NOT ALL ROCK STARS ARE MUSICIANS; MANY ARE RIGHT HERE IN THE COLD CHAIN

Famous musicians aren’t the only rock stars around. There are several rock stars right here in the cold food chain, and many of them are recipients of this year’s Food Logistics’ Rock Stars of the Supply Chain award.

These rock stars developed platforms, integrated automation and led teams through disruption after disruption. They’ve helped their companies pivot and adapt. They’ve promoted workforce development, faced supply chain challenges, mitigated risks and helped to heal the supply chain.

Many of these winners are actively involved in understanding customers’ needs, creating problem-solving solutions, ensuring the safe transport of cold food and beverages and adopting sustainable measures.

The words used to describe them range from strategic, motivated and dedicated to passionate, educator and transformative.

Instead of leading from the top, they lead from within, integrating themselves into the day-to-day tasks of their employees to fully understand the opportunities, pitfalls and options for improvement.

Something else to note about these rock stars is that they are truly shaping the future of today’s—and tomorrow’s—global cold chains. They’re thought leaders craving collaboration. They’re visionaries sharing the same common goal—to solve problems within the supply chain. They’re mentors to today’s youth looking for a place in the supply chain. They provide proactive solutions, invest in their employees and view disruptions as opportunities to improve, enhance and excel.

And, they continue to do so with grace, agility, flexibility and resilience.

And that… rocks.

Food Logistics’ Rock Stars of the Supply Chain award recognizes the industry’s most influential individuals whose achievements, hard work and vision have shaped the global cold food supply chain. Winners come from all facets of the cold food supply chain—from growers, producers, manufacturers, wholesalers, packagers and grocers to transportation, warehousing, distribution, software and technology.

One such rock star is Nitin Gupta, founder and CEO of Beans. ai, who was named Food Logistics’ 2023 overall Rock Star of the Supply Chain winner. (See page 25 for more).

Gupta founded Beans.ai under the mission to fundamentally solve the last-mile challenges in food delivery. Gupta was also named a Rock Stars of the Supply Chain winner in 2022 and Beans.ai is a recipient of Food Logistics’ Top Tech Startup award.

“In a post-pandemic world, I’ve learned that the accuracy of last-mile logistics is critically important to a company's profits and customer service. As online consumption increases, the predictability of when goods get delivered will become a key differentiator for brands and retailers,” Gupta says. “With a mapping database of 70% of all hard-to-locate U.S. addresses, like apartments, hospitals and universities, we are providing the precise data needed to make the last mile of the supply chain more efficient—a crucial tool as the industry faces a global shortage.”

It’s truly an honor to celebrate the rock stars of the cold chain. Check out the full list of winners on page 29. Nominations for next year’s award will open September 2023. Until then, congratulations to the true rock stars of the supply chain, who continue to keep the cold food chain moving.