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Scaling a food manufacturing or CPG operation is exciting: until you realize your supply chain is held together by spreadsheets, gut instincts, and a whole lot of hope. That's usually when the search for a supply chain consultant begins.
But here's the thing: not all consultants are created equal. Some specialize in theory. Others know equipment. A rare few understand the entire journey from raw material to retail shelf. Before you sign on the dotted line with anyone, there are some critical factors you need to consider.
Whether you're a growing farm operation moving into direct-to-consumer sales or an established food manufacturer looking to optimize, these ten insights will help you find a consulting partner who actually delivers results.
The best CPG supply chain consultants don't just fix one bottleneck: they see the whole picture. They start with the end in mind.
What does your finished product look like? Where is it going? How does it need to be packaged, stored, and shipped? A consultant with holistic process optimization expertise will work backward from those answers to design a supply chain that actually makes sense.
Avoid consultants who want to sell you a single piece of equipment or software without understanding how it fits into your broader operation. You need someone who sees the forest and the trees.
CPG is a broad category. Shampoo bottles and frozen pizzas don't have the same supply chain challenges.
When you're in the food and beverage space, you need a consultant who understands perishability, cold chain logistics, food safety regulations, and the unique pressures of farm-to-table operations. They should speak fluently about shelf life, contamination risks, and seasonal production cycles.
Ask potential consultants: How many food processing clients have you worked with? What specific challenges did you solve? If they can't give you concrete examples, keep looking.
Your supply chain isn't just about moving boxes. It starts at harvest and ends when the consumer opens the package.
The right consultant understands every step: harvesting, washing, sorting, processing, packaging, and distribution. They know how each stage affects the next and can identify where inefficiencies are costing you money or quality.
At Buettner Processing Solutions, we call this "full line solutions": and it's the only way to truly optimize a food processing operation.
Here's a dirty secret in consulting: many consultants have never actually worked with the equipment they recommend. They know the theory but couldn't tell a conveyor belt from a grading line if their life depended on it.
The best supply chain consultants have hands-on experience with food processing equipment. They know which OEM partners deliver reliable machinery, which configurations work for different products, and how to integrate new equipment into existing lines without causing chaos.
When evaluating a consultant, ask about their relationships with equipment manufacturers and their experience with installation and commissioning.
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) changed everything for food manufacturers. FSMA 204 traceability requirements mean you need to track products at every handoff point: and your supply chain needs to support that.
A consultant who treats compliance as an afterthought is setting you up for failure. The right partner builds FSMA compliance into every recommendation, from equipment selection to data management systems.
Ask directly: How do you ensure our supply chain will meet current and upcoming FDA requirements? If they hem and haw, that's a red flag.
Gone are the days when you could run a food processing operation on intuition alone. Today's CPG supply chains require real-time data on costs, supplier performance, inventory levels, and demand forecasting.
Your consultant should be comfortable talking about analytics, ERP systems, and how to capture actionable data at every stage of your operation. They should help you move from reactive problem-solving to proactive optimization.
The goal is total transparency across your supply chain: so you can make informed decisions before small issues become expensive problems.
Consumer expectations have shifted dramatically. Today's buyers: whether they're families at a farmers market or procurement managers at major retailers: want to know your operation is environmentally responsible.
A forward-thinking supply chain consultant will help you identify opportunities to reduce waste, optimize energy usage, rethink packaging, and build sustainability into your brand story. This isn't just good ethics; it's good business.
If a consultant dismisses sustainability concerns or treats them as a "nice to have," they're not keeping up with where the market is heading.
There's a difference between a consultant who helps you put out fires and one who helps you build for growth.
The right partner thinks about where you'll be in three, five, or ten years. They design supply chains with modularity and flexibility in mind, so you're not ripping everything out and starting over when demand increases.
Whether you're a family farm scaling up for direct-to-consumer sales or a mid-size manufacturer preparing for a regional expansion, your consultant should be planning for your future: not just your present.
You're going to spend a lot of time with your supply chain consultant. If your communication styles clash or your values don't align, the engagement will be painful: no matter how impressive their resume looks.
Look for a consultant who listens more than they talk in initial conversations. They should ask thoughtful questions about your operation, your goals, and your constraints before jumping to recommendations.
The best consulting relationships feel like partnerships, not transactions.
This sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many companies skip this step. Any reputable consultant should be able to provide references from clients in similar industries or with similar challenges.
When you call those references, ask specific questions: Did the consultant deliver on their promises? Were there any surprises? Would you hire them again? How did they handle problems when things didn't go according to plan?
A consultant's track record is the best predictor of what your experience will be.