Produce Pro Software from Aptean Case Study: Fresh Connect Central

Founded in 2017 and specializing in wholesale food and beverage distribution, Fresh Connect Central has an ambitious mission of “bridging the gap between food waste and hunger.” To do that, the company must effectively manage its complex operations to help ensure fresh produce and essential goods reach its current and prospective customer base of over 200 food banks across the U.S.

At the core of Fresh Connect Central’s operation is Produce Pro Software from Aptean—a fully integrated, comprehensive, end-to-end food enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution designed to streamline processes for all types of fresh produce and perishable businesses across the supply chain.

In this story, Fresh Connect Central’s Senior Director, Jeff McDonald, shares his experience on the challenges his team encountered with the previous system and how Aptean’s purpose-built software helps the company thrive.

The Challenge

Unlike other food companies, Fresh Connect Central needs to segregate purchased products from those donated for government reporting and tax purposes. Additionally, the company must tailor its large repacking operation to pack orders in boxes for dissemination to customers via drive-through and walk-up pickups, as well as redistribution of received products to other community-based organizations in bulk and boxes.

As the company rapidly expanded, McDonald realized the need for a new solution, saying processes had become cumbersome. “We were just making a lot of mistakes because of the number of times that everyone was touching stuff and moving things,” he said.

Challenges Fresh Connect Central was facing with it’s previous software:

• Relying on manual documentation and pricing processes

• Tracking future orders manually

• Lacking real-time inventory visibility

• Navigating complex compliance regulations

The Solution

When Fresh Connect Central sought a solution to streamline operations and enhance inventory accuracy, they turned to Produce Pro Software from Aptean. The platform’s robust capabilities have transformed the company’s processes, enabling precise tracking and improved efficiency.

McDonald highlighted the software’s simplicity allowing him to perform tasks with ease as well as the robust forecasting and inventory management capabilities. “Produce Pro from Aptean helps ensure that we’re using FIFO (first in, first out) correctly and that we have the right dates accounted for on everything,” he said. Securing better e-commerce functionality was also one of the main motivations for the company in implementing Produce Pro Software from Aptean.

The Results

McDonald believes the company’s operations have significantly improved in short order following the go-live date. Apart from increased process automation, all paper processes have been eliminated. “We’ve gone paperless,” McDonald said. “We scan Bill of Ladings (BOLs) the day we receive them and discard them. It’s unbelievably satisfying to do that.”

Leveraging Aptean’s purpose-built ERP for fresh produce, Fresh Connect Central achieved:

• Boosted sales volume by approximately 40%

• Automated order and bill of lading (BOL) processing

• Enhanced pricing flexibility for diverse customer needs

• More robust order management

For McDonald, it’s a relief that his staff no longer have to deal with matching invoices with a stack of BOLs. All they must do now is find the purchase order (PO) number and process the invoice.

Ready for a Fresh Outlook on Your Tech Stack?

Our team of seasoned experts understands the world of perishables is packed with tight timelines and brief windows of freshness. They know the challenges, risks and headaches you face on a daily basis and have developed comprehensive, user-friendly fresh-food solutions to meet your needs, offering produce-specific functionalities straight out of the box.

What’s more, here at Aptean, we offer cloud-first systems, enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and backed by experienced in-house support teams, so you can be sure you’re not just buying a one-time system, you’re investing in a long-term partnership that will fuel your innovation and future success.

As evidenced by the dramatic positive impact our industry-specific ERP has had for Fresh Connect Central, our software delivers results and delivers all the tools that your fresh produce company needs. So, if you’re ready to take the next step in your digital transformation journey—whether that’s with ERP, product lifecycle management software, transportation solutions or something else—we’ve got you covered.

Contact our expert team today or request a personalized demo.