The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

It’s easy to get swept up in the news and activities of the industry’s global titans, but what about the smaller firms that are out there flexing their creative muscles? In this instalment of ‘Start-up of the month’ – which celebrates the lesser-known companies and their innovations – we speak to Are Traasdahl, founder and CEO of Crisp, a platform that connects data between retailers, distributors, and brands to provide real-time insights across the supply chain.

Can you provide an overview of Crisp and its role in the food industry? Crisp is a retail data platform that connects brands to daily, sales and inventory data from 40+ retailers. With Crisp, CPGs can seamlessly access actionable data and insights from every store, helping teams across the F&B supply chain collaborate to improve performance and drive sales. How did the idea for a food supply forecast platform come about, and what gap in the market is Crisp aiming to address? In 2016, I was fortunate to sell my last company, Tapad, and spent a year travelling the world with my family. On that trip, I witnessed first-hand the staggering imbalance of the food system: devastating food insecurity in one location, while food rotted in fields in another. After researching the problem further, my cofounder Dag Liodden and I realised that slow-moving, inaccurate data is to blame for so much waste and inefficiency in the supply chain. It became clear that the retail industry was ripe for the same data-driven transformation that we had helped lead in the advertising industry at Tapad – and that’s when we founded Crisp. Could you elaborate on how Crisp's data compilation system works? Crisp’s retail data platform automatically ingests and harmonizes data from 40+ retailers and distributors, giving brands a timely view of inventory and sales across every store. With Crisp, CPG brands can avoid manual data aggregation and enjoy a reliable flow of data into any of the tools they use today. And with actionable insights at their fingertips, teams across CPG can easily make data-driven decisions to keep shelves stocked at optimal levels and sales growing.

How does this comprehensive data approach contribute to making food manufacturers and companies more efficient? The process of downloading, cleaning and joining data from different retailers costs brands significant time and effort. With Crisp, customers report saving an average of 16 hours per week – and teams from sales to supply chain to marketing get the data they need, when and where they need it. Ultimately, access to actionable insights helps those teams improve supply chain operations, find opportunities to grow the business, and reduce waste. What specific challenges does Crisp help food manufacturers and companies overcome in the current industry landscape? CPGs face several challenges in today’s dynamic retail environment. With cost-conscious consumers and rising inflation, supply chain efficiency is critical to managing costs. Crisp helps brands manage inventory with precision, allocating the right products to the right locations, preventing out-of-stocks and reducing excess inventory or waste. In a market where consumers have more choices than ever, Crisp also helps brands leverage sales insights to optimise assortments and merchandising strategies, effectively staying ahead of the competition.

What are the key features of Crisp's food supply forecast platform, and how do they provide critical information to major players in the food industry? Crisp’s retail data platform includes three core components. First, the ability to rapidly ingest and process data for hundreds of brands across 40+ retailers, covering $2 trillion in sales. Second, Crisp efficiently delivers this data to any destination CPG teams rely on, from Excel to BI tools to cloud platforms. And last but not least, Crisp’s Retail Analytics suite makes it easy and intuitive for teams across the CPG to drill into their data, uncover new opportunities, and problem-solve – whether it’s uncovering the root cause of out-of-stocks or finding the right market for their new product. Are there any notable success stories or case studies where Crisp has helped a client achieve remarkable results? We frequently hear from clients who have turned seamless data access into tangible outcomes across the business. Carbone, a fast-growing pasta sauce brand, saved $500,000 in avoided out-of-stocks in their first year with Crisp through increased visibility into demand, inventory, and supply chain patterns. International coffee company illy leveraged sales data to collaborate with retail buyers around growing demand, improving top-line sales by 10%. In what ways does Crisp leverage technology to enhance its platform and stay ahead in the food software space? At Crisp, we’ve built a scalable retail data infrastructure that can meet the needs of thousands of customers while simultaneously expanding the data integrations we offer. A major moment happening right now in the retail industry is the transition to Walmart Luminate, Walmart’s breakthrough data platform. Crisp assists some of the world's largest brands in seamlessly transitioning and leveraging the unprecedented level of data and insights provided by the new Luminate platform.

What are Crisp's plans for the future in terms of expanding its services or addressing new challenges in the food industry? There are always new challenges in the retail business, and new ways that CPGs can leverage data to help solve them. One industry challenge that’s top of mind right now is the depreciation of third-party cookies, and what that means for CPG marketing teams. Crisp can be a valuable part of the solution here, helping CPG marketers leverage their own store-level data to effectively target campaigns and measure the impact of their advertising spend on both online and in-store sales. How does Crisp engage with the broader food industry community, and what role does it play in shaping industry discussions or standards? At Crisp, we’ve built strong relationships with suppliers, distributors, and retailers – and it’s that commitment to the entire supply chain that shapes our vision for the industry. We call Crisp a Collaborative Commerce platform because that’s the reality we’re working towards: a supply chain where all trading partners are working in lockstep to efficiently meet demand, improve shopper experiences, and reduce waste. And finally, for aspiring start-ups in the F&B sector, what valuable advice or insights would you share to help them navigate the challenges and opportunities in this dynamic industry? At Crisp, our customers are our heroes, and their success is our success. There’s so much opportunity for innovation in the retail space, and I’d advise emerging companies to leverage their data from the very beginning to understand their business and to find that next big opportunity.