The Summer Fancy Food Show runs June 28 through 30 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. More than 2,500 exhibitors from over 57 countries will showcase specialty food and beverage products to 47,000 industry professionals.

For food brand founders and operations leaders walking the aisles, the Summer Fancy Food Show is where product meets market. The harder question, the one that keeps those founders up at night, is what happens between the handshake with a buyer and the product appearing on a retail shelf. That question has a geographic answer, and it starts in Northern California.

PRISM Logistics will be there, the same way we have been year after year. And this year we are especially glad to share the floor with our distribution partner, Allied Distribution, who will be attending as well.

So why does a Northern California third-party logistics company make the trip across the country for a food show? Because this is where our customers live, grow, and decide who they trust with their products. Here is what keeps bringing us back.

The Summer Fancy Food Show is where food brands are born and built

The Fancy Food Show is not a general trade expo. It is dedicated entirely to specialty food and beverage, which is exactly the world PRISM serves. The makers in those booths are the artisan sauce companies, the organic tea brands, the small-batch snack lines, and the fast-growing CPG names that one day need real warehousing, real distribution, and real food-safety discipline behind them.

We have watched it happen up close. Lucky Dog Hot Sauce became a PRISM customer back in 2015 and has grown with us ever since. Numi Tea, Girl Scouts of Northern California, and the SPAM brand from Hormel have all trusted us with the work that happens after the sale. Every one of those relationships started with a conversation, and shows like this one are where many of those conversations begin.

For a brand standing in a booth dreaming about national retail, the question is always the same. Once the orders start coming in, who is going to store it, pick it, pack it, and ship it without dropping the ball? That is the question PRISM is built to answer.

The food and beverage supply chain is a high-stakes business

Specialty food is exciting, but the logistics behind it leave no room for guesswork. The food and beverage logistics sector accounts for over $150 billion in annual U.S. spending (Food Logistics). A single food recall costs an average of $10 million per incident (Food Safety Magazine), and just one temperature excursion can exceed $100,000 in food loss (Refrigerated and Frozen Foods).

Those numbers are why food brands cannot treat their 3PL as an afterthought. They need a partner with the certifications, the technology, and the track record to protect their product and their reputation. PRISM brings AIB Superior food safety, QAI Organic certification, ISO 9001 compliance, and SQF Food Safety Code certification, which our Lathrop facility earned with a 99% audit rating in August 2025.

The Summer Fancy Food Show gives us the chance to have those conversations in person, to show growing brands that the boring, behind-the-scenes part of their business can be the most reliable part.

We bring 30+ years and 2.3 million square feet to the table

PRISM is a family-owned company, founded in 1993 and still run by the Van Puffelen family. More than 30 years later, we operate 2.3 million square feet of warehouse space across seven Northern California facilities in Hayward, Lathrop, West Sacramento, and Stockton.

That footprint matters for any food or beverage brand eyeing the West Coast. From our locations we reach 60 million consumers in a single day and 85% of the West Coast within two days, with direct I-5 access plus rail and port connections through Oakland, Stockton, and Sacramento. Behind it all runs PRIMS, our real-time inventory management system that gives customers 24/7 visibility into their stock, orders, and shipments.

When we talk with brands in New York, this is the story we get to tell. We are big enough to handle serious volume and personal enough to treat your products like our own. People that care. Technology that performs. Logistics you can trust.

Why we show up in person, every single year

Logistics is a relationship business. You can read a website and compare a list of services, but you cannot feel whether a company actually cares about your success from a spec sheet. That is why we keep showing up.

The Summer Fancy Food Show lets us do three things no email can. We meet the founders and operations leaders who will shape the next decade of specialty food. We reconnect with the partners, distributors, and brands we already work with and learn what they need next. And we listen to where the industry is heading, from clean-label and organic demand to the e-commerce fulfillment pressure that is reshaping how food moves.

