US Distributor List: Wholesale Distributors by Category

A distributor list for a product brand is a list of the wholesale distribution companies that buy from manufacturers and deliver to stores, restaurants and institutions in one channel. In the US that means UNFI and KeHE for natural grocery, C&S for supermarkets, Sysco and US Foods for foodservice, McLane for convenience, and other names for pet, beauty, hardware and electronics. The list below is grouped by channel.

Use it in two steps. First find the channel where your product already sells, or should. Then read the two or three companies in that channel, check their new-vendor page, and work out whether you are big enough to be worth their truck space yet. Most brands are not on day one, and the last sections explain what to do about that.

How to read this list

A few distinctions save a lot of wasted pitching.

National versus regional. The names below are mostly national or multi-state. Each channel also has dozens of regional distributors that serve one metro area or a handful of states. Regional distributors take on small brands far more readily, and a year of reorders with one of them is the proof a national distributor asks for. Your own state's independent stores can usually tell you who delivers to them.

Distributor versus redistributor. A distributor sells to stores or operators. A redistributor such as Dot Foods sells to other distributors, consolidating small brands into full truckloads. Getting listed with a redistributor is one of the few ways a new brand becomes available to hundreds of distributors at once without opening an account with each.

Distributor versus broker. A distributor takes title to your goods and delivers them. A broker sells on your behalf for a commission and never owns inventory. In grocery and foodservice, distributors expect you to have a broker, and the broker is usually who gets you the distributor meeting. If those roles are still blurry, start with distributor vs wholesaler vs retailer and the food broker guide.

Warehouse versus direct store delivery. Warehouse distributors ship to a retailer's distribution center and the retailer restocks its own shelves. Direct store delivery (DSD) distributors deliver to each store and often merchandise the shelf. Beverages, snacks, bread and dairy tend to move DSD; most shelf-stable and non-food goods move through warehouses.

Grocery: conventional supermarkets

• C&S Wholesale Grocers supplies independent supermarkets and regional chains across the country from a network of distribution centers.
• SpartanNash distributes to independent grocers and military commissaries and operates its own stores in the Midwest.
• Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is a retailer-owned cooperative that supplies independent supermarkets across the central and southern states.
• Bozzuto's serves independent grocers in the Northeast.
• Associated Food Stores is a retailer-owned cooperative supplying independent grocers in the Mountain West.

Grocery: natural, organic and specialty

• UNFI (United Natural Foods) is the largest natural and organic distributor and also serves conventional supermarkets after absorbing SUPERVALU.
• KeHE Distributors carries natural, organic, specialty and fresh products for grocery chains and independents nationwide.
• Chex Finer Foods distributes specialty and gourmet food to independent and specialty retailers in the Northeast.
• Lipari Foods serves deli, bakery, specialty and confectionery categories across the Midwest.
• Nassau Candy distributes confectionery and specialty food to retailers from the Northeast.
• European Imports supplies imported specialty food to restaurants and specialty retailers.
• Gourmet Foods International distributes specialty cheese and gourmet products to retailers and foodservice operators.

Food and beverage founders get a longer version of these two sections, with the beverage houses and the specialty importers, in the food distributors list.

Foodservice: restaurants, hotels, schools and healthcare

• Sysco is the largest broadline foodservice distributor, delivering to restaurants, hospitals, schools and hotels.
• US Foods is the second national broadline foodservice distributor with a similar customer base.
• Performance Food Group operates foodservice, convenience (Core-Mark) and vending (Vistar) distribution under one company.
• Gordon Food Service is a family-owned broadline distributor strong in the Midwest and Southeast, with its own cash-and-carry stores.
• Shamrock Foods serves the Southwest and Mountain West.
• Ben E. Keith covers Texas and the surrounding states.
• The Chefs' Warehouse specializes in premium and specialty ingredients for independent restaurants.
• Dot Foods is a redistributor: it buys from manufacturers and sells to other foodservice and retail distributors in less-than-truckload quantities.

