Consistent, Quality Ingredients Lead to a Growing Business
In my interactions with our customers who are in the business of selling extruded whole soybeans or ExPress® soybean meal, I often hear some of the following comments:
“My customer switched to another source of ExPress® soybean meal may be because it is cheaper than mine.”
“My ExPress® soybean meal is higher in protein than my competitor but the nutritionist recommended my competitor’s product to his client.”
“I need help understanding those nutritionists.”
A nutritionist or an ingredient procurement person is just like you, trying to get the most for his or her buck for what they buy, assuming the ingredient fits his or her specification and quality criteria. It is especially important to understand that a nutritionist is not interested in an ingredient that has no consistent composition, quality and appearance day in and day out. Nutritionists want to have confidence in that what they are buying or recommending fits their specifications.
In the ingredients business, we need to realize that the majority of ingredients (except whole grains such as corn and wheat, as well as whole seeds like extruded soybeans) are by-products and can vary in their composition, nutritional quality and consistency.
Although solvent extracted soybean meal is the by-product of oil production, the industry has realized the importance of standardizing it to be a co-product rather than a by-product, so it became more consistent and predictable in its quality.
When the ExPress® process was developed, the quality of the ExPress® soybean meal and the oil were equally important (click here and here) and subsequently, the optimization was demonstrated and verified by independent research (Click here).
So, as an ExPress® soybean meal producer, ask yourself the following questions:
a) Do I use quality soybeans in my operation?
b) Am I following the recommendation of the ExPress® system manufacturer? Do I consult with the correct nutritionists and technical people?
c) Do I produce a consistent product day in and day out?
d) Do I know the typical analysis and nutrients digestibility of my product?
e) Do I keep records on my operation and on finished products?
f) Do I understand that my product is being evaluated based on its consistency in analysis and on digestible nutrients rather than on protein and oil content alone?
g) Is my product priced competitively?
If the answer is yes to all the above, you should have great success with both repeat and new customers, which will make your business grow and prosper.
However, if the answer was no to any of the above-mentioned questions, I would recommend reaching out to the nutrition team of your equipment supplier to work with you. At Insta-Pro, we are here to provide you with the assistance to work through any of these problems you might be having. Contact Dr. Dave Albin at +1-515-254-1276 or dalbin@insta-pro.com, or myself at +1-515-254-1203 or nsaid@insta-pro.com. We will work through a cost-effective solution to solve these challenges and help you succeed.
