Ever try to submit your taxes without using an accountant?

It’s an awful task. And you always run a lot of risk of getting it wrong and paying the consequences (literally).

The process of importing and exporting foods can be very similar — paperwork filled, confusing, and if you’re shipping a lot of product, it’s a full time job.

I was a newbie at Expo West this year. Luckily, I got some expert advice from some fast-made friends who are quite familiar in the industry.

I talked to Rachel Zemser, an R&D consultant, who weighed in before the show. Customers gave me insight. And I rode from the airport with an experienced employee of KeHe. All in all, I got some great prep advice that helped my show go smoothly.

If you’re attending any trade shows over the next year, this advice from the pros will come in very helpful!

First dates.  

They're often awkward, sometimes exhilirating, and always the start of something new.

They're also are always filled with questions.  What do you do?  Where did you go to school?  What are you passionate about?

Of course, we do the same thing in business, right?  If you're searching for a new supplier, you want to find out as much about them as you can to see if they're a good fit for your company.  

Finding the right supplier is all about finding the right fit in terms of business structure, capabilities, size, facilities, capitol funding, etc. That’s why most people now call them supplier partners — it's not just about finding someone to buy from, it's about finding the right fit for a supplier “mate”.

If you buy organic sunflower oil, do you remember what happened last summer?

Supplies were tight in the summer, companies scrambled for inventory all over the US — a lot of manufacturers came up short. Production was affected, ingredients were switched, and you probably paid a lot more for last minute organic inventory than you should have.

If you don’t remember (or you weren’t privy the drama at the time) let me give you a brief overview of what happened last year, so that you can plan ahead to put your company in the best possible position for summer and fall of 2015.

The popularity of sunflower oil has increased exponentially over the last couple of years.

If you walk down the aisles of Whole Foods and check the ingredient labels, you'll see that sunflower oil is a highly popular oil right now. Walking the Natural Products Expo West this year, I found the exact same results.

The question that this raises for natural food manufacturers is: Why is this particular oil so popular? And if it’s right for other brands (and my competition), is there a good chance it would be right for my product?

Since I first started in this business 4 years ago, the non-GMO playing field has evolved immensely.

In the only last year, the demand for non-gmo oils has spread from being a healthy oil trait to now being in demand for ALL oils. In other words, not only is there a consumer cry for healthier oils that are non-gmo — the mantra has also changed to mandate the swap out all oils, premium or not, to their non-gmo versions.

Many restaurants, universities and food manufacturers are all making the switch to non-gmo ingredients— even on their cheaper oils like vegetable oil and fry oils.

There are only so many times restaurants can raise menu prices before they run out of customers willing to pay $50 for a steak or $18 for a cocktail, so chefs (and their suppliers) need to find efficiencies in their existing businesses if they want to increase their margins. One of the easiest –and most obvious – ways of doing this is, of course, to buy in bulk. The more you order, the more you save, and if you have the right setup for it, it just makes sense.

But buying massive vats of butter isn’t the only way to save time and money in the restaurant industry. New technologies are creating novel ways to get more out of less, and they’re doing it by taking advantage of something else restaurants can get in bulk: their own data. Knowledge is power, and businesses are starting to coax more and more dollar signs from the stacks of data that are only now becoming available.

I’ve noticed something in the last few months. Customers really want to buy High Oleic Non-GMO Canola Oil… But they can’t get any.

That’s right. The oil that is skyrocketing in popularity is almost completely unavailable (unless you’ve already locked in a contract — in that case, lucky you!). If you are trying to buy this oil now and struggling to do so, here’s what you can do to plan a steady supply for next year (October 2015 - October 2016, after the next harvest).

Long story short, now is the time to lock in the seeds with farmers, because now is when they’re putting them in the ground. Take some action now to guarantee a steady supply chain for this oil.

I have a friend who is convinced coconut oil is the oil of the gods — the be all end all of healthy food.

Others that I’ve talked with are absolutely positive that olive oil is the one and only, healthiest oil.

Period.

[Picture Spartacus of the health foodies.]

Right now, there’s a number of different cooking oils that are battling for the title of “The Healthiest Oil”. Depending on who you listen to, you could be convinced either way. But that’s not what’s important for you and your food brand.

What’s key for you in the natural food industry is to understand what your specific customers actually want to see in their food. Usually when you’re talking about the typical Whole Foods’ customer, this answer is the healthiest ingredient that still tastes good”.

I wanted to get an idea of what people really thought, so I did a quick survey.  

If your small business is growing, you will — at some point— need to make the necessary transition to start buying your ingredients from a bulk supplier.

The hard part is to understand the supply industry and navigate that gray area to figure out when these transitions make sense for your business – both financially and for your facility.

It took me two years and many different small business cost analyses. But the good news is, I ran the numbers (at least 50 times), and I can officially weigh-in and give you an accurate answer on when and why you should buy your ingredients in bulk.  

Trust is a major factor when choosing suppliers, as well as deciding to stay with them for years. In fact, trust, follow through and understanding of your industry were some of the top factors you all shared when choosing and staying with your suppliers.

I’ve been intrigued by this insight, that I wanted to dig deeper. On Procurious, I recently asked a question of your procurement peers:

So how do you define trust? And what components of trust are most important when it comes to setting up your supply chain?

The answers I got back on the definition of trust were interesting and perceptive. Best of all, they told the story of HOW all of your ingredient suppliers need to PROVE their trust to you as a customer.

Do you want Lucky Charms or Shredded Wheat?

When you buy a box of cereal for your family, the buying process is often made in a split second. But there’s actually a lot of analysis that goes on under the surface.

If you’re responsible for buying for your company, you have to make well thought-out decisions that bring value to the business. And choosing your bulk ingredients is no split second decision. It typically follows a very in-depth research and analysis process.

If you’re an experienced supply chain manager, you’re probably quite familiar with this process. But, if you’re new to purchasing or even the edible fats and oils category, we’d like to give you a quick run down.

Email avalanches. They’re the worst. What starts as a reasonably organized inbox can get way out of control, way fast.

As someone with tens of thousands of emails in my inbox over the last few years, I’ve created a good system to keep organized and make sure that none of my tasks get lost in the shuffle. In my system, your inbox is set up as a to-do list. If any email requires action from you in any way, keep it in you inbox. When you’re done with it, label and archive it so that it is neatly put away— out of sight, out of mind.

This article will walk you through the steps to set up your organized email if you use gmail. If you haven’t read it yet, you should read the prequel to this, 7 Ways To Organize Your Email And Get $#!% Done.

Do you have 7,000 emails in your inbox? Or does your iPhone email icon look like this?

I encountered an email inbox like this the other day, and it honestly scared to me. I felt overwhelmed for him.

First, you have to understand that I’m a hyper organized person— simply because if I don’t keep something written in front of me, it’s in one ear and out the other. I require a variety of to-do lists to make sure that all of my work gets done.

What’s my best to-do list? It’s actually my ever-fluctuating email inbox.

Higher olive oil prices were predicted in the 2014/15 harvest, in contrast to the 2013/14 harvest of last year. Starting in the summer of 2014, producer prices in Spain began to rise. As a result, the global price of olive oil has gone up this year.

For a review of the commodity market from this fall 2014, we’d suggest catching up on the following article, Olive Oil Commodity Market Update 2014/2015 Harvest.

In the meantime, here’s a review of where prices are now and a some suggestions for future planning to keep your cost of goods low.