Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford
Imagine a consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry where both small and large players coexist on a level playing field, consumers have choice, there’s integrity in what they’re buying and they experience innovative, sustainable products.
In this weekly podcast, hosted by founder, award-winning coach, consultant & small business advocate, Chelsea Ford, you'll hear interviews with incredible founders and hard-to-reach industry specialists as well as practical and actionable content that directly supports your CPG business to grow, become more profitable and thrive.
Learn more at www.chelseaford.com .
Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford
#158 How to Source Ingredients, Scale Your Supply Chain and Back Yourself as a Small Brand
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Your ingredient supply chain is the backbone of your product. Get it right from the start and everything else — ranging conversations, scaling production, landing major accounts — becomes a lot more manageable.
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.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
- NFTC website
- NFTC LinkedIn page
- Your Free Pitch Plan
- Become A Foodpreneurs Festival Insider
- Grab Your Foodpreneurs Festival Ticket
- Chelsea Ford Co. Industry Newsletter
Season 17 with NFTC
Season 17, out now, 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.
They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.
Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.
Check them out at nftc.com.au
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