Azure Foods, order bulk supplies online in the USA

[SummerLite]

I've been using this company for a few months now and I'm very pleased with their selection and prices. They have their own drivers and deliver all over the US. They haven't raised their prices on bulk foods yet like so many other distributors. I recently bought 25 lbs. of dried organic corn (for tortillas) for $25.00 and will be placing an order for organic rolled oats at the same amount and price, among other things. I also bought some organic frozen veggies for my dehydrator.

Here is their recent newsletter. Organic, non-GMO Food and Produce Delivered - Azure Standard

Azure Rises Above the Bleak Fall Retail Stock Predictions​

In a recent article published by Tyler Durden from ZeroHedge.com, it was shared that some of the largest U.S. food distributors are struggling to keep retail shelves stocked and are bracing for a significant increase in food prices, due to labor shortages and a seriously strained supply chain.
This news has not taken us by surprise here at Azure. Our CEO David Stelzer shared with our team, back in June, that if the economic path we were on continued, we would be seeing sharp price increases and product shortages this fall.
We certainly don’t want to lead you to believe that we are immune to this situation, but we do want to assure you that we have been preparing for this since early summer.

Here are a few things we’ve been doing to prepare for these kinds of market changes:

• We’ve increased our inventory. Over the summer, we’ve brought in the largest amount of inventory that we’ve ever held in our warehouse. Our receiving manager has been a little nervous about where we’re going to store the next shipments; as he says, “We’re bursting at the seams.”

• Azure has strong supplier relationships. We have a longstanding value of cultivating strong relationships with our suppliers. These relationships have been built over decades and have given us the foresight to understand what affects the supply chain for each of our suppliers. This ensures that we can better prepare for our customers’ needs.

• Azure brands provide more control. For many of our bulk and ingredient products, our Azure brands (which are processed in our own manufacturing facilities on the Azure farm) give us a lot more control over our supply chain than other distributors would have. We package dry ingredients and grind grains at our state-of-the-art, SQF-certified mill, manufacture our very own carob candy, repackage wet ingredients — such as oils, vinegars and honey — at our pour manufacturing location, as well as harvest fresh fruits and vegetables from our own organic farm and orchards.

We don’t know what the future holds over the next few months, as there’s a lot of uncertainty going on, but what we do know is that at Azure, we are real people, with heart and soul, and are committed to doing whatever it takes to give the best possible service to our customers. That means, if we need more staff to fulfill orders, our executive team (including our CEO) will roll up our sleeves, grab a box and pack orders too, because no one here at Azure is “too important” to serve customers.
At Azure, we’re a family, and as an Azure customer you are an extension of our family. In our family, we take care of each other and we will do whatever we can to take care of you.

 

[SummerLite]

I picked up my order from the Azure truck this evening at the local Home Depot parking lot. There must have been 60 people there! So good to see so many buying in bulk, it was a HUGE shipment and inspiring to see!

Another thing is something is happening with Home Depot. For the last few months they've been receiving massive amounts of inventory. A few weeks ago, when I was there last, I asked an employee about this and he said he doesn't know whats going on and has never seen it before. 3 or 4 tractor trailers have been making deliveries everyday. He thought it may have to do with the price of gas going up and wanting to get ahead of that. Tonight, the parking lot was even more full, rows and rows of packed pallets full of fertilizers , compost and potting soil, small garden equipment of all sorts. The Azure people, who usually have plenty of room, where all clustered together in one corner of the parking lot. We weren't sure the Azure truck would have room to unload! So, Home Depot is dumping its inventory for some reason.......hmmm . I think something fishy is going on.

And there's this.....sabotage? Look at the dragons head off to the side. Not much was lost in food inventory fortunately, some liquids, honey and carob products.

Fire destroys Azure Standard Headquarters Facility​

04-19-2022 • Azure Standard

 

[jess]

It seems to have happened in other food distribution plants as well, it does not seem to be an accident.
Here is an article:

Multiple large food processing & distribution plants in US have recently exploded or burned down​

One week before that fire in Oregon, a massive fire brought down a meat processing plant in Conway, New Hampshire. After burning for 16 hours, multiple fire crews finally put out the fire at East Conway Beef and Pork but the facility is completely destroyed.

That same week, in Salinas, California, a massive fire at the Taylor Farms Processing Facility led to the evacuation of residents as it burned for over 17 hours. Taylor Farms is a major agriculture company that processes and delivers many of the salad kits seen in grocery stores. The cause of this fire is currently under investigation.