Important Information To Include On Any Industrial Food Purchase Order

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

An order you send to any food ingredient supplier is, at the very least, a gentleman's agreement on both sides. To be able to get just what you're looking for you will need to make sure that you include all the necessary details.

When was the last time you were able to order a shirt on, say, Amazon and you didn't have to specify the size you wanted, color, or your shipping address? You are probably thinking to yourself, never.

Let's begin to look at the different details you need to make sure you are giving your supplier on your PO. In the industrial industry, a purchase order is important, to begin with - it's basically your contract. With any contract, you will want to make sure that you specify in writing the details you have agreed on. You will also want to make sure you've covered everything that could affect your order.


Sometimes the details can be a wide range and you may not naturally include certain information because it doesn't directly affect you. That's why we have created a list of all the information that you should make sure you include when you're putting your orders together. This applies to any industrial food supplier you work with.

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Why Food Manufacturing Is A Great Career Choice

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

When someone asks what you do for a living, do you get the usual response, “Oh you work with food, that sounds fun?” They wouldn’t be wrong — working in the food manufacturing world can be very fun and interesting.

There are so many reasons to love your food-industry job. Depending on what you do, there’s many reasons why: one example is that you can be on the forefront of up-and-coming trends in the food world that no one knows about. Other people love that there are many hands-on jobs where you get to make real, tangible products.

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How To Dispense Bulk Oil From A Tote, Drum and 35 Lb. Container

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

There are lots of different ways you can dispense oil from bulk packaging. Most options will require some sort of dispensing system. As you are comparing bulk packaging options, it’s always helpful to understand how you well get your oil out once it is in your facility.

In this article, you will find out how to dispense from the three most common bulk oil packaging options (35 Lb. Containers, Drums and Totes) whether you are pumping into smaller bottles or if the oil is being used as a batch in your food manufacturing.

These different options are all machine-free, low-cost, easy to use, and take up practically no facility space.

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How Is Fry Oil Different Than Salad Oil?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Have you ever heard of a “canola salad oil” versus a “canola fry oil”? What is so different about those oils that makes the fry oil good for frying and the salad oil good for, well, salads — and just about everything else.

It’s pretty simple, because there’s only a few factors at play here.

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2 Restaurants Making Non-GMO and Organic Waves In Food Service

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Two fast food restaurants have made waves in the healthy food industry over the last year. Organic and non-gmo waves, that is.

Chipotle took a national stand on GMOs earlier this year, and last month, the first organic restaurant called Amy’s Drive-Thru officially opened.

Take that McDonalds!

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10 Issues Keeping Manufacturers and Distributors Up At Night for 2015

Posted by Adam Robinson

As we get settled into this new year, we thought we’d share observations from conversations we’ve had with manufacturers and distributors recently. 

These ten issues are what is keeping them up at night. We believe they are worthy of discussion in 2015 as they are more pressing than ever as competition continues to heat up with current incumbents and the growing competition from start ups.

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Amy’s Drive-Thru: The Nation’s First Organic Fast Food Restaurant

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Amy’s Drive-Thru, an extension of the frozen food brand Amy’s Kitchen, officially opened it’s doors on July 20th, 2015 in Rohnert Park, California, outside of San Francisco.

They serve all-american food like burgers, burritos, pizza, shakes, chili, salads, and french fries — but each with a healthy twist.

More than 95% of Amy’s Drive-Thru ingredients are organic. All are non-GMO.

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Non-GMO Popularity Is Spreading To Food Service

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Non-GMO. Organic. The Non-GMO Project Verification. We’ve talked about this already, haven’t we??

If you are a natural food manufacturer, the discussion about the non-GMO trend is probably getting redundant now… You’ve switched to non-GMO ingredients, or you’re at least working on it. You’ve compared non-gmo vs. organic prices. You’re done with your Non-GMO Project Verification.

