The challenge is, most brand owners are laser-focused on their finished product — the packaging and the branding — and the supply chain gets built around it as an afterthought. But what happens when you can’t get your product on shelf in the first place? Or when your single-origin ingredient is suddenly unavailable? Or when you finally scale and your supplier can’t move with you?
In episode 158 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Shaun Borg — sales lead for Langdon, the go-to purveyor of the finest ingredients, and the man overseeing the Natural Foods Trading Company (NFTC) — shares everything you need to know about sourcing ingredients, straight from someone who has been doing it for over 25 years, with origin trips across India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Cambodia under his belt.
Don’t miss this episode — you’ll learn:
🌶️ Why unique ingredients are not your point of difference — and what to do instead
📦 How to source by the bag, not the pallet, and set yourself up to scale
🏪 Why starting with Independent retailers before major retailers is still the smartest move
🤝 How to set yourself up as a customer worth investing in, even when your volumes are small
This episode of Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you’re a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.
