Specialty Food Magazine

SUMMER 2021 37 "In some ways, the execution of the supply chain is more important than the quality of the product right now … In an old environment, a brand manager would probably be expected to know that manufacturer X has a big promotion running at [a specific retailer]. Now, this is less of a priority than knowing whether or not manufacturer X has a long term out-of-stock on an imported item because the container is stuck at the port, or they can't get a container to ship it over [to the US]." -senior vice president, business development at a specialty food and beverage broker "We have strong relationships with our farmers, co-packers and everyone right up to our website, and those relationships worked well. It was the ripple eƒect from seemingly random elements of product production, like bottle caps or plastic film being out." -chief merchandising ocer of a specialty ecommerce retailer "When we added the online ordering platform that came along with DoorDash, it was like having an additional outlet to give people food. We just had the discussion this week where a store manager asked when we're getting rid of curbside and our response was 'probably never.' It's probably going to be an element of our service model going forward. This will allow us to curate those relation- ships with frequent customers and do special rewards for them." -CEO of a specialty retail and foodservice group "We saw a lot fewer retailers bring on new items, and that's probably a long-term impact of this; retailers looking to do more sales with fewer SKUs. My work with buyers with the larger retailers stabi- lized three months after the initial shutdown and it was back to business as usual, in terms of reviews and looking at categories. This was a lot quicker than smaller chains and specialty shops that are still really in survival mode." -regional sales manager at a specialty dairy brand COVID has impacted the specialty food industry for a full year. Here, members of the supply chain candidly elaborate in what ways the pandemic has positively and negatively aƒected their businesses with an eye toward the next year or two. Channel Evolution, Ecommerce, and Store Format Shifts "Some retailers preemptively planned for a recession and they went really commodity, really private-label, high velocity, less margin. Other retailers leaned in [to special- ty, knowing consumers] aren't going to restaurants, and eating at home, which was great for business. It was just interesting to see the retailers' reac- tions over time. But it's too early to tell, because consumption's been so high, who made the right decision." -specialty food broker "One of the worst things that's happened, that I'm struggling to see how it's going to be fixed, is those discovery moments when you walk into a store and those opportunities to meet a vendor or a producer or maker to hear their stories directly. Some companies are experimenting with pre-packaged samples, but COVID is going to have massive long-term eƒects on how new products launch, how people discover new products, how they take chances with new products." -founder, owner of a multi-store specialty food retailer and foodservice operator "For a meeting I had with Target [recently], indul- gence was something that they focused on. In August it was SKU rationalization, now it's "we really need to play on indulgence. Better-for-you is important but we do want to cater more to like something that's delicious and indulgent.'" -specialty dessert producer Specialty Product Price/Value Shifts Food and Beverage Trends in 2021 and Beyond Return to Normalcy for Buyer-Maker Relations Supply Chain Impact INDUSTRY VOICES: The Impact of COVID on the Supply Chain "It has been easier to talk to retailer buyers and get emails back from them. They've been able to be more prepared. A lot of them require your presentations to be sent before the meeting, which helps them look at the data. It's a little silly but you're not face to face with [buyers] so they're a little bit more honest and truthful and maybe brutal at times." -specialty food maker

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