choco

Market position

Choco describes foodservice as an under-served market of roughly $6 trillion that still largely transacts on pen, paper and manual spreadsheets. Following its 2022 Series B2 at a $1.2 billion valuation, the company describes itself as the first unicorn in food distribution technology, with more than $328 million raised. Named competing startups include MUY, Mr. Yum and Snackpass, with Phood and Wasteless cited in adjacent food-waste tracking.

Choco's positioning rests on AI-based capture of orders across unstructured channels (voicemail, email, text, handwritten notes), direct integration with distributors' existing ERP systems, a single app that aggregates all of a restaurant's suppliers, and a combined buyer-and-seller network rather than a single-sided portal. Claimed outcomes include roughly 20% larger average order sizes, order preparation cut from about an hour to five to ten minutes for chefs, and elimination of order errors. It also cites a collaboration with OpenAI for a voice agent in foodservice.

Technology

The platform is delivered as mobile and desktop applications with no setup time required for restaurants, and uses artificial intelligence for order capture from voice and text channels, product recommendations in the ecommerce storefront, churn detection and sales prioritization. AI-based order processing runs 24/7 and outputs structured orders into distributor ERP systems, with a specialist team handling ERP-specific integrations.

Go-to-market

Choco combines outbound sales teams that demo the product to restaurants with inbound referrals from existing users, and describes a white-glove onboarding approach that adapts to each restaurant's existing procurement process. On the distributor side it uses buying-group and distributor partnerships as a channel, including agreements with UniPro (more than 450 members), Golbon and Dot Foods, for which it is a named technology partner offering priority onboarding and AI access. Distributor-invited restaurants are onboarded to the app at no cost.

Food and beverage wholesalers and distributors of foodservice products, and their restaurant, hospitality and foodservice buyers, including independent restaurants and multi-site operators. The company states it serves over 110,000 businesses and around 30,000 distributors.

Geography

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with the CEO splitting time between Berlin and New York. Company materials list activity in the U.S., France, Germany, Spain, the U.K. and the UAE; earlier statements also list Austria and Belgium. A dedicated U.S. site and a U.S. general manager role are in place.

History

Founded in Berlin in 2018, Choco raised a $63.7 million Series A around 2020, followed by a $100 million Series B in 2021 led by Left Lane Capital at a reported $600 million valuation, bringing total funding to $172 million. During Covid-19 lockdowns it launched Choco Market, temporary consumer-facing marketplaces for B2B suppliers. In April 2022 an internal $111 million Series B2 led by existing investor G Squared alongside Insight Partners valued the company at $1.2 billion, roughly doubling its valuation in six months and making it a unicorn three and a half years after inception. Subsequent years shifted the emphasis to AI products for distributors: distributor partnerships with UniPro and Golbon in 2024, a sales rep app in October 2024, Autopilot in March 2025 and an AI voice agent developed with OpenAI in December 2025. Cumulative funding is stated at more than $328 million.

Risks & controversies

Reported figures on funding totals and founder composition differ across sources: cumulative funding is stated as $172 million in 2021 coverage, $163.7 million across seven rounds in a third-party profile, and more than $328 million in current company materials, while company press releases name Grégoire Ambroselli as a co-founder and other accounts name Rogério da Silva Yokomizo. The business depends on distributors replacing manual ordering processes and on integrating with heterogeneous legacy ERP systems, and the restaurant customer base is exposed to sector shocks such as the Covid-19 downturn and labor shortages described in earlier coverage.