A family produce route became a regional restaurant supplier by taking on more of the work behind a meal: sourcing, refrigerated delivery and the prep before the prep.
BradyPLUS built a nearly $5 billion distribution platform around the things businesses cannot run out of - soap, takeout containers, stretch film and the know-how to use them. Then it merged again, turning an unglamorous supply cabinet into a revealing lesson in modern scale.
The trucks are the boring part. The second-largest food distributor in America is really a menu consultant, a private-label factory and a fintech-for-restaurants wearing a delivery company's coat.