ITS Logistics’ Food & Beverage Hubs Are Ready to Support Peak Season Demand in a Changing Supply Chain Environment
-- Purpose-built distribution network integrates fulfillment, transportation, and compliance execution to support modern food & beverage supply chains --
RENO, Nev., Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the beverage industry prepares for its upcoming peak season, ITS Logistics, one of North America’s fastest-growing 3PLs, is enabling shippers to meet the operational demands of modern food and beverage distribution through its nationwide network of Food & Beverage Hubs. Designed to support manufacturers, importers, and distributors across regulatory requirements and channel complexity, the hubs provide scalable infrastructure that protects service, compliance, and cost control through peak season and steady-state operations alike.
“Peak season in food and beverage does not create risk; it reveals the structural weaknesses already embedded in the network,” said Kasia Wenker, Vice President of Solutions Engineering at ITS Logistics. “Brands that perform consistently are those that design operating models for resilience, traceability, and controlled scale throughout the year — not just during demand spikes. Distribution infrastructure must be able to absorb volatility without compromising service, compliance, or cost discipline.”
Peak season for beverage sales typically runs from mid-May through mid-July, with shippers ramping up operations as early as March. This year’s seasonal surge comes at a time of unprecedented risk for the food and beverage industry, according to new reporting from Verisk CargotNet. Of the total $725 million in estimated cargo theft losses that occurred in 2025, food and beverage represented the top stolen commodity, with incidents increasing 47% year-over-year. At the same time, margin pressure driven by sourcing volatility, transportation cost variability, and working-capital constraints is forcing brands to operate with tighter inventory discipline and higher service expectations.
ITS Logistics’ Food & Beverage Hubs network is engineered to address these conditions by combining food-grade facilities, standardized operating procedures, and centralized quality governance supported by an integrated technology stack. The network provides two-day reach to the majority of the U.S. population while enabling flexible execution across direct-to-consumer, B2B, retail replenishment, and marketplace fulfillment channels.
ITS Logistics’ Proven Experience Supporting Food & Beverage Shippers
Though the Food & Beverage Hubs were formally launched in 2025, ITS has over two decades of experience serving food and beverage customers across fulfillment, transportation, and managed supply chain solutions. Wellness Pet Company, a premium pet food manufacturer, partnered with ITS to scale distribution and fulfillment operations after outgrowing their former West Coast partner. Doubling their inventory footprint and working side-by-side with ITS to develop more efficient operations, Wellness Pet Company successfully increased outbound volume to meet growing consumer demand while protecting the brand’s high standard of service.
ITS has also supported food and beverage brands navigating the challenges of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer fulfillment. Nature’s Bakery, a national snack brand, utilized ITS’s expertise to design and launch their e-commerce fulfillment strategy — which today enables more flexible order execution, improved visibility, and reliable omnichannel performance.
ITS Logistics also offers an integrated transportation network and managed transportation solutions tailored to food and beverage. Pacific Cheese, a premium natural cheese company, launched a fully managed transportation partnership with ITS Logistics in early 2025. Their supply chain, which requires temperature-controlled capacity, faced a limited carrier network and a lack of visibility into market data. Working with ITS, Pacific Cheese has achieved a 13% reduction in overall transportation spend.
“The service has been outstanding,” said Brandon Smith, Vice President of Operations at Pacific Cheese. "As we all know, changes of this magnitude can bring disruption, but in our case, it’s been minimal, and any issues have been handled swiftly, transparently, and with accountability. ITS has become an integral part of our team."
Operational Forces Shaping Food & Beverage Supply Chains in 2026
ITS Logistics has identified three key factors influencing food & beverage supply chains in 2026:
- Stricter inventory control and compliance requirements: With food and beverage brands facing heightened expectations around traceability and inventory control, shippers should be evaluating whether their fulfillment partners have the technology in place to efficiently adapt to new policies and maintain audit readiness without slowing throughput or sacrificing visibility.
- Deeper integration between transportation and fulfillment: As capacity tightens and regulatory shifts continue disrupting networks, integrated transportation solutions can help control costs, protect network stability, and improve retail compliance while mitigating exposure to theft and fraud.
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Localized fulfillment and just-in-time reliability: Continued growth in e-commerce, rising consumer expectations, and a transition towards lean inventory models mean shippers will require networks that support faster replenishment cycles, flexible inventory positioning, and consistent service levels across both B2B and direct-to-consumer channels. Strategically positioned fulfillment hubs can offer the flexibility and proximity required to support these demands.
“Growth in food and beverage distribution is operationally complex because volume increases often introduce compliance risk, service variability, and working-capital pressure,” Wenker continued. “Scalable infrastructure must preserve food-grade standards, inventory integrity, and service performance as throughput expands. True scalability is measured not by square footage, but by the ability to grow without degrading control.”
Learn more about the Food and Beverage Hubs network here.
About ITS Logistics
ITS Logistics is one of North America's fastest-growing, asset-based modern 3PLs, providing solutions for the industry’s most complicated supply chain challenges. With a people-first culture committed to excellence, the company relentlessly strives to deliver unmatched value through best-in-class service, expertise, and innovation. The ITS Logistics portfolio features North America's #18 asset-lite freight brokerage, a top drayage and intermodal provider, an asset-based dedicated fleet, an innovative cloud-based technology ecosystem, and a nationwide distribution and fulfillment network.
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ITS Logistics’ Food & Beverage Hubs Are Ready to Support Peak Season Demand in a Changing Supply Chain Environment
Purpose-built distribution network integrates fulfillment, transportation, and compliance execution to support modern food & beverage supply chains
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