Pepper
Category: AI in Supply Chain / Logistics
AI-powered end-to-end technology platform for independent food distributors Pepper was founded in 2019. The company is led by Bowie Cheung. Based in New York City, New York, United States. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: $100M. Latest round: Series C. Key investors include Lead Edge Capital, ICONIQ Growth, Index Ventures, Greylock Partners, Harmony Partners, Interplay Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, BoxGroup, Moving Capital.
- Founded
- 2019
- Headquarters
- New York City, New York, United States
- Team size
- 101-500
- Total funding
- $100M
Value proposition
Pepper provides a comprehensive digital operating system for independent food distributors, combining e-commerce storefronts, AI-powered order automation, sales enablement, marketing tools, and payment processing to help them compete with large national distributors.
Products and solutions
Storefront (digital ordering), Order Agent (AI-powered order entry from voice/text/image/email/PDF), Sales Hub (sales rep enablement), Marketing Hub (supplier marketing & ads), Finance Hub (payments, collections, AR automation), Growth Agent (AI prospect finder)
Unique value
Only platform in the category that has solved ERP integrations at scale (70+ ERP systems, 500+ integrations), purpose-built for independent food distributors with an AI-first approach across the entire workflow
Target customer
Independent food distributors (broadline, produce, seafood, meat, janitorial/sanitation, convenience store, coffee, alcohol, ice cream sectors) in the US and Canada
Industries served
Food distribution / foodservice supply chain, Broadline, Produce, Seafood, Meat, JanSan, C-Store, Coffee, Alcohol, Ice Cream
Technology advantage
AI-native platform with agentic AI capabilities (Order Agent automates order entry from voice, text, image, handwriting); deep ERP integration layer (70+ systems); comprehensive end-to-end platform covering commerce, sales, marketing, finance, and payments in one system
How they differentiate
Pepper offers the most comprehensive end-to-end platform (not just ordering) with deep ERP integrations at scale (70+ systems), AI-native features across the full workflow, and a focus on independent distributors specifically rather than generic e-commerce tools
Main competitors
BlueCart, Choco, Cut+Dry
Key partnerships
Yelp (AI prospect finder integration), 70+ ERP system integrations, Lead Edge Capital (lead Series C), ICONIQ Growth (lead Series B), Index Ventures (lead Series A), Greylock Partners (seed investor)
Notable customers
Flanagan Foodservice, Palmer Food Services, Henry's Foods, Delco Foods, Loffredo Fresh Foods, Pride of the Morning, Seattle Fish Co., Testa Produce, Sanwa Fresh Orlando, Glacier Point, Perrone & Sons, Brown Foodservice
Major milestones
2019: Founded by Bowie Cheung, Chetan Narain, and Ivana Tesanovic, 2020: Launched Pepper Pantry consumer-facing portal during pandemic, 2021: Raised $16M Series A led by Index Ventures, 2024: Raised $30M Series B led by ICONIQ Growth, 2025: Acquired Kimelo (vertical distribution toolset), 2026: Raised $50M Series C led by Lead Edge Capital, 2026: Launched AI agentic tools including Order Agent, prospect finder with Yelp integration
Growth metrics
500+ distributors; $30B+ annual GMV; 100,000+ active operators; 70+ ERP integrations
Market positioning
Market leader in technology for independent food distributors; serves 500+ distributors representing ~$30B in annual GMV with 100,000+ active operators
Geographic focus
United States and Canada
About Bowie Cheung
Ex-Uber Eats Founding General Manager; Bain & Company; Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management MBA; University of Toronto Engineering
Latest news about Pepper
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Official website: https://www.usepepper.com