commissary INSIDER - September 2016 - 3

Insight Insider changing demands of our customers and the marketplace," Beer says. "In the fresh produce industry, market conditions are always changing, and you have to be nimble to be competitive." Part of that means being able to introduce new and relevant products when the market shows a demand. As an example, Freshway introduced its new baby kale blend at the PMA Foodservice Expo in July. The new blend is mild in flavor and more tender than traditional kale, according to Beer. It offers the health benefits of kale to those consumers who are intimidated by the texture of traditional chopped kale. By offering it washed, ready-to-serve, and packed in one-pound bags, Freshway presents a viable choice for in-store salad bars or back-of-house salad preparation. "Consumers expect more upscale ingredients in salad bars," Beer says. "This new blend has great color and texture, and will "In the fresh produce industry, market conditions are always changing, and you have to be nimble to be competitive." Devon Beer, Freshway Foods be the star of any salad bar program." But studying trends and responding with timely products only goes so far. Beer points out the importance of consistency. Consumers can be unforgiving when it comes to salads and fresh-cut products, and Freshway has the added pressure of maintaining that desired quality throughout different types of retailers and foodservice providers. "We work with very exacting customer specifications, and we understand the need to give consumers a consistent experience, no matter where they shop or eat on a given day," he says. "Supermar- kets benefit from the consistent costs and quality of our fresh salad kids and salad bar components." Logistics success A huge part of building consistency, according to the company, is through strong and varied supply chain logistics. Freshway offers on-time refrigerated transportation and logistics services to customers as well as LTL and truckload service. This enables Freshway to simplify distribution for its customers, not only being able to deliver Freshway products to their distribution centers, but also using its forward distribution program to consolidate shipments from multiple suppliers onto one Freshway truck. "Our ability to ship full truckloads and LTL enables us to provide guaranteed cold-chain distribution to all of our customers, regardless of volume," Beer says. "We have extensive experience transporting fresh produce and other perishables, and we have systems in place to ensure every load is handled the right way, every time. When you use Freshway as your distribution provider, you are benefiting from 28 years of experience handling perishable, time-sensitive products." In addition to its selection of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, Freshway offers repack services for customers who need whole produce but don't have the volume to justify bulk produce quantities. "We also have a robust forward distribution program, which enables our customers to simplify their perishable distribu- PHOTO: FRESHWAY FOODS Editorial & Sales Offices 4801 Main St * Suite 650 * Kansas City, Mo. 64112 Phone (816) 756-1000 * Fax (816) 756-0494 Email instore@sosland.com Office Hours 8am - 5pm CDT, Monday - Friday. Letters to the editor Comments and opinions by our readers are welcome. Please send letters to the editor to our mail address, by fax or e-mail. © Sosland Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Instore assumes no responsibility for the validity of claims in items reported. Sosland Publishing Co. is a division of Sosland Companies. Inc. commissary INSIDER * SEPTEMBER 2016 * 3

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