Food Warehousing Case Study: Dried Fruit, Nut & Organic Product Logistics for Community Foods
Community Foods needed a specialist supply chain partner to support its manufacturing, processing and packing facility in Essex with dried fruit and nut warehousing, storage and logistics services.
Our Customer
From the early days in a one-room set-up in London in the 1970s to a state-of-the-art packaging and processing facility in Essex, Community Foods has continued to grow from strength to strength.
The company is a specialist in the procurement, sale and distribution of natural and organic dried fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, pulses and cereals for the retail and manufacturing sectors.
The Opportunity
Over 25 years ago, Community Foods needed a reliable supply chain partner to support their manufacturing, processing and packing facility. They required a logistics provider with experience in receiving, storing and handling dried fruits, nuts and other commodity products and most importantly, a partner that could grow with them.
To meet their goals, they needed both stability and flexibility: a well-managed supply chain with strategic stockholding to support production and an agile logistics solution that could adapt to evolving customer requirements.
Additional services such as product quality checks, technical analysis, shipment handling and customs clearance were also key to ensuring long-term success.
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Our Solution
Commodity Centre has a long history of working within the dried fruit and nut sector and developed a warehousing and logistics solution designed around Community Foods’ requirements for stability, flexibility and competitive supply chain management.
Commodity Centre used its BRC AA+ accredited multi-user facility to store Community Foods’ products and established a dedicated site-to-site transfer trunk to support the movement of stock
As Community Foods continued to grow, Commodity Centre invested in expanding its chilled storage capabilities, providing dedicated ambient and chilled storage tailored to different product requirements.
In 2019, Commodity Centre replaced its existing Warehouse Management System (WMS) with a new platform, improving stock visibility and automating management and ordering. Community Foods was the first client to adopt the new system, collaborating closely with our team to configure and implement the solution successfully.
This partnership has continued to grow, with both businesses investing in the supply chain. This includes a dedicated chilled storage facility, tailored technical support and, most importantly, a same-day call-off process made possible by the site’s proximity.
The Results
- Dedicated ambient and chilled storage tailored to individual product requirements
- Same-day stock availability supporting production continuity
- Customised warehouse management system with SKU-level data tracking
- Improved stock visibility through automated warehouse management and ordering
- More accurate reporting aligned with client specifications
- Reduced data duplication and improved data accuracy
- Dedicated site-to-site transfer supporting the customer’s manufacturing operation
Impact
Commodity Centre is a leader in supply chain, logistics and warehousing solutions. Our approach encompasses all aspects of shipping, handling, storage and distribution, through to value added services such as sampling, cleaning and testing.
We pride ourselves on our customer-focused service, depth of industry knowledge and excellence in everything we do.
