How to Become an H-E-B Supplier

Why H-E-B matters

H-E-B operates about 460 stores across Texas and Mexico, with more than $50 billion in sales, and is expanding rapidly in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. In 2026 it bought land in North Texas for a new supply chain campus.

The footprint is Texas plus northern Mexico, supplied from distribution hubs in San Antonio, Temple, Houston and other Texas sites, with new campuses planned in Hempstead and north of Dallas–Fort Worth.

Its own brands — H-E-B, Hill Country Fare, Central Market, H-E-B Organics, Mi Tienda, Meal Simple and others — are built around unique, distinctive items rather than simple copies of national brands.

How to get in

H-E-B takes supplier applications through its supplier site and manages active suppliers in a supplier portal. It also runs a supplier diversity program.

For Texas-made products, the annual Quest for Texas Best competition is another route: entries open in the spring, and the 2026 contest offered $100,000 in prizes, with shelf placement for the Grand Prize winner.

What it's like to supply H-E-B

• Value focus. H-E-B wants a great product at a good cost — not the cheapest item on the shelf.
• Hispanic consumer focus. Products and flavors that serve H-E-B's large Hispanic customer base get real attention.
• Low MOQs, strong partnerships. Minimums are manageable, but H-E-B expects a committed, long-term partner.
• Co-development. H-E-B's R&D team is willing to develop products alongside its suppliers.
• Texas geography. Everything runs through Texas — plan your freight and capacity accordingly.

What H-E-B will ask for

• Quality at or above the national brand benchmark.
• GFSI-recognized certification (or equivalent) for all H-E-B own-brand manufactured food suppliers, plus the right for H-E-B to audit your plant.
• Company basics: tax ID, D-U-N-S number, three years of revenue, a capability statement and certificate of insurance.
• GS1 UPCs, finished-package samples, and details on your manufacturing and shipping capacity.
• EDI purchase orders received before you ship, with deliveries made by the ship-to-arrive date.
• Cost changes submitted through H-E-B's Supplier Portal.

Where suppliers stumble

Many manufacturers apply with a generic national-brand pitch. H-E-B responds to products that are distinctive, a fit for Texas shoppers, and backed by the capacity to grow with its expansion.

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