Employees who undergo food and beverage distributors and wholesalers in Utah education and training must learn to deliver food and beverages from the manufacturer to a food service operator. This may be a restaurant, grocer or another distributor that sells foods and beverages to the end consumer.

The training needed to perform food distribution in Utah primarily depends on the specific area of this industry that you are interested in. Food and beverage distribution jobs and training may be divided into three general categories:

1. Marketing. Food distributors in Utah must learn how to unite producers with consumers in a flexible and efficient manner. This is an especially complex process since many companies are typically involved in the manufacture of food.
2. Transportation. Utah food distributors also need to move food efficiently. The perishable nature of many foods means that they must frequently be kept at a constant temperature during transportation.
3. Food safety. The prevention of food borne illnesses through the proper handling, preparation and storage of food is of paramount concern to food distributors. This aspect of food distribution is highly regulated at both the federal and state level.
   

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

Take business courses needed to sell wholesale food in Utah

There are many classes from colleges and online learning that teach students the business aspects of the food distribution business. These courses not only provide training in food distribution, but also help students keep up with changes in foodservice regulations.

I recommend: Salt Lake Community College offers Utah's only culinary arts program that is by the American Culinary Federation. The Culinary Arts program at Davis Applied Technology College provides the student the basic skills and knowledge needed to enter the food service industry.

Learn the food safety regulations that food manufacturers in Utah must follow

Food safety is an essential part of a food distributor's training. There are many facilities in Utah that offer training classes and provide educational resources in the various aspects of food safety.

I recommend: The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food provides the complete rules regarding food safety training in Utah. State Food Safety provides region-specific information for food handler's permits in Utah.

Learn through trade organizations for a food distributor in Utah

Professional associations frequently provide their own educational programs in food distribution. They also are an excellent way to establish contacts in the foodservice industry.

I recommend: The Utah Restaurant Association provides a variety of educational and training opportunities for its members, including classes, meetings and regular newsletters. The Utah Beef Council provides food safety educational resources for the beef industry in Utah.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Students with mentors are more likely to pursue a long term career in Utah beverage distribution. A mentor can assist the student in developing career goals, fostering professional relationships and providing crucial feedback during the educational period. Many professional trade organizations also actively promote recruitment and retention programs to maintain a skilled workforce in this industry. These programs frequently include scholarships for high school seniors and undergraduates.

Food service managers need a lot of consideration for getting supplies from beverage and food distributors in Utah. If you’re in the state of Utah, you want to rely as much as you can on local suppliers to cut down on shipping. For all kinds of bulk, wholesale or specialty food and beverage purchases, you can find suppliers online located in-state to get food and drink to your shop for resale.

Whether it’s beverages, table foods or bulk orders for the kitchen, get results on local shipments you can rely on for the day to day operation of your business. Business and restaurant managers use wholesale or specialty food deliveries:

1. For accurate re-inventory for a kitchen that goes through a lot of food on a weekly or monthly basis, where ordering from food suppliers in Utah can be a very efficient solution.

2. To get what you need for a last-minute catering job or a large-scale event that is rare for your business.

3. For getting the table goods and opening volumes for a new business, establishing relationships with suppliers of wholesale food in Utah.

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

Find Utah beverage distributors to complement orders from food suppliers in Utah

One consideration for busy managers is getting the right quantities and qualities of beer or wine into a shop or serving space. Use state or local stores to get your needs met for beverage serving.

I recommend: Archer Distributing in Wellington serves customers deals on both domestic and imported beers. Bottleneck Wines and Spirits, a Utah beverage distribution company, teams up with renowned wine makers to deliver results to business clients in the region.

Get wholesale food in Utah from in-state distributors

When it comes to wholesale foods, you have a lot of options. Look for wholesale food distributors in Utah with good bulk prices or convenient services you can rely on for day to day operation of your restaurant, café or other food service venue, whether you're buying meat, produce, condiments or any other necessity.

I recommend: Vegetable Express, LLC sells fresh-cut produce through a selection of wholesale distributors to outfit restaurants with what they need to serve customers. For meats or other purchases, try Sniders Family Meats in Ogden.

Locate great specialty foods with local shops offering food distribution in Utah

For other kinds of purchases, you may want to take advantage of the specialty foods the state of Utah is famous for. Try buying from shops that specialize in local western products to get an authentic Utah style cuisine into your shop.

I recommend: You can order salsas and sauces at Wild Coyote Foods, a Utah food distribution company offering local flavors to shops and customers across the state. Valley Game & Gourmet is a Utah food distributor that works with local farms to deliver great meat and other products for food service.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Always keep your kitchen staff in mind. The cooks are the ones who know how much of everything you need; consult before buying from food and beverage distributors and wholesalers in Utah.

Food and beverage distributors and wholesalers in Utah supply the state's supermarkets and commercial kitchens with all of the food and beverages they need to serve the public. After receiving their food from the vendors and suppliers, it is their responsibility to get it out to the clients.

Take the time to learn about some of the terms associated with food and beverage distributors and wholesalers within the state of Utah so that you become familiar with the process and can negotiate a contract with favorable terms. Here are some of those terms along with some informational links to help get you started.

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

Food safety, quality assurance

The quality assurance or food safety standards refer to the measures that a wholesaler or distributor must take in order to ensure that their products are packaged and shipped to commercial kitchens and supermarkets in the proper manner. This limits the amount of food borne illnesses that can occur from bacteria and the like.

I recommend: Go to the website for Pacific Seafood for additional information on the quality assurance and food safety standards that apply to their products. Pacific Seafood has a location in Utah.

Market report

The market report refers to a document published each week by the American Restaurant Association which details trends, costs and consumption within various food categories. For instance, market reports are published on topics like meat, fish and poultry.

I recommend: Go to the website for Sysco for more information on market reports published by the American restaurant association. Sysco has a distribution location in Utah.

Distribution area, distribution map

The distribution area or map is a document that details where a particular Utah based food and beverage company will ship and stock their products. These maps are often found on the company's website so that a potential client can determine if they're in the service area.

I recommend: Visit the website for Nicholas and Company for an example of a service area map commonly found on food and beverage distribution and wholesale companies websites within the state of Utah.

Product packaging, retail product packaging

Product packaging refers to a service that many food wholesalers and distributors offer, which allows a client to design the packaging for the store brand. The store brand is commonly found alongside name brands in supermarkets.

I recommend: Visit the website for Honeyville Grain for more information on retail product packaging in relation to Utah food distributors and wholesalers.

Imported, specialty brands

Imported or specialty brands refer to items that a wholesaler or distributor receives from another company. The wholesaler or distributor absorbs the associated tariffs, shipping costs and performs the necessary paperwork before re-selling the items to a supermarket or commercial kitchen.

I recommend: Visit the website for US Food Service for additional information on imported or specialty brands. US Food Service has a location in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Fleet

The fleet refers to the trucks that are utilized to distribute the wholesale food from the farm for distribution center to commercial restaurants and supermarkets. Many distributors and wholesalers highlight their fleet on their website to inform the client of things like shipping capacity and temperature control.

I recommend: Visit the website for Copper Canyon Farms, a Utah based wholesaler, for more information on a fleet and how it distributes the food and beverages to supermarkets and commercial kitchens.