Aramark and Avendra International have gained a powerful new tool in the company’s commitment and efforts to Source Responsibly.
Aramark, the parent company of Avendra International, recently acquired longtime partner MaetaData, which provides innovative AI-driven technology that elevates ingredients and source transparency; engages and empowers local, small suppliers; and optimizes the company’s purchasing and reporting practices.
“MaetaData has become an invaluable partner in our efforts around local sourcing transparency and advanced analytics expertise,” said Autumn Bayles, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain and Group Purchasing Organization. “With this first-of-its-kind acquisition for us, we are excited to continue to offer and expand these benefits to our company, guests, clients, and supplier partners. We also look forward to growing the solution widely to help others in the foodservice industry, which will benefit local communities everywhere.”
MaetaData began as a local food brokerage called FarmLogix.
“We started working with Aramark on a large public school district contract in 2017,” said Linda Mallers-Porzenheim, President, MaetaData. “Aramark began to value our data analytics so much that, together, we built out that capability and grew into the company we are today.”
Named after Mallers-Porzenheim’s grandmother, MaetaData has become the foodservice industry’s go-to source for tracking and analysis of local and sustainable sourcing practices. Holders of two patents on their AI-driven process, MaetaData has built the largest database for local and sustainable foods in the industry.
The MaetaData Difference
Award-winning MaetaData has become the technology solution that foodservice leaders trust. Key differentiators include:
- A rapid, patented AI process that analyzes monthly foodservice spend from 1,000+ distribution sources in the U.S., delivering attribution and analytics within two weeks for clients;
- Multi-source data aggregation which quickly and efficiently collects and merges multi-format, multi-system data quickly;
- Source transparency via patented source identification through the chain of custody from source to end buyer;
- 85+ attributes for sustainability, automatically recognizing on average 40-60% of a company’s purchasing to advance programs and reporting; and
- Ability to customize local definitions by mileage and/or state within MaetaData’s framework that also identifies local independent businesses.
4 Families of Local®
MaetaData’s 4 Families of Local framework identifies and distinguishes small farms, community-based businesses, distributor-sourced local, and locally founded companies to help purchasing managers, including those at Aramark and Avendra International, elevate and prioritize local suppliers. The process includes the following customizable designations:
- Family 1: Farms within a certain radius of a location that produces dairy, eggs, produce, meat, poultry, or other agricultural products;
- Family 2: Local businesses in the local radius with ingredients that are not local, for example, a coffee roaster, or bakery;
- Family 3: A distributor definition of local that may not identify a source, such as “Michigan apples;” and
- Family 4: Larger businesses, not including publicly held and multi-national corporations, within a radius that would not otherwise qualify for Families 1-3.
“The 4 Families of Local framework provides real value to clients,” said Mallers-Porzenheim. “It offers customizable definitions, actionable KPIs, and detailed reporting from a single online platform.”
In addition to the 4 Families of Local framework, Aramark relies on MaetaData to optimize and commercialize existing and new products and programs, including Local Restaurant Row.
A Growing Family of Tech Innovation
Maetadata will be integrated* with Mosaic, the AI-powered procurement platform that transforms data into actionable insights to help Aramark and Avendra International team members make smarter purchasing decisions and boost operational efficiency.
Mosaic is part of Aramark’s Hospitality IQ, innovative technology solutions that enable the company to exceed client expectations and better create high-quality experiences for guests.
*External client data is securely segregated on MaetaData’s original servers managed by dedicated MaetaData teams.
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