The 3PL market is projected to reach $1.8 trillion globally by 2026 (Grand View Research), and 90% of Fortune 500 companies already rely on 3PL partners (SupplyChain247). The brands walking the Javits Center floor are the ones who will drive the next wave of that growth, and we want to be standing beside them when they do.

The Geography Argument for Northern California

The food and beverage logistics sector accounts for over $150 billion in annual U.S. spending (Food Logistics). Where a food brand positions its fulfillment warehouse determines how much of that spend goes to actual distribution versus wasted transportation costs. Strategic warehouse locations cut transportation costs by 25% (McKinsey).

Northern California checks the boxes that food brand operations leaders care about most. PRISM’s California warehouse network spans 2.3 million square feet across 7 facilities in Hayward, Lathrop, West Sacramento, and four Stockton warehouse sites. That footprint reaches 60 million consumers in 1 day (Prologis) and serves 85% of the West Coast within 2 days.

Direct I-5 access covers the entire West Coast corridor. Rail-served facilities in Stockton handle inbound container shipments. Port connectivity through the Port of Oakland, Port of Stockton, and Port of Sacramento provides import lanes for brands shipping ingredients or finished goods from Asia, South America, or Europe. Companies using rail-served facilities save 20 to 30% on transport costs (Supply Chain Dive).

Certifications That Food Brands Can Verify

Ninety percent of perishable product damage happens during handling and storage, not transit (Material Handling Industry). That statistic reframes the entire 3PL evaluation for food brands. The warehouse is the highest-risk link in the food and beverage logistics chain.

PRISM holds four food logistics certifications that are directly relevant to Fancy Food Show exhibitors:

AIB Superior Food Safety. AIB International audits warehouse facilities against a comprehensive food safety certifications standard. PRISM’s AIB Superior rating indicates the highest audit tier, covering sanitation, pest management, operational methods, and maintenance.

QAI Organic Certified. For brands selling organic products, this certification means PRISM’s handling and storage processes meet the organic integrity requirements set by Quality Assurance International. Numi Organic Tea is a long-term PRISM customer whose values-driven brand relies on that certification.

ISO 9001 Compliant. A quality management system standard that applies across all logistics services operational processes.

SQF Food Safety Code Certified. The Lathrop facility earned SQF certification with a 99% audit rating from DNV Business Assurance. SQF (Safe Quality Food) is a GFSI-benchmarked standard recognized by major retailers. Food recalls cost an average of $10 million per incident (Food Safety Magazine). SQF certification is the operational framework that prevents those incidents.

For a specialty food brand headquartered on the East Coast or importing from overseas, the question is simple: how do I get my product to West Coast shelves? The answer starts with a warehouse and distribution services partner that has the capacity, the certifications, and the West Coast footprint to handle the job.

The economic impact of the logistics industry in California exceeds $195 billion annually (California Employment Development Department). California is not just a market. It is the logistics gateway for the entire Pacific Rim. PRISM’s positioning inside that gateway, with 30-plus years of food-grade warehousing logistics operations, makes the Allied Distribution booth a natural starting point for food brands evaluating their distribution strategy.

Track Record With Food Brands That Buyers Recognize

Certifications tell half the story. Customer references tell the rest. PRISM’s food and beverage distribution track record includes relationships that Fancy Food Show attendees will recognize.

Numi Organic Tea is a values-driven brand that requires organic-certified handling at every stage. PRISM’s QAI Organic certification satisfies that requirement, and the long-term relationship demonstrates operational consistency, not just a one-time capability.

The Girl Scouts of Northern California have relied on PRISM for cookie fulfillment for decades. Cookie distribution is a high-volume, high-visibility seasonal operation where accuracy and timing are non-negotiable. That relationship is as close to a stress test as food fulfillment services get.

Lucky Dog Hot Sauce is a specialty food brand that started small and scaled with PRISM. Founder Scott Zalkind has been a PRISM customer since 2015. For a Fancy Food Show exhibitor wondering whether a 3PL built for large-scale operations can also serve a growing brand, Lucky Dog is the answer.

