What Are the Best Ways to Source Your Foodservice Program?

Strategically sourcing foodservice programs with the right mix of convenience store distributors and manufacturers, as well as broadline and niche foodservice distributors, is critical to ensure program success and differentiation, right pricing and margin management.

Finding the right mix of procurement sources is part science and part art. The science requires rigor in strategic planning and standardizing sourcing procedures and processes, which should be reviewed annually. The art is in the ability to negotiate good programs and develop collaborative relationships with all foodservice suppliers, who in turn will help you achieve new heights in your foodservice programs.


Foodservice 101: The Basics
Foodservice 201: Intermediate Insights
Foodservice 301: Advanced Approaches


Our How To Crew

   
Jack W. Cushman
Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes
  Dean Dirks,
b2b Solutions
  Eric Giandelone,
Mintel Foodservic

   
Burke Hodge,
The Coffee Consultants
  Kane Kulas,
CSM Bakery Products
  Michael Lawshe,
Paragon Solutions

   
Larry Miller,
Miller Management & Consulting Services
  Maurice Minno,
MPM Group
  Paul Pierce,
7-Eleven Inc. (formerly)

   
Tim Powell,
Technomic
  Chad Prast, VPS
Convenience Store Group
  Bonnie Riggs,
The NPD Group

       
Jennifer Vespole,
Quick Chek Corp.
       

New Additions to Our How To Crew
Convenience Store News is pleased to announce two new additions to our How To Crew, a panel of industry-leading foodservice experts that serve as the go-to sources for our How To Do World-Class Foodservice series. The new members are:

Kane Kulas is the national accounts manager in the Convenience Store segment for CSM Bakery Products, the largest supplier of bakery products worldwide and one of the largest bakery manufacturers in North America. Kulas has more than 25 years of experience in the fresh food and bakery industry, including fresh meat and deli operations in convenience and grocery. He started with CSM Bakery Products in 1997 and over the past nine years, he has focused on every aspect of the company's cookie business, including batters, brownies and fresh-baked items. He was promoted to his current role in 2010. CSM Bakery Products is a division of Bakery Supplies North America, which operates 21 U.S. factories and has two production locations in Canada.

Paul Pierce is a 26-year veteran of the convenience store industry. He spent the last two years managing 7-Eleven Inc.'s billion-dollar foodservice business, along with the retailer's billion-dollar coffee/Slurpee/Big Gulp business. Pierce oversaw the company's 26 commissaries and bakeries with daily distribution, as well as the rollout of the 7-Eleven in-store hot food program and crew-served roller grill program. Prior to 7-Eleven, he spent time in the role of vice president of merchandising at MAPCO, Golden Gallon, Kangaroo and Crown Petroleum. Pierce earned a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, where he specialized in advertising.

CSNews' How To Do World-Class Foodservice report is researched and written by Maureen Azzato, a freelance content developer and editor with more than 20 years of business publishing experience, with a primary focus on foodservice and retailing. Previously she was the founding publisher and editorial director of On-the-Go Foodservice, a publication for cross-channel retail foodservice executives, and publisher and editorial director of Convenience Store News, where she worked for 17 years.

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