History

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Our History

Although UniPro has only existed in its present version since 1997, the roots of the company have been in place for over fifty years. Through mergers, acquisitions and partnerships, UniPro Foodservice has garnered a combination of both innovative and time-proven methods in order to best serve you.

UniPro Foodservice, Inc. is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and has a sales office in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Staff functions include sales, marketing, procurement, logistics, redistribution, member and customer training and quality assurance.

UniPro Foodservice, Inc. is governed by a member-based Board of Directors which is made up of a full representation of the UniPro Foodservice, Inc., membership. Our board is designed in order to procure the most knowledgeable minds in the industry and employ their insights into the industry.

Take a look at our story below and find out how we came to be the best food distribution cooperative

• 1958

  NIFDA Formed

  Nifda was founded in 1958.
• 1966

  CODE Formed

  In 1966, five foodservice distributors teamed together to form CODE, Inc. This iteration of the company was in place for twenty-five years, then went through a series of mergers until it was eventually known as EMCO Foodservice Systems, Inc.
• 1988

  Creation of ComSource

  Nifda of Atlanta, Georgia and North American Foodservice of Chicago, Illinois formed ComSource Independent Foodservice Companies, Inc.
• 1997

  UniPro Formed

  Two mid-sized cooperatives, EMCO Foodservice Systems, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and ComSource, merged to form UniPro Foodservice, Inc. The name represents “Unified Professionals in Distribution.”
• 2002

  Merger with Premier

  UniPro grew again by merging with Premier Foodservice Distributors of America, Inc. (formerly Nugget Distributors, Inc.) of Stockton, California. UniPro and Premier merged on February 1, 2002.
• 2009

  Merger with Progressive Group Alliance

  On March 29, 2009, Progressive Group Alliance (ProGroup) of Richmond, Virginia joined UniPro Foodservice, Inc. ProGroup was comprised of Pocahontas, All Kitchens, Pleezing/Lil Brave, Emerald Group and several other brands.
• 2024

  Acquisition of Legacy Food Alliance

  On January 1, 2024, Legacy Food Alliance of Richmond, Virginia was acquired by UniPro Foodservice Inc. Legacy was started in 2009 and had over 100 Member distributors. The acquisition of Legacy is yet another chapter in UniPro’s proud history since 1958, leading the way in consolidating distributor buying groups and remaining the preeminent foodservice buying cooperative.
• 2024

  Today

  Currently, UniPro Foodservice, Inc., has over 460 members serving over 800,000 customers across the United States and Internationally. The member companies represent more than $161 billion in annual sales revenues. UniPro Foodservice, Inc., is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with a sales office in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
  
  The company has a tax-exempt cooperative structure. Staff functions include sales, marketing, procurement, logistics, redistribution, member and customer training, and quality assurance.
  
  UniPro Foodservice, Inc., is governed by a member-based Board of Directors which is made up of a full representation of the UniPro Foodservice, Inc., membership. All Board of Directors serve one-to-three-year terms. The UniPro Foodservice, Inc., Board is comprised of executives from member companies.