The landscape of the food distribution industry is changing quickly to meet the demands of the evolving food offerings available to consumers looking to dine out. With continued emphasis on streamlined strategies, a rockstar in the industry regularly goes overlooked, while ultimately upending what the West knows about smart, sustainable, affordable food distribution channels.
Historically, food distribution strategies have been less progressive and more focused on maintaining a status quo that failed to take into account the needs of specialty cuisine. This outmoded approach to sourcing, supplying, and delivering food to restaurants no longer suffices in an atmosphere where specialty cuisine is in greater and greater demand. The $300 billion U.S. food supply market includes an annual Asian restaurant market of $60 billion. With a growing market presence, neglecting ethnic restaurants’ customized needs is no longer feasible.
When billionaire entrepreneur, Maodong Xu considered bringing China’s food distribution strategies to the U.S., he envisioned a future where the food distribution market was no longer led by old standards and antiquated processes. Instead, Mr. Xu recognized the successful strategies implemented by China to supply fresh, well-sourced, affordable, and sustainable ingredients could be merged with the stellar tech available in the United States in a brilliant marriage of best practices and streamlined strategies. With the Fresh2 e-commerce app, he is doing just that.
In 2022, five of the top ten cuisines in the U.S. are of Asian descent, and finding well-sourced, budget-friendly ingredients delivered on time has been a primary challenge for this niche. Traditional call center models for ordering and limited sourcing options are no longer acceptable. The Fresh2 platform is answering the need for a better option, relying on the delivery models of China and the promise of continued Web 3.0 development in the West to create the optimal food distribution solution.
“What we have in Fresh2 isn’t just a new shiny object,” says Mr. Xu of the platform. “We have put together a team of leaders from the East and the West to develop the best solution—a solution that, once refined and proved in the marketplace, we can roll out to other specialty markets as well.”
It’s long been known that food sourcing, packaging, and distribution methods of China’s market surpass the current standards in the U.S., and finding the right ingredients is a different game entirely in the U.S. At first glance, Fresh2’s goal seems to be finding the best possible solution for placing specialty ingredients into the hands of Asian restaurant owners, but the truth is something much grander and more impactful. With the right distribution channels and systems, the Fresh2 e-commerce platform can create an end-to-end workflow that eliminates waste, creates sustainable options, and unites farmers, wholesalers, and restaurant owners while ultimately serving the end consumer with the best possible food options.
In both Japan and China, ready-to-cook ingredients have been processed well to eliminate waste and are available to the market in large amounts. Fresh2’s long-term goals include identifying needs in the process. These needs include a better, more sustainable way to process and package Asian ingredients to create ready-to-cook packets. With the right focus and intelligence, Fresh2 becomes more than just a shopping app, it presents a picture of how big businesses can serve niche markets and support better systems and ingredient provision.
Looking further into the future, Web 3.0 plays an active, meaningful part in further improvements to the Fresh2 model. Blockchain technology will be an integral piece in tracking food sourcing and giving consumers greater control.
The innovation of an age-old industry stuck in its own standards and historically unable to serve specialty markets has forever changed the way restaurant owners will look at their supply options. The Asian cuisine trend will continue into the future, and demand for specialty cuisine continues to rise. Companies living by the “old ways” must adapt and find their footing in a new space—a Fresh2 space—where the needs of the customer are met using the best man and technology have to offer when perfectly merged.
With a niche market such as Asian cuisine dominating current U.S. trends, and the need for fresh, raw, and sometimes live ingredients exceptionally higher than conventional American cuisine, change is necessary on all fronts, and Maodong Xu’s Fresh2 platform is a top contender in providing optimal solutions to a restaurant population that has long been searching for a better option.
