Mr. Grünewald from the Grünewald bakery

1 Please introduce your company.

Our business has been around for over 100 years, since 1883, and is now run by the 5th generation. The Grünewald bakery is a family business. In addition to myself, my wife, my sister and my cousin are also involved in the business. We operate 29 branches and have 230 employees. A sustainable concept is very important to us, because we want to keep the business going for future generations. When selecting our raw materials, for example, we focus 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.

2 What were the original challenges in your company?

We always had the challenge that new sales assistants were very bad at filling orders because they simply lacked the experience to know what was in demand, when and in what quantity. It was different with the existing sales assistants, some had a very good feel for the order, others not at all. Another challenge was that the sales assistants didn't always stick to my instructions as to which products had to be there until the end and which didn't. The sales assistants' personal preferences had a big influence.

3. what were your objectives when you approached foodforecast ?

Foodforecast simply contacted us back then and presented its exciting solution. I was immediately very open and saw potential. We first tested foodforecast in one store and then it was gradually rolled out further.

4. what has changed in your company since the introduction of foodforecast ?

Thanks to foodforecast , we have automated the entire ordering process. The foodforecast software provides us with a daily sales forecast for the next day's order. This is much more accurate than what we can forecast based on our own experience. The result is that we have fewer unnecessary returns in the evening. In other words, we have to throw away less in the evening. At the same time, we also increase our sales of baked goods that we had previously ordered too little of.

Because foodforecast 's artificial intelligence takes over the control, orders are no longer changed by the personal assessments of the sales assistants. I can now control the entire order centrally. Another interesting side effect is that theft is immediately noticed or prevented because, thanks to the foodforecast software, I know exactly how much has been ordered, how much has been sold and how much must be left. Deviations stand out.

5 What is the greatest added value of the software for you?

The greatest added value for me is the transparency. I make a decision about target returns and no longer have to check whether they have been implemented. It's enough for me to check the orders once a week and then make a manual adjustment if necessary, for example if a large order comes in. The sales staff can concentrate fully on sales 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 you simply can't afford unnecessary production.

6. do you also communicate the cooperation with foodforecast to your customers? Is further material necessary from our side?

No, so far we have not communicated our collaboration with foodforecast to our customers. We have only mentioned it when customers have asked about our sustainability concept. However, it would definitely be great if foodforecast could provide appropriate marketing material to communicate the collaboration to the outside world.

7. 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. If there are any difficulties, foodforecast is there to help immediately.

8. has your business become more sustainable thanks to foodforecast ?

Yes, operations have become much more sustainable because the unnecessary returns are gone.

9. how have your key figures improved?

Our sales of long-life baked goods have increased by 80% in some cases, which is really impressive. Returns have fallen significantly.

10. what is the feedback from employees on the introduction of the software?

In the beginning, the employees were very critical, especially the long-standing employees who have many years of experience with orders. In the beginning, they still intervened, adjusted the orders by hand and didn't really trust the software. But in the meantime, foodforecast has won over even our skeptical employees. And it's not an issue for new employees anyway, as they don't know any different.

11. do you have any suggestions for improvement? What else would you like to see?

It would be nice if the complexity could be reduced even further. But that's not down to foodforecast, it's down to the whole process. We are satisfied and look forward to further cooperation.