Guides

Vegan Food Distributor

A vegan food distributor sells plant-based product by the sealed frozen case instead of the retail bag, and that changes what you have to decide before ordering: freezer space, format, and how many portions one case has to cover. This catalog holds 27 frozen cases in a single Brooklyn freezer, 12 of them from the Mon Cuisine line that carries the Kosher Parve marking on the case and 15 bulk foodservice packs that do not declare it. The same $300 minimum applies whether the order goes to a restaurant, a grocery, a caterer or a household filling a freezer.

What does a vegan food distributor actually do?

A distributor holds frozen plant-based product in case quantities and breaks it out to kitchens and households one case at a time. The practical difference from a store is the unit: you order a sealed case of one format, it arrives frozen, the cost per portion drops and the commitment goes up. Here that means 27 frozen cases held at 1810 76th Street in Brooklyn, sold to wholesale accounts and to direct consumers on the same terms.

• Restaurants and cafes that need one format to plate consistently all week
• Caterers building parve menus out of the Mon Cuisine line
• Groceries and kosher markets stocking a freezer set
• Schools, shuls and institutions feeding a fixed head count
• Households filling a freezer for weeks of meal prep

Do you have to be a business to order by the case?

No. The $300 minimum is the same for a wholesale account and for a household, so a family filling a freezer orders on the same terms as a restaurant. What changes is the reason for the volume, not the structure of the order. If you need something an order form cannot express, such as a standing delivery day or a recurring list, ask by phone at 347-516-9806 instead of assuming it either exists or does not.

What is the minimum order, and how do you reach it?

The minimum is $300 per order, and it applies to the order rather than to any single item. Most buyers reach it with two to four cases instead of one item ordered deep, because a spread of formats is easier to use up and tells you more about what your kitchen actually burns through. Case prices are shown on each product page, so you can build the order to the minimum before you ever call.

• One loose format, one formed item and one composed dish is the usual three-case shape
• Add a fourth case of whatever the kitchen or the household eats fastest
• Mon Cuisine cases and bulk foodservice cases count toward the same minimum
• Check the pack size on each product page so the freezer math happens before checkout

Which cases does a first order usually include?

First orders tend to start with a loose format, because ten pounds of crumble is the most forgiving thing to own: it drops into recipes that already exist and nothing else on the line has to change. Formed items come next since they portion themselves, and composed dishes come last, for the service or the night that has to run without a cook. That sequence works the same in a restaurant and in a house.

• Loose: Vegan Ground Beef Crumble, or Mon Cuisine Vegan Meat Crumble for a parve menu
• Formed and fast: Vegan Chicken Strips, Vegan Breaded Chicken Nuggets, Fully Cooked Vegan IQF Vegan Burger
• Handheld service: Vegan Franks, Vegan Falafel Balls
• Whole dish: Mon Cuisine Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage

How is buying from a distributor different from buying retail?

The unit is the case, and that single change moves everything else. Cost per portion falls because you are not paying for retail packaging, but you commit freezer space and you commit to one format for weeks, which is why choosing the format matters more than choosing the brand. A kitchen also gets consistency: the same piece, the same size, all week, which is what makes a menu price hold.

• Unit: a sealed case instead of a retail bag
• Cost: lower per portion, higher per transaction, with a $300 order minimum
• Space: measure the freezer before ordering, not after the truck arrives
• Consistency: one piece size all week, which is what portion counts depend on
• Receiving: somebody has to be on site to take a frozen delivery

Which of the cases are kosher?

Twelve of the 27 cases belong to the Mon Cuisine line and carry the Kosher Parve marking printed on the case; the other 15 are bulk foodservice packs that do not declare kosher status. Both halves ship from the same Brooklyn freezer in the same delivery, so a kosher caterer and a mixed household can order side by side. If the menu has to be parve, keep the order inside Mon Cuisine and verify the marking on the case you receive.

How do you place an order?

Build it from the catalog: add cases until the order reaches $300 and check out. If the order needs a conversation, such as a delivery window, a large head count or a question about a current production run, call 347-516-9806 or write tarcus@vegangrandnews.com with the item names and the date you want it. Delivery covers New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut from the Brooklyn freezer, and a frozen drop needs someone on site to receive it.

Before you order

Heating instructions, allergen information and certifications are printed on the case label. Always follow the label for the lot you receive: formulations and pack specifications can change between production runs.