Called Food Cooperatives, Inc., the products procured by this organization were sold under the Food Club and Elna labels. Some of the members of Food Cooperatives were also members of another cooperative called Top Frost Foods. By early 1950, it was obvious that the two cooperatives were clearly well matched, which resulted in a merger of the two companies in December of that year. This was the beginning of Topco Associates, Inc., as it is known today. Folklore has it that the name "Topco" came from the "top" of Top Frost and the "co" of Food Cooperatives. Some people claim it's an acronym for "top companies."

Today, Topco is a nearly $18.3 billion, privately held company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its leading food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers and food service companies. Topco leverages the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of these companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by reducing costs and offering winning business-building capabilities.