Wholesale Meat Suppliers

What does a wholesale meat supplier sell?

A wholesale meat supplier sells product by the full case, not by the pound at a counter. Every item has a code, a cut, a pack and a case weight, and you order whole cases of that item. At nycmeat the chicken ships in 40-pound cases and the pork sausage in 24-pound cases of 24 one-pound bags.

Our catalog has 12 chicken items and 3 pork sausages. The chicken side covers the cuts that kitchens and meat counters move every week:

• Boneless chicken breast in three specs: regular (AF17771), BNIS trim (AF7301) and a Pilgrim-brand item (PG20261)
• Boneless chicken leg (96803), dark meat with the bone already out
• Drumsticks in small (MJ3) and medium (two items, including AF32608)
• Whole chicken legs in small (PG55013) and medium (MJ5)
• Party wings (AF00143), cut into drumettes and flats
• Chicken gizzards (GE7322) and chicken livers (GE7222)
• Delightful pork sausage in original, black pepper and corn flavors, ready to cook and frozen

Some of the chicken items are described as halal in the catalog. Halal status is confirmed item by item, with the documentation for that specific item. Never assume it for a whole catalog or a whole truck.

Who can buy from a wholesale meat supplier?

Any business that buys by the case and reorders can buy wholesale: restaurants, bodegas and delis, butcher shops, caterers, food trucks and institutional kitchens. What makes it wholesale is the case and the repeat order, not the type of business. The account is built around a weekly quote, a route day and a standing list of item codes.

What a supplier asks for to open an account varies from one company to another. Expect to give the business name, the delivery address, who receives the order and how you will pay. Ask the salesperson what they need instead of guessing; it takes a few minutes on the phone.

How do wholesale meat suppliers price a case?

A case is priced per pound, and the pound price moves with the market, usually from one week to the next. The salesperson gives you the day's quote for each item code; there is no fixed list price that holds for months. Chicken and pork are commodities, so a quote from three weeks ago says little about today.

Two numbers decide the case cost: the pound price and the case weight. On a fixed 40-pound case of chicken, the case cost is the pound price times 40. Some suppliers sell catch-weight cases, billed on the actual weight printed on each label, so ask how each item is billed.

The number that really matters for food cost is the cost per usable pound: what you paid divided by what is left after trimming and cooking. A trimmed spec such as BNIS breast can carry a higher pound price and still come out cheaper on the plate if your staff trims less. Our guide on how much a case of chicken costs walks through that math step by step.

What should a supplier's item list tell you?

A usable item list gives, for every line, the item code, the cut, the pack, the case weight and whether it is fresh or frozen. If any of those is missing, you are comparing guesses, not offers. The item code is the part you repeat on every order, so the same product shows up every week.

• Item code, for example AF00143 for party wings or GE7222 for livers
• Cut and spec: bone-in or boneless, trimmed or untrimmed, small or medium
• Pack: loose in the case, bags inside the case, or retail bags like the 1-pound sausage bag
• Case weight: 40 lb for our chicken, 24 lb for the sausage
• Fresh or frozen, which decides where it goes the minute it arrives
• Halal status, confirmed item by item, if your menu depends on it

Does nycmeat deliver across New York State?

Yes. The nycmeat route covers all of New York State, not only the five boroughs. What changes from one zone to another is the delivery day and the order minimum. The salesperson confirms both when you place the order; they are not published as a fixed schedule.

When you compare suppliers, look at the route as closely as the price. A case that arrives on the wrong day costs you a menu item or leaves a freezer door empty. Ask which day your zone is served, what the cut-off time is to make that truck, and how you will be told if an item is short.

What should you check when the first order arrives?

Check temperature, count and labels before you sign for the delivery. Fresh chicken should arrive cold, at 40 °F or below, and frozen product should arrive frozen solid. That is the general USDA reference for perishable food. It is offered here as a guide, not as an inspection standard.

• Count the cases against the invoice, one item code at a time
• Compare the weight on each case label with the weight billed
• Take the temperature of one fresh case with a probe thermometer
• Look for torn bags, crushed corners and frozen product with signs of thawing, such as heavy frost or frozen liquid inside the bag
• Put fresh product in the walk-in and frozen product in the freezer first; do the paperwork after

If something is wrong, write it on the delivery receipt while the driver is there and call the salesperson the same day. A note on the receipt is much easier to settle than a complaint two days later.

How do you compare two wholesale meat suppliers?

Compare them on the same item list, in the same week, by cost per usable pound and by how reliably they deliver. A lower pound price on a spec that needs more trim, or on a route that skips days, is not a saving. Run the comparison on the two or three items you buy most.

• Same spec: trimmed against trimmed, small drumsticks against small drumsticks
• Same week: quotes from different weeks are not comparable
• Yield: weigh the usable meat from one case of each after trimming
• Shorts: how often an item was missing and how early you heard about it
• Ordering: phone hours, order cut-off and who picks up when you call

How do you place a first order with nycmeat?

Choose the items in the catalog, call 212-448-9088 or 917-562-8568 Monday to Friday, and ask for the day's quote on each item code. Before anything is loaded, the salesperson confirms the price, the delivery day for your zone and the order minimum. Nothing in this guide is a quote or an offer.

