In this episode of Farm to Fork: The Innovators, we are joined by seasoned tech entrepreneur Mani Kulasooriya, who has spent the last decade dissecting the kinship between the foodservice industry and technology.

With a laid groundwork in building Fintech payment systems at Citibank and Yahoo to co-founding CAKE, a restaurant technology startup acquired by Sysco, Mani engages us in a captivating conversation that sheds light on the challenges, successes, and aspirations within the industry.

The discussion revolves around the need to balance technology with the fundamental human connections that drive the food service distribution business while also unraveling the staggering inefficiencies in the food service leading to cumulative billion-dollar losses and discloses the restorative power of embracing data as a means to increase security, generating additional revenue through advertising, and making business more efficient to boost margins for all stakeholders.

We invite you to tune in to the full episode to gain valuable insights directly from this vetted industry expert and visionary.

Once again, welcome to the show.

Connect With the Host:

David Maloni’s LinkedIn

Connect With Our Guest:

Mani Kulasooriya’s LinkedIn

Cut + Dry Website

Connect with Datum FS:

https://datumfs.com/

Timestamps

01:53 - Welcome To The Show, Mani!

04:20 - Mani’s Introduction To The Foodservice Industry

07:05 - Consistent Innovation Leads To Long-Term Success: The CAKE Corporation And Sysco Acquisition Story

10:42 - Open Vs Closed Systems

13:08 - An Introduction To Sysco Labs

17:09 - The Food Distribution Business: Observing, Interacting, And Uncovering Digital Limitations.

20:57 - Mani Details How To Avoid Low Efficiency, Equating To Low Margins

28:36 - What is Cut + Dry (fka Codify AI)?

33:58 - Mani Introduces The Seasoned Cut + Dry Team

36:44 - Mani Explains The Role Of Cut + Dry In The Foodservice Industry

43:58 - Why Is Data So Important To The Supply Chain?

48:50 - Sustainability As A Key Outcome In Effective Data Management

51:08 - The Future Of The Foodservice Industry And How Cut + Dry Fits In

54:06 - Wrapping Up!

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