What IMA Foodservice does

IMA Foodservice, legally the Independent Marketing Alliance, is a private membership alliance founded in 2001 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. It operates as a strategic buying and marketing network for five U.S. foodservice distributors — Harbor Foodservice, Nicholas and Company, Performance Food Group, Shamrock Foods, and Y. Hata & Company — whose combined annual sales revenue is approximately $43 billion across 131 warehouse distribution centers and more than 200,000 end-customer locations. IMA's stated purpose is to enable market-share-leading independent distributors to pool procurement leverage, share marketing resources, and compete with national broadliners such as Sysco and US Foods while preserving member independence. The organization is lean, with 11 to 50 employees led by an executive team of President & CEO, two Vice Presidents (Marketing; Category Management), five Directors across categories and functions, a Director of Food Safety QA, a Director of HR, and a Controller.

IMA's core commercial assets are a proprietary portfolio of 17 registered exclusive brands comprising 5,500+ products across produce (Bountiful Harvest), bakery (Brickfire Bakery), deli (Cobblestreet MKT.), culinary ingredients (Culinary Secrets), seafood (Hidden Bay, Pierport Seafood — including Fair Trade Certified Kvarøy Arctic salmon), beef and pork (Prairie Creek), poultry (Riverhill Poultry, SilverBrook), beverages (Rejuv, Ridgeline Coffee Roasters, Trescerro Premium Teas), Latin cuisine (San Pablo, Vista Verde), Italian cuisine (Villa Frizzoni), kitchen supplies (Pro Family — ProPak, ProPower, ProWare), family-oriented (Ever Family, Intros, Katy's Kitchen), dairy/specialty (Fair Meadow), and a sustainability umbrella brand (IMPACT Responsibly Sourced Goods). Supporting infrastructure includes mandatory GS1 standards compliance (100% supplier engagement with monthly audits and scorecards), the Attribytes SaaS data pooling platform for product information management and business intelligence, the E-Brands Portal for distributor marketing toolkits, an in-house Quality Assurance function established in 2006, and recurring member-supplier conferences (Accelerate, IMAgine, Top-to-Top, and category-specific summits).

The revenue model is a managed-services alliance structure: IMA monetizes through supplier service fees, member dues, and exclusive-brand program participation, with the underlying value proposition anchored on aggregated procurement scale rather than direct product sales. The alliance does not sell to end customers directly; instead, it provides category management, marketing, quality assurance, multi-unit distribution coordination, and supplier relationship management services to its five distributor members, who in turn serve independent and chain restaurants, schools, healthcare facilities, vending and office coffee distributors, big-box retailers, theaters, and convenience stores across the continental U.S. and Hawaii. The 2011 CAN program was introduced to extend the alliance's procurement aggregation model into competition with group purchasing organizations.

Name

IMA Foodservice

Legal name

Independent Marketing Alliance

Website

https://imafoodservice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IMA Foodservice (Independent Marketing Alliance) is a private Houston-based buying and marketing alliance for five leading U.S. independent foodservice distributors, aggregating $43 billion in member sales, 17 exclusive brands, and 131 distribution centers to compete against national broadliners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Distribution Network

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

National/Multiregional Broadline Foodservice Distributors (AFAIAAAA)

Keywords

• Foodservice distribution network
• Buying group alliance
• Exclusive brand portfolio
• Procurement services
• Multi-unit distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston, TX

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Alliance Membership/Buying Power Aggregation: IMA generates value by aggregating buying power across independent distributor members, enabling them to negotiate better pricing with suppliers and compete with larger national entities. Revenue is derived from the collective volume and efficiency gains distributed among members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IMA Foodservice (Independent Marketing Alliance) is a private network/buying group of five leading independent broadline foodservice distributors. It aggregates approximately $43B in combined member sales revenue to deliver procurement, marketing, quality assurance, and multi-unit distribution services to its distributor members. The organization manages a portfolio of 17 EXCLUSIVE BRANDS spanning 5,500+ products across food and non-food categories that are sold exclusively through member distributors.

Product overview

IMA Foodservice is not a product company but an exclusive network of leading foodservice distributors offering marketing, business planning, category management, quality assurance, and procurement services to member distributors. The company manages a portfolio of 17 EXCLUSIVE BRANDS spanning approximately 5,015-5,500 products across food and non-food categories including produce (Bountiful Harvest®), baked goods (Brickfire Bakery®), deli (Cobblestreet MKT.®), culinary ingredients (Culinary Secrets®), seafood (Hidden Bay™, Pierport Seafood®), beverages (Rejuv®, Ridgeline Coffee Roasters®, Trescerro Premium Teas®), poultry (SilverBrook®, Riverhill Poultry®), beef and pork (Prairie Creek®), Latin cuisine (San Pablo®, Vista Verde®), Italian cuisine (Villa Frizzoni®), sustainable sourcing (IMPACT Responsibly Sourced Goods™), and kitchen supplies (Pro Family/ProPak®, ProPower, ProWare®). Services include procurement, marketing, quality assurance, multi-unit distribution, GS1 program management, and sales training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bountiful Harvest®: Produce brand in IMA's EXCLUSIVE BRANDS portfolio
• Brickfire Bakery®
• Cobblestreet MKT.®
• Culinary Secrets®
• Ever Family
• Fair Meadow®
• Hidden Bay™
• IMPACT Responsibly Sourced Goods™
• Intros®
• Katy’s Kitchen®
• Pierport Seafood®
• Prairie Creek®
• Pro Family
• Rejuv®
• Ridgeline Coffee Roasters®
• Riverhill Poultry®
• San Pablo®
• SilverBrook®
• Trescerro Premium Teas®
• Villa Frizzoni®
• Vista Verde®

