How U.S. Food Export Distribution Works
Chihade International is a U.S. food exporter. We buy American food products from more than 300 manufacturers, hold and consolidate them at our own facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and ship them to importers, distributors, retail groups and foodservice operators in over 30 countries.
This page explains how that actually works — what happens between a U.S. producer and your warehouse, and where an export distributor does work that a domestic supplier does not. Family-owned since 1979.
From U.S. Manufacturer to Your Warehouse
1. Sourcing across suppliers. Most orders draw on several manufacturers. We buy across a base of over 300 U.S. producers rather than selling one catalogue, so the programme is built around what your market sells.
2. Eligibility and compliance checks. Before anything is ordered, we confirm the product can enter your market — establishment eligibility for meat and poultry, ingredient and additive rules, shelf-life requirements at arrival, and any registration the destination requires.
3. Receipt and storage. Product arrives at our 64,000 sq. ft. facility and is held in the right zone: 8,000 sq. ft. freezer, 16,000 chilled, 40,000 dry. SQF certified, HACCP, with a USDA inspector on site.
4. Labelling and coding. Country-specific language labels and ink-jet date coding are applied in house, so product ships ready to meet destination requirements.
5. Consolidation. Items from different suppliers and different temperature zones are built into one container across our 22 dock doors, rather than moving as several part loads.
6. Documentation. Export and health certificates, certificates of origin, halal certification where required, consular or chamber legalisation for markets that ask for it, and a packing list built from what was physically loaded.
7. Loading and shipping. Containers are pre-cooled where needed and loaded at temperature. Documents travel with the shipment.
Minimum order is $5,000, and a typical programme runs around three weeks from confirmed order to loading.
For Importers and Distributors
The most common arrangement. You hold the market relationships; we hold the U.S. supply base and the export mechanics. A programme usually starts with a defined product list for one market, then widens as the range proves itself on shelf.
Where a brand or line warrants it, we work with distributors on territory exclusivity so the investment in building demand is protected.
Foodservice supply · Beef, poultry and seafood · Markets we serve
For Retail and Grocery Groups
Retail programmes are about assortment and consistency: a defined set of American lines, arriving on a predictable cycle, labelled for your market and coded so shelf-life works at your end rather than ours.
Because frozen, chilled and dry are all held in the same building, a store programme can be consolidated into one shipment instead of being split across suppliers and sailings.
For Franchise Systems and Foodservice Operators
Franchise supply is a specification problem before it is a logistics problem. Units in different countries have to receive the same approved item, and substitutions have to be agreed rather than improvised.
We work with over 30 franchise brands on approved-spec sourcing, consolidation and the export documentation each market requires, so an operator opening in a new country is not rebuilding the supply chain from scratch.
One Facility, Three Temperature Zones
Everything above happens in one building in Lawrenceville, Georgia, roughly 30 miles from Atlanta and close to the I-85 corridor: 64,000 sq. ft. across 40,000 dry, 16,000 chilled and 8,000 freezer, with 22 dock doors.
Holding, labelling, consolidating and inspecting in the same place is what keeps the paperwork and the pallet in agreement. It is also available on its own — producers and other exporters use the facility for storage and consolidation without buying product through us. Third-party logistics in Atlanta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chihade International distribute food inside the United States?
We are an exporter. Our U.S. operation is sourcing, storage, labelling, consolidation and export documentation out of Lawrenceville, Georgia. Domestic customers use the facility for third-party logistics rather than for delivery to restaurants and stores.
How long does a first shipment take?
Around three weeks from confirmed order to loading is typical, though it depends on the manufacturers involved and the documentation your market requires. Minimum order is $5,000.
Can one container hold frozen, chilled and dry product together?
Yes, where the destination allows it. All three temperature zones are in the same building, so a mixed load is built once rather than assembled across several shipments.
Do you handle the export paperwork, or do we?
We do. Export and health certificates, certificates of origin, halal certification where required, and legalisation for markets that ask for it. Requirements change by market, so we confirm the current position before shipping rather than repeating last year’s set.
Can you apply labels in our language?
Yes. Country-specific language labelling and ink-jet date coding are done in house before the container is loaded.
Do you work with U.S. manufacturers who want to export?
Yes. If you produce food in the United States and want it in export markets without building an export department, we act as the export arm. More for suppliers.
Talk to Us About a Programme
Tell us the market you are supplying and the products you are looking for, and we will come back on availability, compliance and what a first shipment would look like.