PROVIDENCE, RI - United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) announced the launch of UNFI Insights, an exclusive product developed with Crisp. UNFI Insights, Powered by Crisp, is designed to provide UNFI suppliers with comprehensive data. Although currently aimed toward consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, we have to wonder if UNFI might also make the jump toward providing fresh produce insights.
“Expanding our relationship with Crisp to deliver to CPGs access to both their natural and conventional sales and inventory data, all housed in one location, provides CPG brands with an unrivaled opportunity to boost their relationships and growth prospects with retailers,” said John Raiche, Executive Vice President of Supplier Services at UNFI. “Leveraging our scale, focusing on investments in technology, and enhancing connectivity with and market visibility for our suppliers is expected to lead to better overall service levels for our retail customers and differentiate UNFI in a competitive marketplace.”
As noted in the release, the new platform builds on the relationship formed in the summer of 2021 between the two companies, and now provides value-added insights directly through the MyUNFI.com supplier portal.
The new platform also works with cloud-based analytics tools from Google and Microsoft, as well as Databricks and Snowflake.
“With hundreds of joint customers, the UNFI and Crisp strategic partnership enables both natural and conventional brands to collaborate more effectively with UNFI and their retail partners,” said Are Traasdahl, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Crisp. “By removing data silos, data becomes more actionable, which should lead to brands increasing profitability while reducing food waste. We applaud UNFI’s leadership in facilitating data access and their commitment to supplier success.”
UNFI Insights is expected to enable suppliers to better manage their supply chain, provide an actionable spoilage dashboard to monitor short-dated inventory, and help brands identify which products are nearing their expiration date.
As UNFI develops this program, we'll check back in to see if fresh is next on the list—produce companies want this kind of data too!
Partnerships and advancements are always on the horizon, so check back for the latest.