Value-Add Services That Food Brands Actually Need

Getting food products onto a pallet is the baseline. Getting them retail-ready is the value. PRISM’s value-added fulfillment services handle the steps between storage and the store shelf: display assembly, kitting, re-pack, stretch wrap, labeling, packaging, and consolidation.

For a food brand launching a new product at the Fancy Food Show, the path from buyer interest to retail placement goes through these exact services. The buyer wants a shipper display pre-built and ready for aisle placement. The retailer wants case packs labeled to specification. The distributor wants orders consolidated to reduce dock appointments. Each of those requirements is a pick and pack fulfillment task that PRISM handles in-house.

Poor inventory management causes 25% of profits to be lost (Inbound Logistics). For food brands operating on specialty-product margins, that waste is existential. PRISM’s PRIMS (Real-time Inventory Management System) provides 24/7 web-based logistics management inventory access, EDI integration, and lot-level tracking that satisfies FSMA traceability requirements.

The Family Behind the Facilities

Prism is family owned and operated since co-founded by Chairman Jere van Puffelen in 1993. His sons Jeremy, President and Zech Vice President Transportation and IT have been co-owners since 2014. Jere was recently named the IWLA EWLP 2026 Hall of Fame Inductee, a recognition that honors a career of commitment to the warehousing industry.

For food brand founders attending the Summer Fancy Food Show, who are often family-run businesses themselves, that leadership structure matters. The person making decisions about your product’s storage and handling is not a mid-level manager at a private equity portfolio company. It is the founder’s son, running the warehouse and distribution services operation his father built. “Warehouses and services can only get you so far,” Jere Van Puffelen has said. “It’s heart, determination, and our family-first mentality that keep PRISM thriving.”

That philosophy translates into a family-owned 3PL that treats food brand partnerships as long-term relationships. Not seasonal contracts. Not transactional arrangements. Relationships where the warehouse team knows your product, your retailer requirements, and your growth plan.

Let’s connect in New York

If you are a food, beverage, or CPG brand attending the Summer Fancy Food Show, we would love to meet you. Whether you are launching your first product or planning your next stage of growth, PRISM is ready to be the logistics partner that grows with you.

Come find us, say hello to the PRISM and Allied Distribution teams, and let’s talk about what reliable, technology-driven, family-run logistics could do for your brand.

FAQ: Summer Fancy Food Show and Northern California Food Distribution

Why is Northern California a strong distribution hub for food brands?

Northern California’s California warehouse network reaches 60 million consumers in 1 day and serves 85% of the West Coast within 2 days. Port access through Oakland, Stockton, and Sacramento, combined with rail service and direct I-5 highway access, creates multi-modal options that reduce total landed cost.

What food safety certifications does PRISM hold?

PRISM holds AIB Superior Food Safety, QAI Organic, ISO 9001, and SQF Food Safety Code certification (Lathrop facility, 99% audit rating from DNV Business Assurance).

Can PRISM handle organic food products?

Yes. PRISM’s QAI Organic certification means the handling, storage, and distribution processes meet organic integrity requirements. Numi Organic Tea is a long-term customer whose organic products are stored and distributed through PRISM facilities.

Will PRISM be at the Summer Fancy Food Show?

PRISM will be present at the Allied Distribution booth during the Summer Fancy Food Show, June 28 through 30 at the Javits Center in New York City. Visit PRISM’s blog for show updates.

How do I start a conversation about food distribution with PRISM?

Visit Request a Quote to connect with PRISM’s team about your food logistics needs, or stop by the Allied Distribution booth at the Summer Fancy Food Show.

ABOUT PRISM LOGISTICS: As a warehouse services and warehouse distribution management company, PRISM Logistics provides value added fulfillment and pick & pack services for B2B and B2C operations in California. For more information about PRISM Logistics Warehouse and Distribution services, request a quote and follow on Facebook and LinkedIn.