But if you are in the food service industry, your answer is probably different. Half of you reading this right now are saying, “What?? Non-GMO? All my customers care about is getting the lowest price!” The other half of you, however, are nodding along saying, “Yes!! I've started to get questions about non-GMO products, especially oils!”

While the non-GMO trend has completely saturated the manufacturing sector at this point, the food service sector is always slower to keep up. Right now, we are right at the brink of non-GMO and organic products beginning to permeate more and more of the food service sector. Is your company prepared?

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5 Common Pitfalls of Inventory Replenishment

Posted by Dan Kiefer

This article was originally featured on the K3S blog and is published here with permission.

There’s a saying in purchasing that when the inventory in the warehouse is lean, sales is doing a great job. When the warehouse is overstocked, there must be a problem with purchasing. That’s the world we live in.

Running a profitable company in this economy is as much about keeping inventory lean as it is about boosting sales. 

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8 Great Food & Beverage Manufacturing Blogs You Should Read

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Earlier this week, we reviewed 7 Popular Industrial Manufacturing Blogs. But, since most of our customers are in the food manufacturing industry, I wanted to weigh-in with my favorite food and beverage manufacturing blogs.

These are the daily subscriptions I get delivered to my inbox every day, so that I can keep up to date on the industry.  I think you'll enjoy them as much as I do!

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The Food Industry’s Best Trade Shows: A Comparison

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

A few years ago, the owners at Centra Foods and I started going to food shows.

Lucky for me, I got to choose which shows to go to. Unlucky for me, I had no knowledge of food shows.

In typical Hannah fashion, I turned on my search skills, reached out to colleges, talked to customers and spoke with the show’s event leaders.

I ended up with about as much information as one person could compile. I had charts and comparisons, but most helpful was Rachel Zemser’s insight, a food consultant who reviewed these shows for people like me (and maybe you too). She spoke about the heart and soul of each event, which gave me a feeling of what it really felt like to attend. In the end, her insight helped me make the best decisions.

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3 Ways For Food Service Sales Reps To Sell More Olive Oil

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

As a food service sales rep, your can use your industry knowledge and trust to make more sales. Your customers care about low cost, convenience, and receiving a consistent quality and taste.

By helping your customers do true packaging and price comparisons, you can become an advisor for their oil needs. As a natural result, you will make more sales.

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3 Tools To Help Food Service Sales Reps Sell More Olive Oil

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

If you’re a sales rep for a food service company, selling olive oil can be a challenge. It’s a premium item, and it’s typical for customers to have lots of questions about the product. This can affect your ability to simply make the sale.

But, it’s also a great staple item for you to set up with your accounts, and it can add up to a steady commission over time.

To be able to make the sale, you’ll need to be an olive oil expert.  

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4 Reasons To Develop Your Own Private Label For Edible Oil

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

It’s no doubt that private labeling is a growing and profitable phenomenon for food service distributors. The private label industry as a whole has posted a 6% year-over-year sales growth, as more consumers are turning towards private labeled brands.

What does this means for food service distributors? If you haven’t created your own private label line, you’re missing out on branding and sales opportunities.

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Want A More Successful Bulk Oil Supplier Relationship?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

The “fliers” in cheerleading are the girls that fly through the air, demonstrating great acrobatics and agility. They are the highlight of cheerleading-- the life of the party.

But these girls don’t fly on their own. They have four other cheerleaders on the ground, working in perfect coordination to support them and toss them in their air. These four team members are the foundation, the support system that makes everything run smoothly and the flier fly, well… higher.

Think of your business as the flier. And think of your vendors and suppliers as your foundation of four on the ground; the cheerleaders in the background who help you do what you do better. It’s true, your business relies on a variety of vendors to work smoothly, to succeed and to fly high. The better relationship and communication you have with them, the higher you can fly.

As a purchaser, you’re responsible for fostering these vendor relationships, and establishing good communication so that your business can keep growing and improving. Want to keep doing your job better?

Here’s 5 ways to keep improving your relationships with your bulk oil vendors and be even more successful in your purchasing role.

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