S-G-S Produce

What S-G-S Produce does

S-G-S Produce, operating under the legal name Shapiro-Gilman-Shandler Co., is a fifth-generation, family-owned wholesale produce distributor founded in 1907 in Los Angeles, California. The company supplies fresh fruits, vegetables, and specialty produce to retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and foodservice operators throughout the United States, operating from a state-of-the-art facility at 739 Decatur Street in the heart of the LA Produce District. Its core product portfolio spans 60+ SKUs including citrus, tropical and exotic fruits (dragonfruit, rambutan, lychee, jackfruit), deciduous fruits, vegetables, herbs, and certified organic produce, sourced domestically and internationally from China, Thailand, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

The business is built on a traditional wholesale distribution platform combining produce procurement, cold storage (wet and dry), cross-docking and consolidation logistics, and FOB or delivery fulfillment across the USA, managing over 1,000 loads annually through 20 truck docks. The company maintains HACCP certification, annual USDA audits for GHP/GMP, and TRUE Zero Waste Business GOLD level certification (99% diversion rate) as its compliance and sustainability backbone. It holds exclusive distributor relationships for specialty items such as the Dino Melon in Los Angeles, and runs a community food redistribution initiative channeling surplus produce to local hunger relief organizations.

SGS generates revenue through quote-based B2B wholesale transactions with retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and foodservice accounts, with no public pricing. Its go-to-market is sales-led, organized by dedicated commodity teams (D1, D5, D6, D12, D16) with direct phone/email buyer relationships, supplemented by industry event participation (GPFS, IFPA), social media presence, content marketing, and the "Harvest Report" newsletter. The company is part of the Grubmarket network, which provides technology platform and investor backing. Leadership is entirely family-held, with Carole Shandler as CEO/President, Talia Shandler as COO, and Stevie Shandler-Maier as Director of Growth and Sustainability.

Name

S-G-S Produce

Legal name

Shapiro-Gilman-Shandler Co.

Website

https://sgsproduce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

S-G-S Produce is a fifth-generation, family-owned wholesale produce distributor founded in 1907, supplying fresh fruits, vegetables, and specialty produce to retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and foodservice operators across the United States from its Los Angeles Produce District facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Exotic & Specialty Produce Wholesale (AFAIACAF), Import / Export Produce Wholesale (Cross-Border Trading) (AFAIACAH), Fresh Produce Distribution (CRAOABAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale produce distribution
• Fresh fruit supply
• Fresh vegetable supply
• Cold storage logistics
• Exotic produce import

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Produce Distribution: SGS Produce generates revenue through the sale of fresh produce to retailers, distributors, and wholesalers. The company manages over 1,000 loads and operates through direct sales relationships with customers. Products are sold FOB or with delivery throughout the USA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SGS Produce is a fifth-generation, family-owned wholesale produce distributor operating from Downtown Los Angeles. The company sources, distributes, and delivers a broad assortment of fresh fruits, vegetables, organic produce, and exotic/imported items to retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and foodservice operators throughout the USA. It supplements its produce supply with integrated cold storage, cross-docking, consolidation, and food-safety-certified logistics services from a 20-truck-dock facility.

