# #99 Navigating the Foodservice Landscape: Key Players and Their Roles (Distributors, Buying Groups, Operators, & more)

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2023-07-18
- Length: 54m
- Episode: 76
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-07-18-99-navigating-the-foodservice-landscape-key-players-and-their-roles-distributors
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/89a27d7b

## Summary

Jenna Cameron, sales lead at Simulate and former early employee at Just and Alpha Foods, explains the complex foodservice landscape for CPG brands. She details the roles of major distributors like Dot Foods, Sysco, and US Foods, and buying groups such as Compass and Sodexo, emphasizing the 'push and pull' strategy of building operator demand before securing distribution. Cameron also covers niche channels like college universities, convenience stores, and the 'groceraunt' segment, offering advice on using regional brokers and managing margins.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Jenna Cameron and Simulate's Foodservice Strategy
2. Defining Foodservice: Operators, Distributors, and Buying Groups
3. The Role of Dot Foods and Redistributors in Scaling
4. Navigating Major Distributors: Sysco, US Foods, and Regional Players
5. Operators and Buying Groups: Compass, Sodexo, and Aramark
6. Niche Channels: Convenience Stores, C-Units, and Groceraunts
7. Using Brokers and Advisors to Enter the Market

## Topics

- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Simulate (company)
- Dot Foods (company)
- Sysco (company)
- US Foods (company)
- Just (company)
- Compass (company)
- Sodexo (company)
- Aramark (company)
- BiRite (company)
- Vegan Distribution (company)
- Chef's Warehouse (company)
- PFG / Vistar (company)
- Gordon Food Service (company)
- Follett Bookstores (company)
- Red Robin (company)
- Peet's Coffee (company)
- Bareburger (company)
- 7-Eleven (company)
- Plaid Pantry (company)
- Herspring-Gibbs (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Advice Line with Pete Maldonado of Chomps](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-05-02-advice-line-with-pete-maldonado-of-chomps) (How I Built This)
- [290 - Taylor Foxman is the master connector for CPG's!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-09-26-290-taylor-foxman-is-the-master-connector-for-cpgs) (People of Packaging)
- [Advice Line with Andy Dunn of Bonobos](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-04-17-advice-line-with-andy-dunn-of-bonobos) (How I Built This)
- [What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 2](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-25-what-it-really-takes-to-build-a-food-business-part-2) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Danny Meyer of Shake Shack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-09-24-advice-line-with-danny-meyer-of-shake-shack) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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