In an increasingly unpredictable global market, supply chain resilience has become more of a business imperative than ever. From geopolitical instability to sudden demand shifts and supplier disruptions, food & beverage companies face complex challenges that require nimble, strategic responses. To address this critical topic, we sat down with Pedrom Rejai, founder of Elevate Growth Partners, a firm that helps small to midsize food businesses optimize their operational assets and scale sustainably.
Pedrom is a seasoned supply chain executive with over 15 years of experience leading end-to-end operations in the consumer goods and food industries, including managing a €350M international business and a $1.4B sourcing portfolio at Unilever. With an MBA and PMP certification, he combines strategic planning, digital transformation, and people-first leadership to drive operational efficiency and supply chain resilience.
This article includes Pedrom’s most valuable insights, including practical frameworks and guidance for business leaders looking to future-proof their supply chains.
How Companies Can Prepare for the Unexpected
When asked about the primary threats to supply chain stability, Pedrom didn’t hesitate:
“At any moment in any given supply chain, there will be one or more disruptions from some geopolitical issue that the team has no control over. That’s usually the biggest threat to any supply chain.”
From Red Sea piracy to port strikes or avian flu outbreaks, Pedrom emphasizes that although the source of disruption is always changing, the constant is the reality that something will go wrong.
Companies often think they’re safe because they source domestically or from “stable” countries. Pedrom warns this is a false sense of security: “The first mistake a lot of CPG companies make is assuming that because we’re sourcing locally, we have less risk. That’s not necessarily true.”
The First Step in Managing Supply Chain Risk
Risk management starts with understanding the structure of your supply chain and asking tough questions about its weak points.
Pedrom suggests mapping the entire value stream, from suppliers to customer delivery, and stress-testing each node. At each point, leaders must ask: What could go wrong here?
When evaluating whether a risk is acceptable or requires mitigation, he poses the question: What would we do if this failed?
For example, if a single co-manufacturer had a labor strike, could you survive for two months without them? If not, you need a plan: perhaps building inventory or developing backup relationships.
“Not all risk is bad,” Pedrom explains. “But you need to be honest about what you’re willing to tolerate, and what could take you down.” That clarity becomes even more important when companies are scaling quickly and don’t have time to pause and reassess.
Which Metrics Signal Supply Chain Resilience?
According to Pedrom, companies should track both reactive and proactive metrics.
Reactive KPIs, like gross margin, service rates, and lead times, show how the supply chain has performed under recent pressure.
Proactive indicators, such as forecast accuracy, inventory turns, or supplier capacity utilization, predict how well it will perform in the future.
“You have to balance cost, speed, and risk,” Pedrom says. “And that balance shifts depending on what the data is telling you.”
Just as important is making sure the people behind the data can interpret it in the context of the broader business.
Determining an Inventory Strategy: Cost or Contingency?
Pedrom reframes inventory not as a burden, but as a hedge:
“You could be taking unnecessary risk on a single supplier because you assume the impact will be small. But if you just signed a big client, the stakes change. Inventory becomes your insurance.”
In fast-growth phases, the risk of stockouts often outweighs the cost of carrying extra product. The key is to tailor your buffer strategy based on what kind of disruption you’re trying to guard against and how quickly your partners can recover.
What Does Effective Contingency Planning Look Like?
Contingency planning doesn’t mean having a perfect Plan B. It means knowing what you’ll do in a disruption, whether it lasts one week or six months.
For short disruptions, extra inventory may be enough. For longer ones, companies need more robust mitigation strategies, like pre-qualified alternate suppliers or diversified sourcing.
Pedrom points to the recent avian flu crisis: “Some companies had already qualified powdered egg suppliers or foreign sources. When prices doubled, they were ready to pivot. Even if they couldn’t get 100% of their needs, they could get 50%. And that can be the difference between survival and going under.”
The goal isn’t perfection, it’s continuity.
The Right Org Structure for a Resilient Supply Chain
In Pedrom’s experience, the best supply chain org structure depends entirely on company size and complexity:
- Large enterprises benefit from specialized verticals (procurement, demand planning, logistics, etc.) reporting up to a Chief Supply Chain Officer.
- Mid-sized companies often blend functions, with team members wearing multiple hats but needing clear oversight from someone with end-to-end visibility.
- Smaller businesses need strategic generalists: people who can see the big picture and aren’t bogged down in daily execution. That’s often where Elevate Growth Partners steps in, bringing structure and foresight to companies in rapid transition or growth.
Even with the right people and structures in place, there’s one common pitfall Pedrom urges companies to avoid.
Balancing Innovation with Core Competencies
Pedrom warns against layering innovation efforts onto already-stretched supply chain teams. Instead, he recommends creating separate workstreams for new product launches or market tests:
“Every time you ask your supply chain to make a change, you add waste, you add cost, and worst of all, you risk burning out your team.”
If your core team is managing daily chaos, don’t also expect them to roll out a high-stakes new SKU overnight. Create space and bring in external expertise when needed.
Final Advice: What’s the One Thing Every Supply Chain Leader Should Do?
“Know your supply chain,” Pedrom says. And he means physically.
“Go see the trucks get loaded. Visit the egg farm. Watch how the co-manufacturer operates. You’ll see things you never expected—things that change how you think about risk and resilience.”
Sometimes, the clearest path to strengthening your supply chain isn’t in software dashboards or KPIs. It comes from walking the floor, asking questions, and seeing the friction points up close.
Go see the trucks get loaded. Visit the egg farm. Watch how the co-manufacturer operates. You’ll see things you never expected — things that change how you think about risk and resilience.
About Elevate Growth Partners
Founded by Pedrom Rejai, Elevate Growth Partners helps small and midsize food businesses grow through operational chaos. Their unique approach blends strategy, execution, and a results-based fee structure contingent on delivering real results.
With experience rooted in both Fortune 500s and entrepreneurial ventures, Elevate Growth is built to bridge the gap between big-picture thinking and boots-on-the-ground execution.
Pedrom Rejai | Elevate Growth Partners
Pedrom Rejai is a seasoned operations and supply chain leader with over 16 years of experience across the food and consumer goods industries. He has led international supply chains, managed billion-dollar sourcing portfolios, implemented lean systems, and driven digital transformation across complex CPG environments.
He’s worked with teams of 240+, overseen $23M in capital projects, and saved clients millions through strategic and process improvements. Now, Pedrom leads Elevate Growth Partners with one mission: help growing food businesses operate better, scale faster, and thrive in complexity.