Alfred E Chave
Alfred E. Chave is a family-owned Australian wholesale distributor of fresh fruit and vegetables, sourcing from over 200 growers and serving supermarkets, retailers, wholesalers, food service operators, and export customers across 16 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1900
- HeadquartersRocklea, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Alfred E Chave does
Alfred E. Chave Pty Ltd is an Australian wholesale fresh produce distributor headquartered at Brisbane Markets in Rocklea, Queensland. Founded in 1900 by Alfred Edward Chave and owned by the Joseph family since 1975, the company sources fresh fruit and vegetables from a network of over 200 Australian growers and sells them to supermarkets, retailers, wholesale buyers, food service operators, and export customers. Domestic reach spans Coffs Harbour to Darwin, and export operations cover 16 countries across South-East Asia and the Middle East. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 band, with 19 named team members disclosed.
The company's core physical asset is a 6,000m2 refrigerated warehousing facility at Brisbane Markets with 8 separate refrigeration zones (each holding 126-200 pallets), cross-docking capability, B-Double truck access, 4 refrigerated sealed docks, and forced-air cooling for 32 CHEP pallets or 40 export skids. On the digital side, the company launched Phoenicia in 2017, an e-commerce fresh produce trading platform connecting farmers, merchants, and buyers through online ordering with real-time pricing and transparency across the horticulture value chain. Supporting operational systems include QC Greenlight quality-control reporting and BarTender labeling with Soluble Solids Content tracking. Certifications include AQIS (export protocol), HARPS, Freshcare Supply Chain, and HACCP.
Revenue is generated through take-rate/transaction-based wholesale produce sales, integrated logistics services (warehousing, cold storage, cross-docking, distribution), and export operations. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with day-to-day ordering facilitated through Phoenicia and a wholesale mobile app. The go-to-market is a direct-sales model operated from Brisbane Central Market, with interstate central market sales, an international export desk, and the Phoenicia self-serve channel. The company is family-owned and operated under joint Managing Directors Anthony and Paul Joseph, with founder-era owner Tony Joseph AM serving as semi-retired Chairman.
Alfred E Chave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alfred E Chave
- Legal name
- Alfred E. Chave Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://alfredechave.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1900
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Alfred E. Chave is a family-owned Australian wholesale distributor of fresh fruit and vegetables, sourcing from over 200 growers and serving supermarkets, retailers, wholesalers, food service operators, and export customers across 16 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Alfred E Chave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fresh Produce Wholesale
- NAICS
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fresh Produce Distribution (CRAOABAB)
Keywords
Where Alfred E Chave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rocklea
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Alfred E Chave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Wholesale Produce Sales: Wholesale fresh fruit and vegetable sales to buyers, retailers, and supermarkets domestically and internationally
- Logistics Services: Integrated logistics including warehousing, cold storage, cross-docking, loading/unloading, and distribution services
- Export Operations: Export of Australian fresh produce to international markets across South-East Asia and Middle East
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Wholesale produce pricing |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Online ordering through Phoenicia platform |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Alfred E Chave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alfred E Chave is a wholesaler of fresh fruit and vegetables, sourcing produce from over 200 Australian growers and supplying supermarkets, retailers, wholesale buyers, and food service providers across Australia and 16 international markets in South-East Asia and the Middle East. The company operates 6,000m2 of refrigerated warehousing with integrated cold-chain logistics and cross-docking facilities at the Brisbane Markets in Rocklea, Queensland. In addition to physical distribution, Alfred E Chave developed and operates Phoenicia, an e-commerce fresh produce trading platform that connects farmers, merchants, and buyers through online ordering with real-time pricing transparency.
Product overview
Alfred E. Chave operates two main product lines: (1) a core wholesale fresh produce business supplying high-quality Australian-grown fruit and vegetables to retailers, supermarkets, and food service providers nationally and internationally; and (2) Phoenicia, an e-commerce fresh produce trading platform that enables online ordering and provides transparency across the horticulture value chain for farmers, merchants, and buyers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Phoenicia: An e-commerce fresh produce trading platform that connects farmers, merchants, and buyers through an online ordering system. It provides unprecedented transparency across the horticulture value chain.
