The initiative is set to help all foodservice providers across the board.
Tyson’s Foodservice teams will reach out to several areas of its market including restaurant, college and university, K-12, healthcare, convenience, hospital and military. Each specialty team is structured to inform operators on the economic climate, emerging trends and operational issues.
“It seems many operators may feel that food companies are ‘out of touch,’” said Kim Cupelli, vice president of marketing for Tyson Foods. “We aim to change that perception by supplying our customers with not only high-quality proteins for the center of plate but also experienced, empathetic teams who can play a trusted, consultative role focused on their success.”
Tyson also launched an extensive“What’s On The Line?” marketing and training effortto inform people on the necessity of operators.
With better direct customer interaction in mind, Tyson also added focus on one-on-one interaction, more visibility at national, regional and local trade shows and online tools, like the Tyson Foodservice Teams Source App.
These changes came from a six-month market intelligence and strategic planning initiative undertaken after the acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company. It included listening to and learning from more than 1,000 key, food-purchase decision-makers from channels as different as fine-dining to QSR and K-12 to healthcare.
“The relationship I'm looking for with a food purveyor is not just supplying us with ingredients, but providing us with solutions to achieve the perfection that all of us hope to achieve,” said Chef Will McCormick of the new restaurant, MOD restaurant & social. “They need to listen and know we are ‘working our tails off’ day-in and day-out in chaos in order to make our dollars to pay rent, pay our mortgages and achieve our dreams. We want a supplier that's going to know our business – and grow our business with us.”
