Diversify your coffee shop’s supplier base to maximise the efficiency and performance of your business
By working with a variety of suppliers, you can reduce costs, improve quality, and minimise risk in your cafe business.
While many cafe owners prefer to keep things simple and deal with as few suppliers as possible. There are a several key benefits to diversifying your cafe supplier base:
- Reducing costs: Increasing your supplier base can help you reduce costs by negotiating better prices and terms with your suppliers. By consolidating your purchases and working with a smaller number of suppliers, you can negotiate bulk discounts and other favorable terms that can help reduce your overall costs.
- Improving quality: Working with a variety of suppliers helps you improve the quality of the goods and menu options you offer. By partnering with reliable suppliers who consistently deliver high-quality products, you can improve the overall customer experience and increase customer satisfaction.
- Minimising risk: Diversifying your supplier base can help minimise risk by ensuring that your business has a steady supply of the goods and services it needs to operate. By building strong relationships with your suppliers and establishing contingency plans in case of disruptions, you can minimise the risk of supply chain disruptions and protect your business’s performance.
- Enhancing efficiency: With a diversified supplier base you are able to streamline your business’s supply chain and reduce the time and effort required to acquire goods and services. By automating procurement processes and using procurement software, you can reduce the time and effort required to manage your supply chain and focus on other areas of your business.
The actual steps you’ll want to take to increase the number of suppliers your cafe business can call on at any time are quite simple.
1. Determine your procurement needs
The first step in diversifying your supplier base is to determine your business’s procurement/buying needs. This will help you identify the types of goods and services you need to operate your business and ensure that you have a steady supply of these items.
2. Identify potential suppliers
Once you have determined your procurement needs, the next step is to identify potential suppliers who can meet these needs. This could involve researching suppliers online, networking with industry peers, or seeking recommendations from other business owners.
3. Evaluate and compare suppliers
Once you have identified potential suppliers, the next step is to evaluate and compare them to determine which ones are the best fit for your business. This could involve reviewing factors such as price, quality, reliability, and delivery times to determine which suppliers offer the best value.
4. Negotiate and finalise deals
Once you have selected your suppliers, the next step is to negotiate and finalise deals with them. This could involve negotiating prices, payment terms, delivery schedules, and other terms and conditions to ensure that you are getting the best value for your business.
5. Build strong relationships
To effectively manage your supplier base, it is important to build strong relationships with your suppliers. Remember to make time for regular communication, ongoing performance evaluations, and collaboration to identify and resolve issues in a timely manner.
6. Monitor and evaluate supplier performance
To ensure that your supplier base is effective, it is important to regularly monitor and evaluate supplier performance. Consider having key performance indicators (KPIs), conducting performance evaluations, and using other tools to track supplier performance so that you can identify areas for improvement.
Reducing the risks of being dependent on just a few suppliers is to your benefit. When you effectively diversify your cafe’s supplier base you can maximise the value of your supply chain.
Remember to regularly review and update your supplier sourcing processes to ensure that you continue to get the best value from your suppliers.