Financial research concept

Foodservice Organic Independent Case Volume Growth

measures independent-customer case growth after removing recently acquired operations under the distributor's organic-volume methodology.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 29, 2026
Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date
Sep 29, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context
10 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Foodservice Distribution Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples
2 reviewed companiesRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.

Foodservice organic independent case volume growth isolates growth from established independent-customer business under an issuer's organic-volume definition.

US Foods reported 5.0% organic independent restaurant case growth for the 13 weeks ended June 27, 2026. PFG reported 5.9% organic independent Foodservice case growth for fiscal 2026.

The metric separates customer growth from acquisition contribution

Independent restaurant case growth can include acquired businesses. Organic independent growth asks how the established network performed after applying the issuer's acquisition-seasoning policy.

This can be particularly useful for acquisitive distributors because headline independent growth may otherwise mix two different growth engines.

Organic does not make customer definitions identical

US Foods reports independent restaurants. PFG reports independent Foodservice customers under its own classification.

The two measures answer a similar investor question, but they are not a standardized industry series. Read them alongside organic total case growth to understand whether independent customers are gaining or losing relative momentum within each distributor.

Primary sources: US Foods Q2 2026 Form 10-Q and PFG fiscal 2026 Form 10-K.

Part of the Foodservice Distribution Economics

Connect case-volume growth and acquisition-normalized demand with local and independent customer mix, proprietary-brand penetration, food-cost inflation, gross margin, and adjusted EBITDA conversion.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →
Where this concept fits
  • Case growth and acquisition normalizationCurrent relationship
    Total case growth measures physical volume before acquisition normalization, organic case growth removes recently acquired operations under issuer policy, and local or independent-customer measures reveal where that volume is coming from. Local and independent definitions remain issuer-specific rather than interchangeable.
  • Customer, brand, and inflation mix
    Independent sales mix shows customer composition, proprietary-brand case mix shows product composition, and food-cost inflation shows the pricing input moving through the distribution model. Each can affect gross profit without representing the same economic lever.
  • Gross profit and operating conversion
    Gross margin captures sales less product cost, while adjusted EBITDA margin carries the analysis through distribution, selling, administrative, and issuer-defined adjustment layers. Margin conversion therefore depends on both upstream mix and downstream cost productivity.

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

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Compare organic independent growth

Compare acquisition-adjusted independent-customer case growth while retaining issuer-specific customer and organic-volume definitions.

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