What Is Sysco?

Sysco, which is an acronym for Systems and Services Company, is considered to be the largest food distributor service company in North America. The company distributes a wide range of food products, including frozen foods, canned goods, dry foods, frozen meats, fresh meats, poultry, seafood, fresh produce and imported foods.

Sysco Corporation services a wide range of customers including hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, movie theaters, amusement parks and colleges. They even service some chain restaurants. Besides food products, Sysco supplies a number of non-food items, such as disposable cups, plates, tableware and napkins. They also supply restaurant kitchens with cleaning supplies.

Sysco is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has been in existence since 1969. In Houston, Sysco is the largest "non-oil" company in the city and third largest non-oil organization in the state of Texas. In 2010, Fortune Magazine named Sysco the 55th largest company in the United States as measured by total revenue. Sysco has roughly 400,000 customers throughout the United States and Canada.

Operating at over 170 locations throughout the United States including Alaska and Hawaii and Canada, Sysco employs over 50,000 workers spread out among these locations. Sysco's product lines are diverse, including not only prepared meals, but ingredients and styrofoam products. Sysco's brands include products targeted to high end customers, middle class customers, hotels and fresh and natural product enthusiasts. Sysco's competitors include customers such as U.S. Foodservice and Performance Food Group.