Marco Grünewald, managing director of Soonwald-Bäckerei Grünewald GmbH

Please introduce your company.

Our company has been around for over 100 years, since 1883 and is now run by the 5th generation. The Grünewald bakery is a purely family business. In addition to me, my wife, sister and cousin are also in the company. We operate 29 branches and have 230 employees. A sustainable concept is very important to us because we would like to maintain the business for future generations as well. When selecting our raw materials, for example, we rely on regionality, our eggs come from the farmer next door, and the coffee also comes from the region. This is how we create a stable local network.

What challenges did your company originally face?

We always had the challenge that new sellers only carried out the order very poorly because they simply lacked the experience of what was in demand, when and in what quantity. It was different among the existing salespeople, some had a very good feel for ordering, others not at all. Another challenge was that the salespeople did not always comply with my guidelines as to which products should absolutely be there by the end and which should not. The personal preferences of sellers have had a major impact.

What was your goal when you came to foodforecast?

Back then, Foodforecast simply contacted us and presented their exciting solution. I was immediately very open and saw potential. First, we tested foodforecast in a branch and then it was gradually rolled out further.

What has changed in your company since the Introduction of FoodForecast?

With foodforecast, we have automated the entire ordering process. The FoodForecast Software gives us a daily sales forecast for the next day's order. This is much more accurate than what we can predict based on our own experience. The result is that we have fewer unnecessary returns in the evening. This means that we have to throw away less in the evening. At the same time, however, we are also increasing our sales of baked goods, of which we had previously ordered too little.

Since Foodforecast's artificial intelligence takes over control, orders are no longer affected by the personal assessments of sellers. I can now centrally control the entire order. Another interesting side effect is that theft is immediately noticed or prevented, because thanks to FoodForecast's software, I know exactly how much was ordered, how much was sold and how much must be left over. Discrepancies are noticeable.

What is the biggest added value of the software for you?

For me, the biggest added value is transparency. I make a decision about destination returns and no longer have to double-check whether they have been implemented. It's enough if I skim through the orders once a week and then make a manual adjustment if, for example, a large order came in. Sellers can concentrate fully on selling and the checkout is no longer blocked by the ordering process. The currently very high raw material and energy prices are also an important argument for the introduction of foodforecast, because unnecessary production simply cannot be allowed.

Do you also communicate the cooperation with foodforecast to your customers? Does this require any further material from our side?

No, we have not yet communicated the cooperation with foodforecast to our customers. We only reported on this when customers asked about our sustainability concept. But it would definitely be great if FoodForecast could provide appropriate marketing material to communicate the cooperation to the outside world.

Would you recommend foodforecast to other customers and if so, why?

Yes, I would definitely recommend foodforecast. I have had consistently positive experiences with foodforecast so far and am very satisfied. I notice that foodforecast is constantly evolving. Should difficulties arise, foodforecast is immediately there to help.

Has Foodforecast made your business more sustainable?

Yes, the company has become significantly more sustainable because unnecessary returns are gone.

How did your key figures improve?

Our sales of permanent pastries have increased by 80% in some cases, which is really impressive. Returns have fallen significantly.

What is the feedback from employees on the introduction of the software?

In the beginning, the employees were very critical, especially the long-time employees, who draw on many years of experience when placing orders. In the beginning, they still intervened, adjusted the orders manually and didn't really trust the software. But now FoodForecast has also convinced our skeptical employees. And it's not an issue at all for new employees anyway, they don't know any other way.

Do you have any suggestions for improvement? What else would you like to see?

It would be great if the complexity could be reduced even further. But that is not due to foodforecast, but to the entire process. We are satisfied and look forward to further cooperation.

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