CEO’s Perspective: Trust Doesn’t Transfer

I met a buyer at IFPA’s recent retail conference who has been in produce for more than 40 years.

He got his start at 12—bagging groceries at an independent grocer, because the larger chain in town wouldn’t bend employment rules for someone his age. The independent would. And so began a career that has now spanned four decades.

Back then, you had to earn your way into the produce department. You proved yourself in other departments first, and you were promoted into produce. He did that.

And over 40 years later, he’s seen every cycle this industry has to offer—supply shocks, market swings, wave after wave of consolidation. He’s the kind of veteran who is calm in the storm. Been there. Done that.

What struck me most in talking with him wasn’t his résumé. It was what he still believes after all of it: that trust is the foundation this industry runs on. Forty years in, that conviction hasn’t softened.

I think he’s right. And I think conviction is being tested in ways that deserve a harder conversation than they’re getting.

Two Levels of Trust

The trust that holds this supply chain together works on two levels—and both have to hold for everyone to succeed.

The first is between suppliers and buyers: the confidence that product arrives on time, at spec, consistently. That a grower’s quality doesn’t slip. That a distributor pays its bills. That the supply chain performs when it matters.

This kind of trust is built through relationships, validated by data, and maintained through ongoing accountability.

The second level is what the first one makes possible: the buyer’s ability to consistently deliver for the customer. Full shelves. Consistent quality. Product you can bring home and confidently feed your family.

The end consumer never sees the supply chain. They just see whether the produce section delivers. When the supply chain holds, it’s invisible. When it breaks, everyone notices.

When the supply chain holds, it’s invisible. When it breaks, everyone notices.

Consolidation Was Supposed to Help

Here’s a trend I’m watching that’s putting that chain under pressure. Consolidation is supposed to make the supply chain more resilient, more dependable. In theory, scale creates stability.

But it’s not working out that way—at least not in every case.

There is a well-capitalized firm that has been systematically acquiring regional distributors and wholesalers—companies that spent decades earning reputations for reliability, fair dealing, and on-time payment. The acquisitions keep coming. The brand names stay the same.

And then, quietly, things change.

The cash generated by those acquired businesses funds the next deal, not the operations. Growers who have shipped to the same buyer for 20 years start seeing slow pay. Six and seven-figure claims pile up.

The goodwill built over generations becomes the asset being extracted—and the acquired distributors can’t perform the way they once did.

Quality slips. Fill rates drop. Growers stop sending their best product. Buyers can no longer offer their customers the consistent value they’ve come to expect. What started as a broken link in the middle of the chain becomes a cascading failure—broken trust rippling in both directions.

Buyers may not realize that partner was acquired 18 months ago and is now a vehicle for someone else’s growth strategy. The relationship looked intact. The data underneath it had already turned.

What started as a broken link in the middle of the chain becomes a cascading failure—broken trust rippling in both directions.

Know Your Partner—Really

This is why “know your customer” can’t just mean recognizing a name.

Serious operators are looking deeper into their supply chains than they used to—tracking payment behavior, quality trends, and operational consistency over time, not just relying on history that may no longer reflect reality.

Blue Book’s Supplier Scorecard was built for exactly this environment. It gives buyers real performance data on existing and prospective partners—so the relationships they invest in are grounded in something more durable than familiarity.

It’s how you identify the right new partners, validate the ones you’re already working with, and stay informed as conditions change. In an era of accelerating consolidation, ongoing visibility isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s how you protect the supply chain.

Still Showing Up

I keep thinking about the buyer I met. After 40 years, he’s still in it. Still believes in the relationships. Still shows up.

That kind of commitment built this industry. It’s worth protecting. Protecting it, in today’s environment, means building relationships, validating with data, and maintaining through ongoing accountability.