Eran Mizrahi is the CEO and cofounder of ingredient brothers, a natural ingredients importer.
Every time a climate change or geopolitical conflict sends ingredient prices soaring, my ADHD brain sees a familiar pattern. Before my diagnosis, I’d hyperfocus on finding the “perfect” supplier while ignoring everyone else. For those of us who’ve learned to weave redundancy into daily routines to manage ADHD, life teaches us that success isn’t about perfect execution—it’s about building deep, resilient coping structures that can withstand any storm.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, companies are still working to diversify and localize their supply networks, with risk and resilience at the forefront of the supply chain agenda. Here’s how my company moved away from transaction-based thinking to create a more resilient supply chain.
The Fragility Of Transaction-Based Thinking
Yesterday’s ingredient supply chains often mirror an unmanaged ADHD brain: reactive rather than proactive, focused on immediate transactions rather than building lasting support systems. This could lead to:
• Choosing suppliers based solely on price points.
• Conducting bare minimum quality checks.
• Maintaining surface-level communications.
• Treating vendors as interchangeable parts.
• Avoiding deeper partnership investments.
Many companies still approach vendor management as a series of isolated transactions. According to Deloitte, 90% of companies engage with multiple suppliers, but only 44% develop the deep regional relationships needed for true resilience.
How To Build Stronger Supply Chains
True supply chain resilience goes beyond having multiple vendors—it’s about building an ecosystem that turns potential crises into opportunities you can handle seamlessly. After helping over 200 food brands tackle supply chain challenges this year, our interdisciplinary team has developed a framework.
1. Build “bench strength” when choosing suppliers.
In ingredients sourcing, this goes beyond having backup vendors to understanding how the unique strengths of different regions work together. Take chili peppers. As India’s season ramps up, Mexico’s harvest winds down. If frost hits New Mexico’s crop, our relationships with Spanish growers keep the supply flowing without massive spikes in pricing.
2. Prioritize depth over breadth.
We go deep with our core suppliers instead of spreading ourselves thin. Think of it like business friendships—you can have thousands of followers, but only a handful of people you’d call with a problem. Together with this core group, we regularly audit key facilities, coordinate capacity planning and invest in shared quality control systems.
3. Implement continuous qualification.
We also stay vigilant through constant communication. My ADHD taught me that prevention beats crisis management every time. So we don’t just do annual check-ins—we review quality on a monthly basis, share market updates in real time and discuss capacity needs before they become urgent.
4. Remember that infrastructure is your friend.
Finally, we’ve built a strong safety net—kind of like the organizational systems I use to manage my ADHD. We have quality teams on the ground in key regions, digital tracking tools that give us real-time visibility and warehouses strategically placed for quick response times. The result? When disruptions hit, we don’t panic—we pivot because we’ve built relationships and systems that can handle the unexpected.
Building true resilience in your vendor network is a lot like my experiences managing ADHD in business. It’s about letting go of perfect control and building systems beyond backup suppliers. Sustainable resilience relies on deep partnerships with diverse vendors who understand your business and solve challenges creatively.
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