If you want your food business to thrive, you need to have reliable and regular access to what you need – which in this case means gaining access to all kinds of food ingredients. If you have lapses in the supply of the ingredients you need are not there on time, your whole operations could very well be affected. Everything you need – from the most minor, ‘smallest’ ingredient to the main ingredient – should be there; otherwise, the integrity of your cooking will suffer. The same is true if you repack the ingredients – the process of repacking could very well come to a standstill. So you need a good supplier – one who will make sure you have all the ingredients you need in good time and have a fresh inventory when necessary. Besides this, there are other considerations when you’re choosing a supplier – including cost, order processing, and more. So how can you choose? Following are some top tips for picking the proper wholesale food packing distributor or supplier.
1. Get the right info
First things first – you need to get info about your potential supplier. Before anything else, find out what their services are and what they do, and see if they have a majority of the products you need. Also, see how long it will take them to deliver the goods. What is their pricing? What you can do is get information from at least three suppliers and go on from there. At the same time, you can write down what you need and require and note down if the supplier can provide this. For example, suppose you need a variety of pickles, either for your restaurant or for distribution. In that case, there are wholesale pickles from EE & Brian Smith, but make sure they fit what you need in terms of budget, sizing, day of delivery, and payment terms. You may also want to ask other businesses where they source their ingredients to understand better which distributors are duly recognized.
2. Check the product’s availability
We all know how important it is to check for the product’s availability, but you should also consider your requirements when it comes to logistics. For example, when they deliver the product, will you use or pack it right away, or do you need to store it first in your facility or restaurant? If you need to store it for a certain period, do you have proper storage space for it along with temperature control, if need be?
Also, check if the distributor or supplier has a good number of the items you need. Do they have both the core items you need plus the specialty items? The more items they carry, the better because you don’t have to rely on another supplier or can at least lessen your need for too many suppliers.
3. Ask relevant questions
After checking the product availability and other requirements, now is the time to confirm more details. These include their credit terms (you want to make sure they have them!), the order turnaround, whether or not they have seasonal options, and whether they can make deliveries on the weekends or holidays. Finally, look at your list of requirements and determine your non-negotiable requirements and which you can compromise; this will help you further choose the best supplier and distributor you need.