Products and services
- Wholesale Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
- Phoenicia E-commerce Trading Platform
- Integrated Cold Chain Logistics and Warehousing Services
- Export Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% increase year on year for grower customers using Phoenicia platform
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Alfred E Chave
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Alfred E Chave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Alfred E Chave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Alfred E Chave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- MMorgan: Family-owned Australian fresh produce wholesaler based in Newcastle serving the NSW region. Overlapping wholesale fresh produce model but operating from a different regional market to AEC's Queensland base.
Direct peers
- Simon George & Sons: Brisbane-based fresh produce wholesaler cited as a long-term AEC customer (>10 years). Operates from the Brisbane Markets with a comparable east-coast wholesale model, making it a direct peer despite also being an AEC buyer relationship.
- Fresh Produce Group: Australian fresh produce grower, packer and marketer supplying major retailers domestically and into export markets. Direct peer to AEC given overlapping supply channels, retail/wholesale customer mix, and category breadth.
- Moraitis Group: Australian fresh produce grower and wholesaler (notably in tomatoes and broader categories) supplying retail and foodservice. Comparable in scale, sourcing-led model, and wholesale/retail customer mix to AEC.
- Montague Fresh: Family-owned Australian fresh produce company with orchards, packing, and wholesale distribution across apples, stone fruit and broader categories. Closely comparable to AEC in family-led operating model, multi-category produce distribution, and national wholesale reach.
- Nutrano Produce: Major Australian vertically integrated fresh produce grower and distributor supplying supermarkets, wholesalers and food service nationally. Comparable scale and customer mix to AEC, with both domestic wholesale and export channels.
- Perfection Fresh: One of Australia's largest family-owned fresh produce growers and marketers with national wholesale distribution across multiple produce categories. Highly comparable to AEC in grower-network-driven wholesale distribution and in launching tech-enabled trading capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Costa Group: ASX-listed Australian horticultural heavyweight operating across produce categories (berries, mushrooms, citrus, tomatoes, avocados) with vertically integrated growing, packing, and marketing. Larger but overlapping with AEC's produce wholesale footprint, particularly in categories AEC carries.
- Driscoll's (Australia): Global berry heavyweight with established Australian growing and marketing operations. Direct overlap with AEC's berries category and export-heavy wholesale model, though Driscoll's is a category specialist rather than a generalist produce wholesaler.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Alfred E Chave social profiles
Digital presenceAlfred E Chave compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Alfred E Chave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alfred E Chave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Alfred E Chave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alfred E Chave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alfred E Chave
What does Alfred E Chave do?
Alfred E Chave is a wholesaler of fresh fruit and vegetables, sourcing produce from over 200 Australian growers and supplying supermarkets, retailers, wholesale buyers, and food service providers across Australia and 16 international markets in South-East Asia and the Middle East. The company operates 6,000m2 of refrigerated warehousing with integrated cold-chain logistics and cross-docking facilities at the Brisbane Markets in Rocklea, Queensland. In addition to physical distribution, Alfred E Chave developed and operates Phoenicia, an e-commerce fresh produce trading platform that connects farmers, merchants, and buyers through online ordering with real-time pricing transparency.
Is Alfred E Chave a public or private company?
Alfred E Chave is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Alfred E Chave founded?
Alfred E Chave was founded in 1900. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Alfred E Chave based?
Alfred E Chave is headquartered in Rocklea, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Alfred E Chave make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Wholesale Produce Sales are the primary driver. The others are logistics Services and export Operations.
Who are Alfred E Chave's main competitors?
MMorgan is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Simon George & Sons, Fresh Produce Group, Moraitis Group, Montague Fresh, Nutrano Produce and Perfection Fresh. Broad incumbents are Costa Group and Driscoll's (Australia).
Does Alfred E Chave have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alfred E Chave.
What industry is Alfred E Chave in?
Alfred E Chave's product category is Fresh Produce Wholesale. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOABAB, Fresh Produce Distribution. Its NAICS code is 42448 and its SIC code is 5150.