SALINAS, CA - As technology and convenience continues to create a new reality for the world at large, produce companies across the supply chain have stepped up to help others navigate this new reality without losing any momentum. One company that’s doing so in a way that’s tailor-made to fit the needs of each of its customers is Fresh Avenue.

I chatted with Mark Vaughan, Managing Partner, and Brian Rooney, Director of Supply Chain and Operations, to find out all the strategies Fresh Avenue drives forward to give its customers a leg up, no matter what.

“We’ve recently expanded the breadth of our company and reach,” Mark began. “We’ve also launched a consolidation program, which means we’re bringing in products from a multitude of providers to our facility and then palletizing, packing, wrapping, and even shipping it if that’s what the customer needs. Our goal is to get our customers out of one dock, instead of multiple, in order to reduce wait times, administrative costs, rescheduling issues, and unpredictability.”

On top of all of those benefits, Fresh Avenue’s consolidated logistics program also offers its customers the chance to tap into smaller, seasonal, and specialty products. In the past, offering these items typically meant an extra pick or dock, but Fresh Avenue has streamlined this process. As a result, smaller, seasonal, and specialty products can remain competitive in the market and customers along the supply chain don’t have to go off the beaten path to include these items in their portfolios.

“From a customer stand-point, this adds value to their supply chain, provides a unique competitive advantage, all the while furthering Fresh Avenue as a supply chain partner. By bundling produce offerings from different regions, we open up the grower community to new channels, offering the customer the opportunity to increase their product offering, and enhance the freshness, shelf life, and inventory turns on their existing product offering," Brian said. “From a logistics stand-point, there are a lot of constraints happening in transportation at the moment, which makes buyers adverse to trying something new from a smaller producer. We make it convenient to explore smaller and innovative products for all involved.”

And like I mentioned before, Fresh Avenue works with its customers to tailor its services and products.

“We’re always coming up with new pack sizes that work well in a restaurant application. We want to get customized product into the market, and we try to leverage this as our key differentiator,” Mark continued. “We support our customers with a national sales team and work with distributors to troubleshoot and make product decisions. That was our original concept, and it will always be the heart of our business.”

For more fresh produce news from up and down the supply chain, stick with us at AndNowUKnow.

Fresh Avenue