FreshOps | January 2026 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations The Operational Blind Spot: Second Shift Standards Hey Reader, Ronald Reagan’s famous line, “Trust, but verify,” might as well be the mantra for operations leaders managing multiple shifts. It’s easy to assume that your standards are being followed, especially if KPIs look good on paper or your management team reports that “things are on track.” But assumptions won’t protect your margins or your reputation. If you’re not...
16 days ago • 4 min read
FreshOps | December 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations The Hidden Bottleneck in Automation: Maintenance Talent Hey Reader, When Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said he’s struggling to find qualified mechanics, he wasn’t just talking about cars. Every industry built on physical production is facing the same reality: the machines are getting smarter, but the workforce isn’t keeping pace. In fresh food manufacturing, where automation is rapidly reshaping operations, the critical...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
FreshOps | November 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations The Problem: Quality as an Assumption, Not a System Hey Reader, In most protein operations, quality is still treated as an assumption, something that should naturally happen if everyone "does their job." When something goes wrong, the default response is to ask, “Where was QA?” But that mindset is flawed. Quality isn’t the result of inspection. It is the outcome of a system. And when that system is out of control, blaming...
3 months ago • 3 min read
FreshOps | October 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations Why Category Management in Meat Needs to Evolve Hey Reader, In many retail organizations, category management has become a rotational role. That approach may work for shelf-stable items, but it’s a mistake for fresh departments like meat. Assigning generalist category managers might look efficient on paper, but it creates real issues in departments that drive shopper loyalty and gross margins. Here’s the bottom line: Meat...
3 months ago • 3 min read
FreshOps | October 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations When Best-Sellers Blind You: Breaking the Pattern to Unlock New Profit Hey Reader, A client asked me last week:“We’re not trying to become something we’re not. But what else could we do that’s different?” It’s a smart, honest question. And it gets at a key tension every fresh food operator feels right now. On one hand, sales are steady. The ad plan is set. Core items move predictably.On the other, growth feels mechanical....
4 months ago • 3 min read
FreshOps | October 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations Why your CapEx strategy needs a future-first mindset Hey Reader, “Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face.” – Mike Tyson “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” – Helmuth von Moltke These quotes might sound like they belong in a boxing gym or battlefield briefing, not a capital planning meeting. But they’re painfully relevant to fresh food operations. Every year, companies pour millions into capital...
4 months ago • 3 min read
FreshOps | Sept 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations Fighting the Last War: Why Fresh Meat Leaders Must Rethink What’s ‘Proven’ Hey Reader, After nearly three decades walking production floors, working with teams, and trying to solve the same problems from every angle, I’ve come to a realization that’s stuck with me: We’re still running many of our operations with the same assumptions and tools that were in place when I started in this industry. That’s not entirely a bad thing....
5 months ago • 2 min read
FreshOps | Aug 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations What Got You Here, Won't Get You There: Making Growth Easier Hey Reader, Growth is what we all work for but when it actually happens, it can be more painful than expected. I recently worked with a client who grew 5X in revenue in under eight years. The challenge? Their processes and management style didn’t keep up. They were still operating like a $200 million company, even though they’d become a $1 billion business. But we've...
6 months ago • 1 min read
FreshOps | July 2025 Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations Make vs. Buy—Don’t Let “Great Deals” Become Costly Mistakes Hey Reader, In fresh food operations, the make versus buy decision is rarely black and white. The commodity space offers a wide range of product specs, each designed to meet a different customer need. But what looks like a win for them may not translate into bottom-line results for retailers or further processors. Here’s the reality:A commodity spec might look...
6 months ago • 1 min read