The Find – Move – Build Approach to Produce
When it comes to fresh produce, it isn’t only about what you are buying, but who you buy it from and how it goes from the growers to your stores. That’s why we have a comprehensive approach to produce, one that is easy as find – move – build!
It’s a Flywheel!
Find, move, build is a flywheel. Each component needs the other and it doesn’t stop with build but goes back to find, supported by move, resulting in build until the program changes and we go back to find. As with a flywheel, once you start the motion, momentum grows as the program feeds more and more energy resulting in forward propulsion of your business.
Find & Buy Direct
You can work directly and have access to grower / shippers on the West coast. Tell us what you are looking for and we will point you to the growers that will meet your specific needs and values quality and food safety
- Green Light
- GreenGate Fresh
- GoVerden Fresh
Good things come to those who look for them and we all know that when looking for the right shoes to go with our ensemble or the rare find that popped up on eBay that completes a collection. There is even the Biblical admonition to seek and you will find. The point being that the right produce from the right grower with the right shipping lanes does not fall in your lap on demand. It requires an extensive search. However, time is not always on the side of a produce buyer and what shortens the hunt is tapping into the knowledge base of your network (the hive mind) or someone with the right network. In this case, we have a network of growers that we know and trust.
Finding requires foundational knowledge so that you have a general direction to begin your search, knowing the right questions to vet suppliers, knowing when you are talking to someone that truly knows their stuff, and even some relationship established so you know you want to do business with those that pop up in your findings. You need to know if the product you need can be cut to spec, if the pack size will work, or if they even have the shipping lanes that will work with your delivery points. Finding requires knowing where to look, and that is where the right people know the right place to begin the hunt.
Move & Consolidate
Once you know the growers and processors you want to source from, the next step is to consolidate your orders at our mixing cooler and get it on the road to your stores. This opens up greater variety because consolidation allows you to buy seasonal, specialty, or what you need without worrying about LTL.
Move produce with a delivered program, managed freight, or through consolidation.
- Consolidation
- Managed Freight
- Delivered Programs
What Amazon did to buying was revolutionary. Unparalleled access, two day shipping, and making it stupid easy to blow your money. The component that makes this work is the logistics. When you look at what makes their system fast, efficient, and cost effective, you’ll see the individual pieces such as using established shipping routes, pick up points, and consolidation in fulfillment centers because time and miles cannot be wasted!
Some of the same strategy is seen when we put together the move part of our produce plan for customers. Our team knows the lanes and has established routes and as the drop points increase for us, the more we can maximize loads for our customers, sharing that critical truck space. We also have established relationships because a shipper can make or break the quality and timeliness of a load, so you need to know you can rely on the right one. Then it all starts with our centralized hubs that are placed in the major growing regions so that each mile, minute, and man hour count with produce pick up. Time and miles cannot be wasted, and this is more true for a truck with refrigerated product than the 3 pack of tube socks making a mad rush to your doorstep via Amazon Prime.
Build & Optimize Quality
When you put direct relationships with growers with a consolidation plan, this opens the doors to product optimization. That may less shrink taking place, better inventory rotation, or simply having product that is fresher and higher quality because of the supply efficiency that comes with consolidation.
Build with a team that is constantly engaging you and supporting your business.
- Customized Programs
- Product Development
- In-Market Support
Build is the result of the first two components being hashed out – the source and the delivery. When these two are working for you, the result is a produce program that will be a boon for your food business.
However, we don’t stop at the initial program. Anything built requires maintenance and continued refinement. That is where we place the final touch of in-market support to our methodology. The initial plan is continually refined and expanded, because sourcing needs are not static but instead dynamic. Our team is located regionally so they understand your market and is routinely checking on you to make sure the program that was initially built is still relevant, making necessary adjustments, additions, whatever you need to make sure the produce side of your business is successful. Because when the produce is fresh, of great quality, your end user will be happy and happy customers tell their friends and become a loyal ally.
