SUPPLYING CUSTOMERS WITH TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

The role of SYSCO's sales professionals in enabling its customers to be more successful extends to menu planning services to create appetizing, high-quality and higher margin menu choices that often require less preparation time or include lower ingredient costs per portion. For example, a well-trimmed SYSCO brand prime rib roast typically proves to cost less per portion and be higher quality than more fatty, lower-priced alternatives generally available throughout the marketplace.

Uncle Vito's Pizza has been delighting San Francisco pizza lovers for 22 years from its location at Bush and Powell Streets. In the photo, Liborio Campuzano showcases his pizza-making skills while SYSCO Marketing Associate Andy Marefos and Uncle Vito's owners Sandra and Merle Kovtun proudly display their specialty.

Recognizing the value of products designed with easier food preparation methods and convenience in mind, SYSCO, in conjunction with suppliers, has developed many pre-processed and/or pre-cooked items that reduce meal preparation time without sacrificing quality and taste. From pre-washed, pre-cut fresh vegetables to gourmet, signature-style pastries and desserts, chefs today are able to achieve the taste, texture and quality they desire with greater convenience than was available in the past. As an example, SYSCO Natural™ Salad Mix is a blend of several different types of salad leaves, all pre-washed, pre-cut and ready to serve, eliminating substantial preparation time from kitchen to plate.

PROVIDING THE BEST PRODUCTS

SYSCO is the largest purchaser of foodservice products in North America, and its marketing and merchandising professionals possess a knowledge of supply that is unparalleled in the industry. This wealth of market information gives customers access to worldwide producers and aids SYSCO in identifying current dining trends that may influence the menus of foodservice operators.

Executive Chef Charlie Brown at Michael Jordan's Restaurant in Chicago has built his reputation by using quality, fresh-prepared products. He likes to offer patrons SYSCO's Imperial dessert line, like Chocolate Confusion Cake demonstrated by SYSCO Marketing Associate Kelly Glascot, to add the crowning touch to a great meal.

To offer customers the most consistent quality, competitively priced products, the Merchandising Services Department structures programs with thousands of suppliers worldwide to procure items manufactured for SYSCO under the company's own brand, as well as other national-branded products. The SYSCO brand product lines generate an increasing portion of annual sales - 37 percent overall in fiscal 1999 and 48 percent for those accounts served by marketing associates - and represent an excellent opportunity for increased sales to existing customers.

To ensure brand integrity, a team of 180 quality assurance professionals develops and enforces strict specifications for each of the 38,000 products that bear the SYSCO name - an investment in quality that pays dividends in attracting customers who recognize the value of serving their patrons the most consistent quality available. From field to plate, quality assurance professionals are monitoring production lines and testing, sampling and evaluating products to verify that all items meet or exceed SYSCO's strict product specifications and food-safety standards.

SYSCO's core brands are tiered in four quality levels - Supreme, Imperial, Classic and Reliance - to address the specific foodservice menus and cost requirements of each customer. In comparison tests, Classic products generally compare to competitors' top offerings in each category, while only a few competitors' products offer a level equal to Imperial, and Supreme consists of truly distinctive items not generally available in the industry. Because of SYSCO's consistency standards and greater yield, SYSCO's premium-priced products are often less expensive on a per-portion basis.

Left to right: Ron Almond, Mills Distributing Co. (on tractor); Dave Mills, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Mills Distributing Co.; and Tom Wason, SYSCO's Assistant Vice President, Perishables.

Buying directly from growers in California's Salinas Valley means customers can always enjoy produce at peak freshness. Chefs across North America welcome the availability of SYSCO Natural^TM produce for a discerning clientele. It may be crisp hearts of lettuce for a Caesar salad prepared tableside, fresh basil sprigs for a signature entrée, pristine white cauliflower to enhance a meal, or plump, sweet strawberries to be dipped in chocolate for dessert. When the brand is SYSCO Natural™ produce, it represents the top five percent in quality of California's Salinas Valley harvest. In 1999, produce sales topped $1 billion, approximately 6 percent of total sales. The company audits and critiques agricultural growing practices, fertilizer and pesticide use, harvesting and transportation practices, as well as production processes worldwide. Upheld by a 180-member quality assurance team and independent auditors, SYSCO's standards for fresh, frozen and canned products lead the industry, typically exceeding federal guidelines. This selective approach helps assure the consistency, wholesomeness and safety of the foods SYSCO markets and distributes, part of its unequaled dedication to bringing the best available products to customers.