo beef and handon pork to Singapore following the breakthrough of 10-year trade negotiations.
• Daehan F&BcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 November 2025Daehan F&B is a Jeju-based food and beverage company supplying meat products to Culina for export to Singapore. The company is part of the consortium of Jeju-based suppliers involved in the $2 million export deal.
• Jeju-based Meat SupplierscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 November 2025Culina sources hanwoo beef and handon pork from various Jeju-based meat suppliers. Jeju Island is the sole source permitted for Korean meat exports to Singapore, declared free from foot-and-mouth disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health in May 2025.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Mewah International: Singapore-headquartered food processor and merchant with edible oils, rice, and consumer food products. Comparable to Culina as a Singapore-based food commodity and ingredient distributor serving regional markets with B2B channels.
• CJ CheilJedang: Major Korean food manufacturer and exporter with processed meat, frozen, and ingredient businesses distributed across Asia. Comparable to Culina as the supply-side counterpart in cross-border Korean food trade, though CJ operates from the export side rather than as an importer/distributor.

Broad incumbents

• Olam Food Ingredients: Singapore-based global food ingredients supplier with a portfolio spanning cocoa, coffee, nuts, and dairy. Comparable to Culina as a Singapore-anchored B2B food sourcing and distribution platform serving enterprise buyers, though OFI operates at substantially greater scale and broader product breadth.
• Tyson Foods: One of the world's largest meat protein producers with global distribution into foodservice and retail. Comparable to Culina at the category level as a premium and value-added meat supplier, though Tyson operates at vastly greater scale and is vertically integrated from processing through distribution.
• Itochu Corporation: Japanese general trading company with a substantial food distribution business across Asia, including premium meat sourcing and supply. Comparable to Culina as an enterprise B2B importer and distributor of premium protein products into Asian hospitality markets.
• DKSH Holdings: A major regional market expansion services group with extensive food and beverage distribution across Asia Pacific. Comparable to Culina as a B2B specialty food distributor serving enterprise hospitality and retail customers, though DKSH operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Sojitz Corporation: Japanese trading company with food and meat distribution businesses across Southeast Asia, including protein sourcing for foodservice markets. Comparable to Culina as a B2B importer-distributor of premium food products into ASEAN hospitality and retail channels.

Emerging players

• NH Foods: One of Asia's largest meat producers and processors with growing premium and imported protein lines for restaurant and retail channels. Comparable to Culina in supplying premium meat proteins to Asian foodservice customers, though NH Foods is vertically integrated into slaughtering and processing.

Direct peers

• See Hoy Chan: Singapore-based food distribution group with deep roots in fresh produce, seafood, and protein supply to restaurants and retailers. Closely comparable to Culina's heritage business distributing fresh and quality foods into Singapore's enterprise hospitality and retail channels.
• Ben Foods: Singapore-based food service distributor supplying fresh produce, meats, dairy, and dry goods to hotels, restaurants, and caterers. Closely comparable to Culina's legacy fine-foods and protein distribution business serving the same enterprise hospitality customer base in Singapore.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

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 Culina