Buying fresh produce before you have a buyer

Buying fresh produce without an identified customer leaves the business with money committed and a limited window to find a home for the goods. Before making that commitment, I would want to know why we are taking the risk and how well placed our sales team is to find someone who can use the stock.

An occasional gamble can make sense. I would be uncomfortable making it a routine way of buying. The judgement depends heavily on the people and customer relationships behind the purchase, and on whether sales and operations can work closely enough to get the goods out.

Question why the purchase is being made

I would question the decision to buy before we know where the produce is going. Who is making that commitment, and why do they think we can place it? We need to understand the reason for taking on stock whose customer has yet to be found.

There may be a reasonable explanation. Perhaps we are helping another company that needs to move some produce. Every so often, taking that chance can be part of doing business. But we should be clear about what we have agreed to: the spending is committed, and we may have to accept a financial loss while helping that partner.

The team still has work to do. Somebody has to find a customer, and operations has to get the goods to them. Accepting the possibility of a loss does not remove the need to work hard on finding that destination.

That is why I would keep asking how often this happens. An occasional decision to help a trading partner is one thing we can understand and discuss. If we regularly buy without knowing who will take the goods, we are repeatedly giving the team the same difficult problem to solve.

Be realistic about the sales team’s ability to place it

A lot comes down to the salespeople and the relationships they have. Do they know customers who could use this produce? Is there enough of a relationship to approach someone about taking an additional order alongside other business?

A salesperson who understands a customer’s needs may be able to have that conversation. There could be room to work something out that helps both sides. That relationship gives the team a possible route for the stock, even though the customer still has to agree.

I would look differently at the risk if the sales team were new or had yet to build those connections. They may have fewer people they can call who know them, trust them and could use what we have. Buying the same goods can create a much harder problem for that team than for one with established customer relationships.

So I would want the confidence behind the purchase to be specific. Which customers might take it? What does the salesperson know about their ability to use it? That brings the conversation back to the relationships available to us and the work needed to turn a possible destination into an order.

Find customers whose acceptance requirements fit

The remaining shelf life matters when looking for that destination. If one customer will not accept what we have, I would ask whether another customer or end market could use it within the time available. Different customers may have different requirements for how much life remains when goods arrive.

That means looking closely at the produce we actually need to sell. A customer may buy the product regularly and still be unable to accept this particular stock. Sales needs to understand that fit when approaching an alternative buyer.

In their August 2026 study of shelf-life acceptance in grocery supply chains, Maria João Santos, Pedro Amorim and Sara Martins describe retailer acceptance in terms of “the maximum age a retailer is willing to accept”. That commercial requirement helps explain why the same available stock may suit one customer’s operation and fall outside another’s requirements.

The difficulty is visible in FreshPlaza's July 2026 reporting on the European blueberry market. Colina Fruit’s William Hill described abundant fruit that did not necessarily provide the shelf life retailers needed. He also reported difficulty selling lower-quality fruit. Having produce available did not mean there was a suitable buyer for all of it.

I would still push sales to explore another customer where the stock could fit. But that search has to reflect the goods’ actual condition and remaining life. A different commercial acceptance window only helps if the produce is suitable for the customer taking it.

Keep sales and operations close until the goods leave

Once we have committed, sales and operations need to stay close to what is happening. What are we selling? What is going out? What still needs a home? Depending on the situation, those conversations might need to happen daily or every other day.

A day can make a real difference when demand is uncertain and the time to move the goods is limited. The teams need to keep talking while they can still act on what they learn. If a possible buyer falls away or an order comes together, that changes the work in front of both groups.

There can be tension here. Sales is trying to place stock that nobody has agreed to take. When a buyer is found late, operations can suddenly be asked to ship it at short notice. From one side, finding the customer has solved an urgent problem. From the other, the difficult work of getting the goods out is now arriving at the last minute.

In an August 2026 FreshPlaza interview about greenhouse cucumber supply, Big Marble Farms chief operating officer Devin Jaspers said, “Accurate forecasting, strong customer relationships and quick communication are essential”. He was describing a grower’s need to match perishable supply with changing demand. Those same pressures make close communication important once we are trying to place produce we have already bought.

Sales and operations have to work through that position together. Keep discussing the search for a buyer alongside what needs to leave, so finding an order and getting it shipped stay connected.

I would take this kind of risk occasionally, with a clear reason and a realistic view of who might buy the goods. Strong relationships can help, and close coordination gives the teams a better chance to act in time. The possibility of a loss remains part of the decision, even when good people are working hard to find a home for the produce.