Three Storage & Distribution Facilities in Three States Achieve SQF Certification on the First Try
Rainforest Distribution is a full-service food and beverage distributor who sought out Kellerman Consulting to assist with multi-site SQF certification for three storage & distribution facilities in three different states.
The Overview:
Rainforest Distribution contacted Kellerman Consulting with a desire to grow their business by getting three of their storage & distribution facilities in three different states SQF certified. Kellerman Consulting helped write and implement tailored SQF programs for each facility and stayed with Rainforest Distribution until they passed all three audits in quick succession on their first attempt.
The Result:
“We used Kellerman consulting to assist with the creation, documentation and implementation of our food safety plan on the path to SQF certification in three busy warehouses simultaneously in three different states. Because of the incredible level of detail and individualized support provided by the Kellerman team, we were able to achieve certification in all three on the first audit with only a handful of minor non-conformances noted. The team also provides excellent guidance and advice on all follow-up actions needed. I highly recommend this team to anyone that is looking for help navigating all the complexities around SQF certification, they played a substantial role in our success in this process”.
Jake Jackson, Director of Supply Chain for Rainforest Distribution
Our Process
Intake Process and Food Safety Gap Assessment
- Rainforest Distribution was assigned two consultants from the Kellerman Consulting team in order to help them accomplish their goal of getting all three facilities SQF certified at the same time.
- Rainforest Distribution gathered all teams from three different facilities to be present for the initial kickoff meeting where clear goals and timelines were set.
- Rainforest Distribution assigned an intermediary for communicating and coordinating between the three facilities and Kellerman Consulting to help with efficiency and staying on track with project goals.
- Rainforest Distribution completed a detailed client intake form for each facility, which helped the Kellerman Consulting team tailor the SQF documentation to meet the specific processes for each site.
Program Development
- Documents designed to meet SQF Edition 9 standards were created based on existing policies and SOPs and were released to the client within 5 weeks for each of the three facilities.
- Onsite visits were conducted by Kellerman Consulting at each of the three facilities in three different states in order to complete an assessment and identify any gaps in documentation and processes. Findings from these onsite assessments helped guide implementation and further customization of the SQF programs.
Implementation
Implementation calls were held weekly to review, explain, and tailor each program to fit the needs and operations at Rainforest Distribution, to guide their teams through implementation and to train them on all the SQF requirements.
Audit Preparation & Support
- A second full-day site visit of each of the three facilities was conducted to complete full in-person internal audits of the SQF program.
- Findings from the three Internal Audits helped guide final efforts to prepare for the audits and close all identified gaps in the program.
- During the audits, our consultants were available to offer support and all three teams with Rainforest Distribution were fully prepared and completed the SQF audits successfully.
- Kellerman Consulting assisted the teams to respond to all corrective actions following their audits. All corrective actions were accepted and all three facilities earned their SQF certificates valid for annual recertification.
Three storage & distribution facilities in three different states were SQF certified on their first attempt.
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