Master Food Brokers

What Master Food Brokers does

Master Food Brokers Inc. is a privately held food brokerage firm that provides sales and marketing representation to food manufacturers (principals) seeking access to foodservice distribution channels in the Midwest United States. The company operates a sales-led model, deploying experienced sales personnel who work directly with distributors, operators, and retailers across Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa. Its service offering centers on three functions: providing product-experienced sales reps, maintaining strong relationships with major regional and national distributors, and ensuring manufacturer principals have owners directly involved in their business growth.

Under the same ownership structure, Master Food Brokers operates alongside Abdale Corporation, a redistributor approved by major national and local distributors. Together, the two entities create a combined offering that allows small artisanal producers to access mainstream distribution channels by aggregating smaller-volume specialty products—a persistent pain point in foodservice distribution. The business generates revenue through brokerage commissions on transactions facilitated between manufacturers and operators/retailers, with no disclosed pricing model and no proprietary technology platform. The firm has no public funding, no disclosed revenue figures, and operates with a small team (firmographic headcount of 11–50) from its headquarters at 325 Shore Drive, Burr Ridge, Illinois.

Name

Master Food Brokers

Legal name

Master Food Brokers Inc.

Website

https://masterfoodbrokers.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Master Food Brokers is a privately held Midwest food brokerage firm that provides sales representation to food manufacturers, connecting them with distributors, operators, and retailers across Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Brokerage Services

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (425120)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRAOABAM

Institutional Foodservice Distribution (Education, Healthcare, Government)

Consumer Products & Retail/Wholesale, Distribution & Category Management/Grocery, Fresh & Specialty Foodservice Distribution

Keywords

• Food brokerage services
• Foodservice sales representation
• Specialty food distribution
• Manufacturer sales agency
• Midwest food broker

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmhurst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Brokerage/Commission Revenue: Master Food Brokers operates as a food brokerage firm, generating revenue through commissions from manufacturers (principals) they represent. They sell on quality and value, maintaining scheduled communication and continuously measuring results for their principals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Master Food Brokers is a food brokerage firm providing sales and marketing representation for food manufacturers (principals) across the Midwest United States. The company connects manufacturers with food service operators, retailers, and distributors through experienced sales personnel, and together with affiliated Abdale Corporation, channels smaller volume specialty products through mainstream distribution networks.

Product overview

Master Food Brokers operates as a single integrated food brokerage offering, combining sales representation and marketing services for food manufacturers with redistribution capabilities through its affiliated company Abdale Corporation. The core brokerage service provides experienced sales personnel, market coverage across Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa, and direct relationships with major distributors and key operators. The Abdale Corporation redistribution module extends this offering by enabling small artisanal producers to access mainstream distribution channels—solving the challenge of getting smaller volume specialty products through normal distribution channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Brokerage Services Sales and marketing representation services for food manufacturers, connecting products with food service operators and retailers through established distributor relationships in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa. The service includes dedicated sales personnel with product expertise, presentations to key operators, scheduled progress communication, and results measurement.
• Abdale Corporation Redistribution Services A redistribution service offered under shared ownership that is approved by major national and local distributors, enabling smaller volume specialty food products from small artisanal producers to flow through normal mainstream distribution channels that would otherwise be difficult to access.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Abdale CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAbdale Corporation operates under the same ownership as Master Food Brokers. It is a redistributor approved by major national and local distributors. Together, they offer manufacturers, food service operators, and retailers a unique way to quickly get smaller volume specialty products through normal distribution channels. This partnership enables access to specialty products that might otherwise be difficult to distribute through standard channels.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• US Foods: Major national foodservice distributor with overlapping operator and customer base. Functions both as a distribution channel accessed by MFB's principals and as a competitor for sales representation mandates from large manufacturers.
• CROSSMARK: National retail and CPG services company offering sales representation and merchandising services. Competes for manufacturer sales-representation mandates and overlaps with MFB's retail customer segment.
• Advantage Solutions: National sales and marketing agency providing broker, retail, and foodservice sales services to CPG manufacturers. Closest direct national comp to Master Food Brokers in business model, serving many of the same principal categories at much larger scale.
• Performance Food Group: Large-scale foodservice and convenience distributor with significant Midwest presence through its Vistar and Reinhart businesses. A downstream channel partner for MFB's principals and an indirect competitor for manufacturer sales mandates.
• Acosta: Largest US CPG and food broker with national coverage across foodservice and retail channels. Operates the same outsourced sales-representation model as Master Food Brokers but at vastly greater scale, directly competing for the same manufacturer principals.
• Sysco Corporation: Largest US foodservice distributor, supplying restaurants, hotels, and institutions. As a downstream counterpart that Master Food Brokers' principals sell into, Sysco represents both a critical channel partner and a potential disintermediation risk if it builds more direct manufacturer relationships.

Regional players

• Eby-Brown Company: Naperville, Illinois-based foodservice and convenience distributor with deep Midwest roots. Operates in the same regional foodservice channel as Master Food Brokers and represents an alternative route-to-market for shared manufacturer principals.
• Shamrock Foods Company: Arizona-based foodservice manufacturer and distributor with expanding Midwest footprint. Comparable as a regional multi-state operator serving the same foodservice customer segment, though its primary geographic center is Southwest rather than Midwest.
• Gordon Food Service: Privately held, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based foodservice distributor with strong Midwest concentration that directly mirrors Master Food Brokers' core geography. Operates as both a primary distribution channel for MFB's principals and a potential integrated competitor.
• Ben E. Keith Foods: Texas-based regional foodservice distributor with growing Midwest operations. Functions as a downstream distributor for MFB's principals and as a competitor for broker relationships with regional manufacturers in overlapping markets.

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 Master Food Brokers