Products and services

• Procurement Services Centralized procurement and supplier negotiation services that aggregate $43B in combined member sales volume to secure pricing and supply terms from foodservice manufacturers for IMA member distributors.
• Marketing Services Centralized marketing and sales support for the EXCLUSIVE BRANDS portfolio, including brand development, repositioning, marketing materials, and sales training for member distributors and their field sales forces.
• Quality Assurance Services Dedicated Food Safety Quality Assurance (FSQA) program delivering testing, audit, and quality oversight for products in the EXCLUSIVE BRANDS portfolio, supported by state-of-the-art equipment and testing facilities.
• Multi-Unit Distribution Services Coordinated multi-unit foodservice distribution support enabling member distributors to serve chain restaurant and large operator accounts through the combined capabilities of the IMA network.
• Bountiful Harvest® Exclusive brand offering fresh fruits and vegetables for foodservice operators, distributed exclusively through IMA member distributors.
• Brickfire Bakery® Exclusive brand of baked goods and premium desserts repositioned in 2020 for market optimization, distributed through IMA member distributors.
• Cobblestreet MKT.® Exclusive brand in the deli category offering soups and deli solutions, optimized and repositioned in 2018 for market relevancy.
• Culinary Secrets® Exclusive brand of culinary ingredients and specialty items for foodservice operators.
• Ever Family Exclusive brand of family-oriented food products.
• Fair Meadow® Exclusive brand of specialty food items.
• Hidden Bay™ Exclusive seafood brand featuring sustainably sourced options including shrimp and squid products.
• IMPACT Responsibly Sourced Goods™ Sustainable business practices brand launched in 2020 to communicate responsible sourcing across the EXCLUSIVE BRANDS portfolio.
• Intros® Exclusive brand of introduction and specialty items for emerging product categories.
• Katy's Kitchen® Exclusive brand of prepared foods and culinary solutions.
• Pierport Seafood® Exclusive premium seafood brand including Fair Trade Certified Atlantic salmon from Kvarøy Arctic, BAP, ASC and Global G.A.P. certified.
• Prairie Creek® Exclusive brand of quality beef and pork products built on generations of ranching expertise, featuring all-natural hardwood-smoked bacon and authentic Texas BBQ.
• Pro Family (ProPak®, ProPower, ProWare®) Exclusive brand of kitchen wares and supplies including food-safe disposable goods, small wares, cleaning solutions, aluminum foil, napkins, and flatware for commercial kitchens.
• Rejuv® Exclusive beverage brand repositioned in 2019 featuring juices, waters, dispensing systems, and mixers inspired by urban juice craft trends.
• Ridgeline Coffee Roasters® Exclusive brand of craft-roasted coffee, cappuccino mixes, and hot chocolate beverages.
• Riverhill Poultry® Exclusive poultry brand specializing in center-of-the-plate and menu applications, available refrigerated or frozen in raw or value-added formats.
• San Pablo® Exclusive Latin cuisine brand bringing authentic Mexican cantina flavors with traditional techniques and menu differentiation solutions.
• SilverBrook® Exclusive poultry brand offering versatile protein options suitable for classic cuisine, global favorites, and Southern-style preparations.
• Trescerro Premium Teas® Exclusive premium hot and cold teas brand with flavors paired to customer moods for diner counters, hotel hospitality, and noshery settings.
• Villa Frizzoni® Exclusive Italian cuisine and ingredients brand featuring versatile products for pizzerias and fine dining restaurants.
• Vista Verde® Exclusive Latin American cuisine brand offering bold flavors including salsas, marinated meats, cheeses, and tortillas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members outpacing industry growth levels
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AttribytescoreTechnology or Integration · 13 May 2019IMA expanded partnership with Attribytes SaaS platform to clean, enhance and share product information for entire foodservice distributor membership. Attribytes provides data pooling, business intelligence tools, and visualization for member purchasing data.
• GS1coreTechnology or IntegrationIMA supports Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative for improving product data, images, and food safety through better traceability. 100% of IMA suppliers are engaged with GS1 standards.
• Aqua Star Seafood Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner2021 IMA Supplier of the Year and Center of Plate Winner. Provided full business disclosure during COVID-19, maintained 99% GS1 compliance, highest paying service fee supplier among Center of Plate suppliers.
• Rosina Food ProductscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2021 Bakery, Dairy, Frozen Winner with 98% fill rate during pandemic and 100% GS1 compliance score.
• A. Zerega's SonscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2021 Grocery, Commodities, Imports Winner with 98% fill rates, 100% GS1 compliance, and 7th highest paying service fee supplier.
• Berry GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2021 Non-Food & Beverage Winner with great service levels during COVID-19 and 100% GS1 compliance.
• Trident SeafoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2021 GS1 Excellence Supplier Award winner, completed image naming on 90% of items and working toward 100% GS1 compliance.
• Alpha Baking CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2019 Supplier of the Year and Bakery category winner at IMA Accelerate conference.
• Kvarøy ArcticcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability-focused salmon producer through Pierport brand. First farmed finfish with Fair Trade USA seal, BAP, ASC, and Global G.A.P. certified.
• Kids' Meals HoustonminorOthersIMA team volunteers with Kids' Meals Houston, packing 7,200+ meals for children across over 20 zip codes. Organization provides free meals to preschool-aged children.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imafoodservice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 IMA Foodservice