Pepper: This startup could be the secret weapon for food distributors

Founded in 2019 by Bowie Cheung (an old employee at Uber Eats), Pepper offers an ecommerce platform designed for independent food distributors.

• Their mission? To help these distributors find new customers, boost revenue, and streamline operations.

• They just secured $30 million in a Series B funding round led by ICONIQ Growth.

Since their last funding round, Pepper has doubled its customer base to over 140 food distributors and 16,000 operators according to Digital Commerce 360.

• They’ve been releasing over 50 upgrades/new features every year.

• Pepper plans to use the fresh funds to add Gen AI and targeted advertising.

For its targeted ads, it’s Pepper's "Smart Solutions" that takes the spotlight.

• It allows manufacturers to advertise directly to distributors through the Pepper app.

• It includes targeted banner ads, sponsored search terms, and easy lead generation through sample requests according to Perishable News

So far, their platform has led to a 23% more sales, 93% buyer retention and 20% more sales productivity.