Chosen Foods Gets Supply Chain Data Boost
Chosen Foods is reducing its food waste, bringing it close to zero, and creating a more agile, data-driven supply chain.
For this effort, Chosen Foods partnered with Crisp in 2021 and recently became an early adopter of the United Natural Foods Insights (UNFI) platform launched with Crisp last year. The rapidly growing non-GMO company was looking for a better way to use data while maintaining lean operations.
“Our business processes have become much more agile and efficient,” Chosen Foods director of natural sales Tiana Ukleja told CGT. “Real-time data insights have transformed our day-to-day operations by providing a clear, up-to-date view of our inventory across all distribution centers.”
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After a year of using the platform, Ukleja says her team is more confident because they can monitor their supply chain and make quick data-driven decisions.
That nimbleness has also improved the brand’s relationship with its retail partners, leading to 35% year-over-year sales growth across natural and conventional channels, including 212% growth at Ahold Delhaize’s Stop & Shop and a 44% increase at Kroger’s Harris Teeter.
The brand has experienced explosive growth across UNFI distribution centers in the Eastern U.S., expanding its footprint at chains including ShopRite and Ahold Delhaize’s Hannaford. It shipped 75% more cases to New Hampshire and 35% more to New York, tracking these products in real-time and using the data to plan 2025 initiatives.
Creating New Efficiencies With Data
Better data visibility has also reduced food waste due to spoilage, a problem that Ukleja has seen cause thousands of dollars in losses in her previous CPG roles.
Through access to new detailed insights, said Ukleja, including the spoilage risk dashboard that calculates weeks on hand with expiration dates, Chosen Foods has been able to stay on top of selling the majority of the products it produces, significantly reducing the company's environmental footprint and enhancing sustainability efforts while maximizing sales.
See how else the industry is using technology to tackle food waste.
Real-time data has helped Chosen Foods quickly respond to changes in demand, like a 153% spike in year-over-year sales of 1L packages of the brand’s flagship avocado oil, by adjusting inventory to capitalize on a trend. Chosen Foods was also able to expand its assortment as it added different sizes of avocado oil and new product lines, including avocado oil-based sauces, spreads, and salad dressings, tapping into data that allowed the brand to optimize its offerings by retailer and region.
“With category reporting in UNFI Insights, we can see our salad dressings growing year-over-year category share by 10% — an impressive feat in such a saturated product category,” Ukleja said.
Having real-time insights during go-to-market initiatives, said Ukleja, helps Chosen Foods monitor performance, optimize inventory strategies, and identify emerging trends and shopping behaviors that inform future product innovation.
A Time-Saving Integration
Implementing the new platform saves Chosen Foods employees time by reducing the need for manual reporting and data aggregation, consolidating data from multiple sources into a single, user-friendly format. The platform has also proven to integrate seamlessly into the brand's other sales tools and systems.
“This integration ensures that all teams — from sales and marketing to supply chain and finance — are working from the same up-to-date information, enhancing cross-functional collaboration and decision-making,” Ukleja said.
