NPB and three pork producers were invited to participate in a panel discussion at UniPro’s Center of the Plate Protein Symposium in September 2023. The focus of the panel was on real on-farm sustainability efforts. Producers shared their on-farm reports, revealing that two out of three were carbon-negative. This event sparked interest in additional opportunities with foodservice corporation, UniPro.
In October 2023, NPB invested checkoff funds to grow the value of the loin/rib complex in collaboration with UniPro, a promotional campaign featuring both bone-in and boneless pork loins, as well as spare ribs.
Who is UniPro?
UniPro Foodservice, Inc., boasting over 460 members, stands as a foodservice distribution cooperative. It provides nationwide access to exclusive purchasing opportunities with premier suppliers through its Group Purchasing Organization (GPO). As a federation of independent distributor members, UniPro offers various services and programs to empower its members in the competitive foodservice industry.
Unveiling the Campaign
The campaign initiative was exclusively offered to distributor members participating in the GPO program. The Checkoff funds that were invested in this campaign were equally distributed to UniPro members who met the qualifying purchases.
Numbers that Speak
To measure true incremental growth, UniPro members were required to demonstrate sales of loin and rib complexes in both 2022 and 2023, with a minimum of 1,000 pounds of growth. The collective results were remarkable – across 25 members, more than 1 million pounds of loin and rib complex were sold, an increase of nearly 330,000 pounds from the previous year.
Building Future Partnerships
Looking ahead, NPB remains dedicated to growing strong relationships within the foodservice industry. NPB is actively engaged in efforts to build trust and add substantial value to foodservice distributors. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in 2024 as NPB helps to bring more pork to food service partners.