Introduction to Una's Food Category Experts
Meet our team of food category experts, combining over 20 years of experience working in the foodservice and food distribution industries.
By Mackenzie Oakley | January 26, 2023
Here at Una, we are passionate about leveraging the combined purchasing power of our members to lock in savings on goods and services you won’t find anywhere else. This includes delivering savings opportunities in multiple indirect spend categories like technology, shipping and freight, JanSan, facilities maintenance, travel, and more.
We recently announced a brand merger with our sister company, Culinary Consultants Purchasing Alliance. This unification allows us to further our efforts and promote the ongoing growth of the businesses we serve by offering even more value and cost savings in the food category space.
Food category experts
Our team of food category experts has over 25 years of experience developing relationships with food distributors to bring our members significant savings and make a difference within the organizations we serve. Una’s foodservice GPO structure takes the guesswork out of pricing models, trucking, and food distribution, and gives our members the peace of mind that their food programs are operating as efficiently as possible.
Brian Heider is a culinary school graduate and trained Chef. He’s at the helm of Una’s vision to secure the best pricing possible for our members, regardless of the size of their food purchases.
Brian has personal relationships with the members we help on a daily basis, along with the representatives from our food contract providers.
Marissa Muzik serves as Una’s National Account Manager, and is the touchpoint for all things food service related for members.
She conducts market baskets and food cost analyses, knows the details of each food contract, and remains up-to-date on pricing models and any cost adjustments that may impact our members’ bottom lines.
With over 25 years of experience, our team of food experts is committed to developing relationships with food distributors to bring our members significant savings and value.
What does a foodservice GPO do?
It all comes down to helping, delivering savings, and fostering growth for your organization. Una focuses our efforts on leveraging combined food purchasing needs to lock in savings on food orders for our members, while at the same time adding value by working directly with your food distributor to streamline all service-related processes.
Together, we give you the satisfaction of always having more options, more savings, and more overall value for wherever your food program is in need.
While any organization that has food purchasing needs can join Una, our niche currently includes serving over 80 campus communities in 48 states, helping with student housing, greek chapters, and more. Our team also serves several large spring and summer camps, outdoor communities, food management companies, and property management groups.
How it works
Una works to negotiate pricing directly with the suppliers that operate within the food distribution industry. We do this by leveraging the collective buying power of our members to secure exclusive agreements. Our contracts cover many categories so we can ensure the organizations we work with save money on food costs regardless of their size or location.
The best part? This program is completely free of charge. There are no fees to participate, zero long-term commitments, and no product is off-limits. If you see something in a distributor’s catalog, you’ll see immediate savings on your invoice. It’s that simple.
Una can also help when it comes to running cost comparisons for purchases and working directly with distributor representatives to make managing your food purchases and processes easier and more cost-effective.
Why Una's team of food experts?
When it comes to being a foodservice GPO, Una is the only organization in the nation that does what we do. We take enormous pride in the relationships we’ve developed over the years. The value of the partnerships we’ve formed means that our members are treated as a national account in the eyes of the food distributor – treatment you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Our staff is available and ready to help, which means when you call, you’ll talk to an actual person who completely understands how your business operates and your needs. You’ll get real support and real solutions.
And remember, our services are completely complementary – it’s free to join and our program is free to use. Our contracts are set up so vendors pay our fees, which means our services remain free to our partners.
Check out our collection of food-related content and resources. If you have food costs, be sure to reach out and learn how Una’s foodservice GPO model can help you save money, time, and effort.
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Join for free and start saving today.
Join Una and save 15-20% on annual food costs and increase the value of your food contracts by partnering with the nation’s leading food distributors.
As a foodservice GPO, Una delivers the purchasing solutions you need to obtain better overall spend management and increased supplier satisfaction when it comes to your food procurement needs.