How to elevate your foodservice brand beyond commodity offerings.
Price sensitivity isn’t going away, so use it to your brand’s advantage. Give commercial and non-commercial buyers a reason to look past the lowest bidder by leaning into your key strengths over commodity and private label. When you win on value beyond the dollar, you avoid the race to the bottom.
Strength of Product
Are you bringing a better product to market than what operators can get from commodity or private label offerings? Prove it. Seek every opportunity to educate buyers in the sale, on the packaging, and on your website and marketing touchpoints.
- Proprietary manufacturing processes, quality of ingredients, and service levels.
- Unique operational advantages that make life easier for the chef or operator like shelf stable formulations, low-waste packaging, labor-saving applications, etc.
- Product attributes that resonate with target segments and their end consumers (e.g., “free from” claims, Organic, Regenerative, etc.).
Strength of Portfolio
Operators can benefit from using fewer suppliers to stock key ingredients and menu items. If your base product is a mostly 1:1 substitution for a commodity or private label brand, highlight the supporting cast to sell in the main character.
- Line extensions with trend-forward flavor profiles.
- Product options optimized for foodservice (e.g., Barista Style almond milk vs. standard almond milk).
- End-to-end program solutions offering recipe components, equipment, service, and marketing support.
Strength of Brand
A strong brand presence and an effective marketing ecosystem can turn canned water (Liquid Death) into one of the fastest growing brands on the market. And while the scale of marketing spend between the consumer and B2B spaces is apples and oranges, the same principles apply. It’s on foodservice brands to show up, stay visible, and own their narrative with buyers.
- Staying present among buyers through key trade shows.
- Leading with solutions-oriented content like custom menu applications, trend data, and operational tips to bring value beyond the product.
- Leveraging retail success to demonstrate consumer brand awareness and purchase intent.
- Driving sample requests (and qualified leads) through targeted advertising efforts – getting your superior product into the hands of potential buyers.
Strength of Positioning
For some foodservice segments, purchasing low-cost, commodity items is a mandate – make sure you’re fishing in the right pond. Invest in better understanding which customers and segments can benefit the most from a differentiated product like yours.
- Purpose-driven chains seeking suppliers who share their vision and commitment.
- Non-commercial operations serving consumers with specialized dietary needs.
- Geographic niches that place a premium on specific ingredients.
Growing away-from-home sales is about knowing your strengths.