Convenience stores, vending and small-format retail

• McLane Company delivers grocery and foodservice products to convenience stores, drugstores and mass merchants.
• Core-Mark supplies convenience stores across the US and Canada as part of Performance Food Group.
• Eby-Brown serves convenience stores in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast.
• H.T. Hackney covers convenience retail across the Southeast and Midwest.
• Imperial Trading serves convenience stores in the South.
• GSC Enterprises supplies convenience retailers in Texas and neighboring states.
• Harold Levinson Associates (HLA) serves convenience and independent retailers in the Northeast.
• Vistar distributes candy, snacks and beverages to vending operators, theaters and concessions nationwide.

Drug, health, beauty and supplements

• McKesson, Cardinal Health and Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen) are the three national pharmaceutical wholesalers and also move over-the-counter and front-of-store products to pharmacies.
• SalonCentric distributes professional beauty brands to salons and stylists as part of L'Oréal.
• Beauty Systems Group distributes professional beauty products to salons through the Sally Beauty group.
• Threshold Enterprises distributes natural supplements and personal care to health food stores.
• Emerson Ecologics supplies practitioner-grade supplements to clinics and practitioners.
• Europa Sports Products distributes sports nutrition to gyms, supplement stores and retailers.

Personal care and beauty brands should read selling wholesale to salons and spas before pitching the professional distributors, whose buyers think in terms of stylist education, not shelf space.

Pet

• Phillips Pet Food & Supplies distributes pet food and supplies to independent pet retailers and veterinary clinics.
• Animal Supply Company serves independent pet stores across the western and central states.
• Central Garden & Pet manufactures and distributes pet and garden products to retailers of every size.
• Pet Food Experts serves independent pet specialty retailers in the Northeast and beyond.

The pet products wholesale guide covers what these distributors want to see from a new brand, and how the independent pet channel differs from Petco and PetSmart.

Hardware, home improvement and building supply

• Orgill is the largest independent hardware distributor, serving independent hardware stores and home centers.
• Do it Best is a member-owned cooperative supplying independent hardware, lumber and home improvement stores.
• Ace Hardware operates its own distribution network for Ace member stores; Emery Jensen Distribution, an Ace subsidiary, serves non-Ace independents.
• Fastenal and Grainger distribute industrial and maintenance products to businesses and contractors.
• Ferguson distributes plumbing, HVAC and waterworks products to contractors and dealers.

Ace, Do it Best and Orgill each have a vendor program; selling to Ace and independent hardware stores walks through it.

Office, paper, packaging and janitorial

• Essendant distributes office products, janitorial supplies and breakroom items to independent dealers and online resellers.
• Imperial Dade serves foodservice packaging and janitorial customers from a network of regional branches.
• Bunzl distributes packaging, cleaning and safety products to grocers, foodservice operators and other businesses.
• Veritiv distributes packaging, facility supplies and print products.

Electronics, accessories and technology

• TD Synnex and Ingram Micro are the two largest technology distributors, serving resellers, retailers and system integrators.
• D&H Distributing serves independent retailers, e-commerce sellers and small resellers with consumer electronics and computing.
• Petra Industries distributes consumer electronics accessories to retailers of every size.
• ScanSource distributes barcode, point-of-sale and communications technology to resellers.

Accessory brands usually start with D&H or Petra rather than the two giants; selling electronics accessories wholesale explains why.

Sporting goods, outdoor and shooting sports

• Big Rock Sports distributes hunting, fishing, camping and marine products to independent outdoor retailers.
• Sports South and Chattanooga Shooting Supplies distribute firearms, ammunition and outdoor accessories to licensed dealers.
• Lipsey's serves independent firearms dealers.

Books, media, toys and collectibles

• Ingram Content Group is the largest book wholesaler and also prints on demand and distributes for publishers.
• Baker & Taylor distributes books and media to public and academic libraries.
• Alliance Entertainment distributes music, movies, games, toys and collectibles to retailers and online sellers.

Toys and games are unusual: much of the volume goes direct from brand to retailer or through rep groups rather than a distributor. Selling toys wholesale and selling books wholesale cover the two routes.

