Description
Buy fresh fruits and vegetables for resale, negotiating prices and contracts, ensuring quality and food safety, and coordinating cold-chain logistics and inventory to meet demand and margin targets.
- • Arrange refrigerated transportation, delivery appointments, and appropriate storage.
- • Source, evaluate, and select produce suppliers, including growers, shippers, and importers.
- • Negotiate pricing, terms, and volume commitments; execute purchase orders and contracts.
- • Forecast demand and review orders to determine required varieties, grades, and quantities.
- • Inspect or approve product quality and grade; monitor ripeness, temperature, and shelf life.
- • Manage inventory levels, shrink, and turns; coordinate replenishment and allocations.
- • Maintain purchase records, pricing, traceability, and food safety compliance documentation.
- • Monitor market trends, weather, seasonality, and freight to adjust buying strategies.
- • Collaborate with merchandising or culinary teams on assortments, specs, and promotions.
- • Resolve supply issues, substitutions, claims, and credits with vendors and carriers.
- • Plan seasonal programs and import windows; secure supply during crop transitions.
- • Coordinate ripening, repacking, or value-added processing with distribution centers or vendors.
- • Conduct supplier performance reviews and audits; manage relationships and contingency plans.
- • Communicate pricing, availability, and product updates to internal stakeholders and clients.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
