Wholesale meat suppliers purchase meat and poultry from producers. Distributors or suppliers are the link between meat wholesalers and businesses that purchase meat and poultry for resale.
Meat and poultry sold in the United States originates from nearly every country in the world. There are nearly 3,000 meat wholesalers in the United States.
Finding the right meat and poultry distributors and wholesalers to meet your specific needs is the key to your success. When looking for beef distributors and poultry suppliers, keep these ideas in mind:
- Whether you use meat suppliers or poultry wholesalers depends on your sales volume. Wholesalers usually require a high volume of sales. Meat distributors usually purchase their supplies from wholesale meat suppliers.
- Once you’ve found reputable wholesale meat suppliers, ask them what their minimum order is. If that is too high for you, ask them to recommend a distributor.
- Test products before you commit to orders. Meat suppliers and wholesale poultry distributors will provide samples for you to test their products.
- Consider meat suppliers and poultry wholesalers who sell organic and grass-fed or range-free meat and poultry.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Locate and choose wholesale meat suppliers and wholesale poultry distributors
Buy at the wholesale level if you can commit to large purchases.
I recommend: Prima Foods and
Cargill Products and Services are meat and poultry wholesalers that offer a variety of wholesale meat and poultry products.
Check references on meat distributors
Ask customers of beef and poultry distributors the following questions: Do they consistently deliver the product you specified or do they change products frequently, and is the quality consistent? Are they reliable and easy to work with?
I recommend: Read examples of the type of questions you might want to ask a wholesale meat supplier at "
Choices Magazine."
Go for natural or organic beef and chicken distributors
Consider working with smaller, independent meat and poultry distributors and wholesalers, especially if you are looking for organic or farm-raised products to showcase.
I recommend: Select a distributor who carries a range of organic meats and poultry, like
Wholesome Harvest. If you are looking for grass fed beef,
American Grass Fed Beef offers custom aging and packaging.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Cultivate a good business relationship with your local meat distributor and/or chicken distributor. Give them a "heads up" if you forsee an increased demand for their product.
- Decide what your criteria will be for purchasing based on quality, price and delivery. Check references, test the products and select a distributor who returns phone calls and has a good reputation.
The official source of Meat and Poultry Distributors and Wholesalers is
the Meat and Poultry Distributors and Wholesalers page at Business.com
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