Automotive aftermarket

• Genuine Parts Company owns NAPA and distributes replacement parts through company-owned and independent stores.
• LKQ distributes aftermarket, recycled and specialty parts to repair shops and retailers.
• Keystone Automotive Operations, part of LKQ, distributes specialty and accessory products.
• Turn 14 Distribution and Meyer Distributing serve performance and accessory retailers and installers.
• WORLDPAC distributes import and OE-quality parts to repair shops.

Medical, dental and veterinary supply

• Henry Schein distributes to dental and medical practices and, through a separate business, to veterinarians.
• Patterson Companies serves dental practices and animal health customers.
• Medline manufactures and distributes medical supplies to hospitals, clinics and care facilities.
• Owens & Minor distributes medical and surgical supplies to hospitals and health systems.

Categories with no dominant distributor

Apparel, jewelry, gifts, home décor, candles, stationery and most craft categories do not run through national distributors. Buyers at those stores order directly from brands, from rep groups that show at regional markets such as Atlanta Market, Las Vegas Market and NY NOW, or through wholesale marketplaces such as Faire. If that is your category, a distributor list is the wrong tool; where to find B2B buyers and how to sell to boutiques are the right ones.

What every distributor on this list expects from you

The vendor forms differ, the substance does not.

• A line sheet with wholesale price, suggested retail price, case pack, minimum order and lead time, so the buyer can see their margin in seconds.
• Room in the price for the distributor's margin on top of the retailer's. If your wholesale price already sits at half of retail, the distributor's cut has to come out of your side, not the store's.
• Barcodes on every unit and case, product liability insurance, and for anything edible a shelf life and labeling that survive their compliance review.
• Existing accounts. A distributor is a logistics company; it moves what stores already ask for. Retail placements, reorder history and a broker who can say so are what open the door.
• A plan to create demand once you are in: promotions, free fills, in-store demos, trade spend. Distribution puts you in the warehouse. It does not put you in the cart.

Pricing that leaves room for all three parties is the part most brands get wrong first; how to price wholesale products works through the numbers.

What to do while you are too small for the list

Almost every brand is, at first. Three routes work.

Self-distribute locally. Sell direct to independent stores in your region, deliver yourself or by parcel, and build reorder history. This is the proof every distributor asks for and it costs nothing but time.

Sign with a regional distributor. Ask the independent stores that already carry you who delivers to them, then pitch that company with your stockist list in hand. Regional distributors take small brands because small brands are how they differentiate from the nationals.

Use a broker or a rep group. In food, drug and pet, a broker with existing distributor relationships gets you a category review months faster than cold submissions. In gift, apparel and home, rep groups do the same job at the regional markets.

Whichever route you take, the stores come first. Distributors follow demand; they do not create it. That is why the search for distributors usually starts as a search for retail buyers, which is what how to find distributors for your product is about.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find distributors for my product?

Start from the stores that should carry you, not from a distributor list. Ask independent retailers in your category who delivers to them, check the vendor pages of the two or three national distributors in your channel, and talk to a broker or rep group that already sells into it. A distributor takes on a brand that stores are asking for, so a handful of retail accounts and reorders is the fastest way onto any list.

What is the difference between a distributor and a wholesaler?

A distributor works with the manufacturer, usually under an agreement, holds inventory, delivers to retailers or operators, and often carries the brand's promotions and sales support. A wholesaler buys in bulk from anyone and resells to anyone, with no obligation to a brand. In practice the terms overlap, and many companies on this list describe themselves with both words. What matters is who they sell to and what they need from you.

Is there a free US distributor list I can download?

Trade associations publish member lists for foodservice, convenience and hardware, and the companies above all have public new-vendor pages, so the names are free. What no download gives you is the buyer's name, a working email and evidence they carry your category, which is the part that takes the time. Treat any list, including this one, as the starting point for that research rather than the finished prospect list.

Finding the right distributors is the first half of the job; finding the person at each one who says yes, and the stores whose demand gets you listed, is the other half. WholesalePilot does that from a product link: it finds the US distributors, wholesalers and retail buyers who stock products like yours, verifies who the buyer is, and emails them in your name.