The Value of Strategic Sourcing in Hospitality and Foodservice

Raphael Rique serves as Associate Director of Sourcing at Foodbuy USA, the procurement arm of Compass Group USA, the largest foodservice organization in North America. With a career spanning five countries and over fifteen years of experience in global sourcing and supply chain leadership, he brings an international perspective to hospitality procurement. Guided by a belief that excellence in foodservice begins with authentic relationships, Raphael integrates strategy, culture, and collaboration to create value that extends well beyond the plate.

Through this article, Raphael Rique shares insights from a global career in sourcing and supply chain, emphasizing that actual value creation depends as much on stakeholder alignment as on execution. Drawing from experience at Foodbuy, the piece illustrates how strategic sourcing—grounded in collaboration, visibility, and communication—drives efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and brand excellence across the entire hospitality ecosystem.

I began my career in global sourcing and supply chain at twenty-three. Across five countries and three continents, one lesson has endured: execution matters, but meaningful stakeholder alignment matters just as much. Without strong connections across the end-to-end chain—culinary, category, operations, finance, suppliers, and the field—an organization limits its ability to create value.

Joining Foodbuy, the largest Group Purchasing Organization in the U.S. hospitality and foodservice sector, strengthened that belief. Rather than assume what each stakeholder needs, I focus on active listening and structured collaboration. By bringing together culinarians, category managers, account leaders, and finance partners, we examine sourcing challenges from multiple perspectives. This dialogue clarifies objectives, tests trade-offs, and accelerates alignment on a unified path forward.

This approach consistently expands value beyond the traditional focus on cost, quality, and delivery. While we negotiate competitive pricing and reliable service, the greater impact comes when sourcing serves as a coordination mechanism for the entire enterprise.

Total Cost of Ownership: At Foodbuy, value starts with visibility across the supply chain. By connecting growers, manufacturers, freight carriers, and distributors, we analyze every cost driver that contributes to the delivered price. Standardized specifications, optimized freight, and consolidated distribution reduce waste and improve consistency, while transparent rebate models ensure that savings are shared across the entire supply chain. The result is a comprehensive total cost of ownership approach that protects margins, enhances efficiency, and fosters stronger supplier collaboration.

Risk and Resilience: Dual sourcing, regional diversification, and scenariobased planning safeguard service continuity in the event of disruptions.

Sustainability and Compliance: Supplier scorecards linked to farming practices, packaging, and waste reduction enable ESG commitments to be translated into measurable outcomes.

Brand and Guest Experience: When ingredient provenance and product heritage are shared early with culinary teams, they become storytelling elements that enhance menus and elevate guest experiences.

Strategic sourcing is not a purchasing function; it is a discipline that translates business strategy into supplier strategy and operational execution. In practice, this means defining commercial goals, engaging with operators and chefs, codifying requirements, co-designing supply models with suppliers, and managing outcomes through data-driven reviews. Communication connects every stage of the process.

Two principles guide my work:

1. Clarity before complexity. Each initiative begins with a clear brief outlining objectives, metrics, constraints, and roles to ensure alignment and prevent rework.

2. Show the math and the story. Executives seek financial impact, culinarians seek purpose and taste, and operators seek simplicity. Each receives the perspective that enables their success.

Hospitality thrives on guest delight. Strategic sourcing supports this by securing responsible and cost-effective ingredients and services, empowering chefs, simplifying operations, and reinforcing the brand. At its core, it is disciplined communication and relationship-building, structured into a process that turns strategy into measurable results.