Sysco Corporation, the Houston-based foodservice distributor, has used a wordmark-style logo since 2008, when it replaced a cube emblem that had served the company for 38 years. The current identity centers on the company name in lowercase lettering, with a green leaf integrated into the letter “y”.
Design and History
Sysco was founded in 1969 when John F. Baugh’s Zero Foods and eight other distributors combined to form a national foodservice distribution organization. The name Sysco is an acronym for Systems and Services Company.[1]
On October 31, 2008, Sysco introduced a new logo and tagline, “Good things come from Sysco.” The new logo replaced both the cube and uppercase acronym images that had been in use since the company’s inception. According to then-chairman and CEO Rick Schnieders, the cube logo “served us well for 38 years,” but the company wanted a visual image that would communicate “the Sysco of today and the future.”[2]
The redesign was created by Easterly, a Houston-based branding and strategic communications company. Sysco engaged Easterly in January 2008 to develop new messaging, reposition the company, and create a new logo and tagline.[3]
The 2008 identity marked a shift from the previous treatment, which presented the company as an acronym in all capital letters. The new logo turned the name into a friendlier, title-case wordmark, building on the familiarity of the name rather than explaining what the acronym stood for.[4]
In 2025, Sysco announced a refresh of its private-label product brands, including Sysco Reliance, Sysco Classic, and Sysco Premium, with redesigned packaging and updated graphics. This refresh applies to the branded product portfolio rather than the corporate logo itself.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The most prominent feature of the 2008 logo is a green leaf in the letter “y” of Sysco. According to the company’s announcement, the leaf signifies quality food, Sysco’s industry, and the company’s commitment to the environment and sustainability.[2]
The new logo was designed to emphasize Sysco’s commitment to sustainability and delivering quality products, replacing the older cube mark that had been an interpretation of the acronym for Systems and Services Company.[4]
Typography and Design
The 2008 logo uses a clean sans-serif wordmark in lowercase letters, a departure from the previous serif treatment. The design integrates the tagline “Good things come from Sysco” directly into the logo lockup.[2] Design commentary at the time of the launch noted the logo’s simple typographic treatment and its shift from the condensed, block-style cube icon to a more straightforward wordmark.[4]
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