Choosing the right food and beverage distributors and wholesalers in Montana is essential for convenience and grocery store owners. Buying food wholesale in Montana is a highly competitive business with high customer expectations and complex factors that affect product replenishment.

Montana food distributors must allow you to implement proper inventory management. This is especially important in maintaining profitability on low-margin items where knowledge of customer buying patterns is critical when choosing food and beverage distributors. Montana food and beverage distribution can be further complicated by promotions, seasonal availability and the large differences between wholesale and resale purchase units.

When selecting one of the food and beverage distributors and wholesalers in Montana, choose one that will increase your bottom line by allowing you to do the following:

1. Maintain your stock levels to prevent lost sales by minimizing the impact of excessive shrinkage and expiration. Reliable delivery, therefore, is crucial for determining the optimum order quantity and re-order point.

2. Save on shipping costs through advance replenishment, order consolidation and optimized price breaks. This will help you plan promotions and other sales-related events.

3. Increase customer retention and service levels.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy from a major Montana food wholesale company

Some food and beverage wholesalers cover most of the country and usually cater to grocery store chains. However, they also may be able to deliver to regional franchises and independent stores.

I recommend: Nash Finch is a leading wholesale food distributor in the United States. It has a clickable map of food distribution centers. Sysco is a leading supplier of food, preparation and serving items. A clickable map on Sysco's website displays its locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Purchase from a regional Montana food distributor

Regional suppliers usually serve smaller businesses in second-tier markets. They may also distribute gourmet and other specialty food items.

I recommend: URM Stores is a food distributor for the Inland Northwest including much of Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Oregon and Montana. Charlie’s Produce delivers a range of fresh produce to food service and retail stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington.

Select local independent wine and beer distributors in Montana

A local Montana beverage wholesaler can provide more personalized service to smaller convenience and grocery store owners. This additional time and attention can create a business relationship not found with larger distributors.

I recommend: Helena-based George’s Distributing provides customers throughout Montana with wine and craft beer. Intermountain Distributing is based in Billings and distributes beer and wine to wholesalers in Montana.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Identify any particular buying habits of your customers. For example, if your store caters to a particular ethnic group, you will want to use food and beverage distributors and wholesalers in Montana that specialize in foods from that ethnic group. Many wholesalers also specialize in a particular type of food such as ice cream, cookies or chips.
• •  Get frequent price checks from a Montana food distribution company. The grocery market can be extremely volatile, especially on seasonal items. Additionally, a distributor that has a surplus of perishables will be more willing to negotiate on price and a regular customer is more likely to get a discount.