Carolinas Food Industry Council

What Carolinas Food Industry Council does

The Carolinas Food Industry Council (CFIC) is a privately held nonprofit trade association (501(c)(6)) headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, that serves the retail and wholesale food industries across North and South Carolina. Established in 2005 through the merger of the former North Carolina Food Dealers Association and the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, CFIC functions as the grocery division of NCRMA and represents more than 2,500 grocers along with suppliers, wholesalers, and brokers in the two-state market. Its stated mission is to improve the public image, effectiveness, and profitability of retailers and suppliers to the food industry.

CFIC's service portfolio is built around three pillars: government relations and advocacy (state legislative representation in both Carolinas, federal coordination with FMI and the National Grocers Association, regulatory compliance support, and emergency management), member networking and education (annual CFIC Convention, annual Fall Golf Tournament pairing retailers with supplier players, member webinars, weekly legislative updates during session, and quarterly newsletters), and industry resources (publications and resources library, member portal, SNAP updates and downloadable retail signage, plus a college scholarship program for students pursuing grocery careers). Named members and quoted endorsers span independents and regional chains (Galaxy Food Stores, Carroll's Supermarkets, Carlie C's IGA, Piggly Wiggly) through larger operators (Food Lion, Lowes Foods, W. Lee Flowers/Kj's/IGA) and suppliers (D&H Marketing).

The business model is membership-based: CFIC generates recurring revenue from annual membership dues paid by retail grocers, suppliers, wholesalers, and brokers, supplemented by convention, golf tournament, and sponsorship income, with a small staff of 1-10 employees operating across both Carolinas. There is no proprietary software, AI, API, or technology product; the offering is fundamentally a service and content platform. President rotates annually among senior executives from member companies (recent presidents from Food Lion, W. Lee Flowers/Kj's/IGA, Piggly Wiggly, and now Carlie C's IGA), with Lindsey Kueffner serving as Executive Director and Andy Ellen (President and General Counsel of NCRMA) overseeing broader organizational governance.

Name

Carolinas Food Industry Council

Legal name

Carolinas Food Industry Council

Website

https://cficweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Carolinas Food Industry Council (CFIC) is a Raleigh-based nonprofit trade association, formed in 2005 as the grocery division of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, serving more than 2,500 retail grocers, suppliers, wholesalers, and brokers across North and South Carolina through advocacy, regulatory support, networking events, and member resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CFIC operates as a membership-based trade association generating revenue through annual membership dues from retail grocers, suppliers, wholesalers, and brokers in North and South Carolina. Members receive access to legislative advocacy, networking events, educational webinars, and industry resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

CFIC is a nonprofit trade association that serves more than 2,500 retail grocers, suppliers, wholesalers, and brokers in North and South Carolina. It delivers a membership-based portfolio centered on legislative and regulatory advocacy, money-saving member services, member-exclusive networking events (Annual Convention and Fall Golf Tournament), and educational resources including webinars, weekly legislative updates, and SNAP coordination. The organization acts as the unified voice of the Carolinas retail food industry with state and federal governments.

Product overview

The Carolinas Food Industry Council (CFIC) is a trade association serving the retail and wholesale food industries in North and South Carolina, not a software product company. CFIC provides a membership-based service portfolio centered on advocacy, networking, and member resources. The core offerings include the CFIC Membership Program, Government Relations & Advocacy services, the Annual CFIC Convention, the Annual Golf Tournament, SNAP Updates & Resources, Publications & Resources Library, and College Scholarships. The membership program serves as the umbrella service, providing access to member-only events, webinars, and resources. CFIC does not offer AI capabilities, APIs, or technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CFIC Membership Program
• CFIC Annual Convention
• CFIC Annual Fall Golf Tournament
• Government Relations & Advocacy
• SNAP Updates & Resources
• Publications & Resources Library
• College Scholarships for Grocery Industry Students

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FMI — The Food Industry AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFIC works closely with FMI on federal issues affecting the food industry. FMI is the national trade association representing the entire food industry, and CFIC coordinates with them on advocacy and policy matters at the federal level.
• National Grocers Association (NGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFIC coordinates with the National Grocers Association on SNAP updates, federal regulatory issues, and industry advocacy. NGA provides resources and guidance that CFIC shares with its members.
• North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFIC is the grocery division of NCRMA. The organizations share staff and resources, with NCRMA serving the broader retail industry and CFIC focusing specifically on the grocery sector in both Carolinas.
• North Carolina Governor's OfficeminorOthersCFIC works closely with the Governor's office during crises such as potential SNAP benefit disruptions during federal government shutdowns.
• South Carolina Governor's OfficeminorOthersCFIC coordinates with South Carolina's Governor's office on SNAP benefit schedule adjustments and emergency management.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Grocers Association (NGA): National trade association for independent grocers, directly comparable to CFIC's mission of representing retail grocers and suppliers on advocacy, regulatory, and member-service dimensions; CFIC explicitly coordinates with NGA on SNAP updates and federal issues.
• Mid-South Food Industry Association: Regional food industry trade association covering the Mid-South U.S. with advocacy and networking for grocers, wholesalers, and suppliers — a direct peer in business model, just operating in a different multi-state region.
• Georgia Food Industry Association: State-level grocery and food industry trade association in Georgia offering advocacy, networking events, and member services — a close functional analog to CFIC operating in an adjacent Southeast state.
• Virginia Food Industry Association: Virginia trade association representing food retailers and suppliers, providing advocacy and member services. Operates the same membership/advocacy model as CFIC in an adjacent Southeast state.
• Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association: Tennessee-based trade association serving grocery and convenience retailers with legislative advocacy, networking, and member benefits — a direct state-level peer to CFIC's Carolinas footprint.
• Alabama Grocers Association: State trade association representing Alabama's retail grocery industry with advocacy, education, and member events — structurally comparable to CFIC's model in a neighboring Southeast market.

Regional players

• Mississippi Grocers & Convenience Store Association: Mississippi state-level grocery trade association providing legislative advocacy and member services. A geographically adjacent regional peer following the same membership-association playbook as CFIC.
• South Carolina Retail Association: South Carolina's broader retail trade association operating alongside CFIC; provides overlapping advocacy and member services but spans all retail rather than specializing in grocery, making it a regional peer with partial overlap.

Broad incumbents

• FMI – The Food Industry Association: National trade association for the entire food industry; CFIC partners with FMI on federal advocacy. FMI is a broader-incumbent peer operating at national scale on overlapping grocery industry policy and member-service work.
• North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA): Parent organization of CFIC serving the broader retail industry in NC; CFIC operates as NCRMA's grocery division with shared staff. Directly comparable in business model (membership-based advocacy) but broader in retail scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarolinasFoodCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarolinasFoodCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carolinasfoodco
• Instagraminstagram.com/carolinasfoodindustry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carolinas Food Industry Council