A practical start is two or three items you already move every week, for example boneless breast and party wings, for one or two deliveries. Once the route and the yield check out, add the rest of the list, including a case of sausage if your counter or breakfast menu can use it.

What does a wholesale meat supplier in New York actually carry?

It depends on the type of supplier. A broadline distributor carries everything from beef to paper goods, while a poultry specialist carries a short list of chicken cuts by the case. This catalog is the second kind: 12 chicken items in 40-pound cases plus three frozen pork sausages in 24-pound cases, each with its own item code.

• Boneless breast: AF17771, AF7301 in BNIS trim and PG20261 from Pilgrim
• Boneless leg: 96803
• Drumsticks: small MJ3, medium MARY73065 and medium AF32608
• Whole legs: small PG55013 and medium MJ5
• Wings: party wings AF00143
• Offal: gizzards GE7322 and livers GE7222
• Delightful pork sausage: original, black pepper and corn, in 1-pound bags of 6 links, 24 bags per case

Ask any supplier for a list like this, with codes and case weights, before the first order. 'We have chicken' is not a spec. You can only compare two suppliers line by line when both give you the code, the pack and the case weight.

How do you read the label on a wholesale meat case?

The case label tells you what you bought, how much of it, and how it has to be kept. Read it at the door, before you sign, because once the case is in your freezer it is hard to argue about what arrived. These are the lines to look for.

• Product name and item code: it should match the line on the invoice, for example AF00143 for party wings
• Net weight: on catch-weight items this is the real weight of that case, and the invoice should follow it
• Pack or production date and lot number: what you need to rotate stock and to trace a problem
• Storage line: keep frozen or keep refrigerated
• The inspection mark with the plant's establishment number, which tells you where the product was packed
• Any claim such as halal, with the name of the certifying body

The inspection mark identifies the plant that packed the product. It is not a certification of the supplier who sells you the case. If a claim matters to your customers, ask for it item by item.

Why is a case of chicken weighed and a case of sausage counted?

Because chicken is often sold by catch weight, while packaged sausage is a fixed-weight item. The 40 pounds on a chicken case is a nominal weight: the real case can come in a little over or under, and on catch-weight items the invoice follows the weight printed on the label. A case of Delightful pork sausage is 24 bags of 1 pound (16 oz, 454 g), so it is always 24 pounds and 144 links.

• Costing: for sausage, divide the case quote by 144 to get cost per link; for chicken you need the real weight and the yield after trim and cooking
• Receiving: count the bags of sausage; check the label weights on chicken
• Storage: the sausage is ready to cook, not ready to eat, and stays frozen until it goes in the oven
• Cooking: 425 °F for at least 16 minutes, until it reaches 160 °F inside

Does a wholesale meat supplier deliver outside New York City?

Some do and many do not, so ask before you assume. This route covers all of New York State, not only the five boroughs, so an operator on Long Island, in the Hudson Valley or upstate can order from the same catalog. The order minimum and the delivery day change by zone, and the salesperson confirms both when you place the order.

• Which day does the truck come to my zone, and what is the cutoff to make that truck?
• Is there an order minimum for my zone?
• How is product kept cold from the warehouse to my door?
• Who do I call if the truck is late or an item is short?

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a wholesale meat supplier and a meat distributor?

In everyday use the two words overlap. A distributor usually holds stock from several packers and runs its own delivery routes. A supplier can be a distributor, a packer selling direct or a cash-and-carry. For a buyer, what counts is that they sell by the case, quote weekly and deliver on a day you can plan around.

Do wholesale meat suppliers sell to bodegas and butcher shops?

Yes. A wholesale account is for any business that buys by the case, including bodegas, delis and butcher shops, not only restaurants. A bodega can carry the 1-pound sausage bags as a sealed freezer item next to the chicken.

How much does a case of meat cost from a wholesale supplier?

It depends on the cut and on the week. Meat is quoted per pound and the price moves with the market, so ask for the day's quote on the item code. To get the case cost, multiply the pound price by the case weight: 40 lb for our chicken and 24 lb for the sausage.

Does nycmeat deliver outside New York City?

Yes. The route covers all of New York State. The salesperson confirms the delivery day and the order minimum for your zone when you order.

Is there halal chicken in the catalog?

Some chicken items are described as halal in the catalog. Before an item goes on a halal menu, ask for the documentation for that item code. Halal status is confirmed item by item, not for the whole catalog.

Do wholesale meat suppliers sell to bodegas?

Many do, as long as the store can receive and store full cases. A bodega with a reach-in freezer usually starts with one or two items, such as party wings or pork sausage, and adds cuts as it learns how fast they sell.

What should be printed on a case of wholesale chicken?

The product name and item code, the net weight, the pack or production date and lot, the storage line (keep frozen or keep refrigerated) and the plant's inspection mark. Check them against the invoice before you sign.

Can a restaurant outside New York City order from a NYC supplier?

From this one, yes: the route covers all of New York State. The order minimum and the delivery day depend on your zone, so confirm both with the salesperson before the first order.