Product overview

SGS Produce is a fifth-generation family-owned wholesale produce distributor offering a comprehensive portfolio of fresh fruits, vegetables, and specialty products. The company's core product lines include citrus (oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, limes), tropical and exotic fruits (mangoes, dragonfruit, papayas, lychee, rambutan, jackfruit), deciduous fruits (apples, pears, grapes, cherries, berries), and a full range of vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, peppers, onions, herbs). The company operates as a unified wholesale distribution service rather than modular products, combining produce procurement, cold storage warehouse facilities with 20 truck docks, cross-docking and consolidation logistics, FOB and delivery services throughout the USA, and food safety compliance (HACCP certified) into a single integrated supply chain solution. Additional services include Organic Fruits and Organic Vegetables as certified add-on categories, plus a community food redistribution initiative that channels surplus produce to hunger relief organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Fruits Distribution Wholesale distribution of fresh fruits including citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines), tropical and exotic fruits (mangoes, pineapples, papayas, dragonfruit, lychee, rambutan, jackfruit, guava), and deciduous fruits (apples, pears, grapes, cherries, berries, pomegranates) to retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and foodservice operators.
• Fresh Vegetables Distribution Wholesale distribution of fresh vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cabbages, onions, garlic, peppers, squash, mushrooms, artichokes, beets, leafy greens, herbs, and other vegetable varieties for retail and foodservice customers.
• Organic Produce Distribution Certified organic fruit and vegetable distribution for retail customers seeking organic produce options.
• Exotic and Imported Produce Specialty imported produce sourced from international growing regions including China, Thailand, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, including exotic fruits (dragonfruit, lychee, rambutan, jackfruit, guava), specialty vegetables (chayote, daikon, taro), and Asian/Latin varieties for ethnic and specialty market customers.
• Pantry and Dry Goods Distribution Wholesale distribution of complementary dry goods including nuts, rice, and dried beans for retail and foodservice customers.
• Cold Storage and Warehousing Wet and dry cold storage facilities in the heart of the Los Angeles produce district for produce handling, storage, and throughput.
• Cross-Docking and Consolidation Services Cross-docking, consolidation, and transportation services with 20 truck docks and street-level loading, managing over 1,000 loads for supply chain efficiency.
• Food Safety Compliance Services HACCP-certified food safety protocols and third-party audited handling practices (USDA annual GHP/GMP audits) ensuring secure and reliable supply chain from farm to table.
• Food Redistribution Initiative Community hunger relief program partnering with local organizations to deliver surplus edible food to those in need while reducing food waste.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% waste diversion rate achieved
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 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.

• Local Hunger Relief OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local organizations to ensure surplus edible food reaches those in need, reducing food waste while supporting hunger relief efforts in the community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Driscoll's: Leading global berry producer-marketer with deep retail relationships. Driscoll's is a supplier-type participant in the produce supply chain rather than a direct B2B distributor; included as a peer because SGS distributes berries and competes for shelf space and foodservice berry volume.

Broad incumbents

• Grimmway Farms: Large vertically integrated produce grower and distributor best known for carrots and organic vegetables, with national foodservice and retail distribution. Comparable in product categories carried (SGS distributes carrots, organic vegetables) and in operating both growing and distribution functions.
• Taylor Farms: Major U.S. producer and distributor of fresh-cut salads, vegetables, and fresh prepared foods with national cold chain infrastructure. Adjacent rather than directly overlapping with SGS, but competes for retail and foodservice fresh produce spend and shares the demand for cold logistics and food safety.
• Grubmarket: Venture-backed B2B produce and food supply chain platform that is both SGS's strategic network partner and a potential competitor/aggregator. Grubmarket provides capital and technology across the produce stack and is rapidly consolidating regional wholesalers in the same category as SGS.
• KeHE Distributors: Large specialty and fresh food distributor serving natural, organic, and conventional retail channels. Overlaps with SGS on the fresh produce distribution side and competes for the same retail and foodservice customers, though KeHE's product set extends well beyond produce.

Direct peers

• Ben B. Schwartz & Co. Family-owned wholesale produce distributor in the Midwest with multi-generational history, broad fresh produce assortment, and foodservice/retail distribution. Highly comparable to SGS in ownership profile, customer mix, and product breadth, though geographically distinct.
• The Oppenheimer Group (Oppy): One of North America's largest fresh produce grower-marketer-distributors with deep imported and exotic produce programs. Oppy's international sourcing footprint and category breadth closely mirror SGS's exotic/imported product strategy, but at substantially greater scale.
• Four Seasons Produce: Pennsylvania-based full-line wholesale produce distributor serving retail, foodservice, and wholesale customers with organic and conventional SKUs and cold chain logistics. Closely comparable GTM motion (multi-segment B2B distribution with sustainability/safety certifications) to SGS.
• FreshPoint: Sysco-owned national fresh produce distributor serving foodservice operators with broad regional coverage, cold storage, and HACCP-style compliance. Closest scaled analog to SGS in B2B fresh produce distribution, though FreshPoint operates across many U.S. regions whereas SGS is concentrated in Southern California.
• Mission Produce: Public avocado producer and distributor with global sourcing and U.S. ripening/distribution infrastructure. Avocados are a meaningful SGS SKU, and Mission's model of category-specific international produce distribution closely mirrors SGS's exotic produce focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sgsproduce
• Instagraminstagram.com/sgs_produce
• Facebookfacebook.com/SGSProduce

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 S-G-S Produce