Specialty grocery merchants sell more food at wholesale than any other group of wholesale vendors, according to this benchmark study of the industry. The typical specialty grocery merchant is a supplier of perishable foods who runs a low-volume wholesale operation with few employees, handles one product line, supplies particular customers, trades with other wholesale vendors, and offers specialized services. Small specialty establishments predominate, but changes in marketing channels, such as processors selling directly to retail clients, may reduce the demand for services of small specialty merchants.