3 ways suppliers can strengthen their bakery partnerships

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3 ways suppliers can strengthen their bakery partnerships

28 Apr 2026

Mari Rydings

Mari Rydings is a versatile content creator, editor and marketer with experience developing dynamic, results-driven materials for B2B and B2C audiences. As the editorial director for Avant Food Media, she leads the day-to-day editorial operations for the company’s print and digital magazines, newsletters and social media platforms. Outside of work, she loves reading, hiking, putting together jigsaw puzzles and spending time with her husband and their twin daughters.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Relationships are the foundation of any profitable business. Every interaction, positive or negative, between a company and its employees, customers, competitors and vendors has an impact.

In commercial baking, specifically, baker-supplier relationships that are less transactional and more collaborative are the key to thriving, especially during challenging times. And the industry has had its fair share of challenges in recent years: a global pandemic, supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages and tariffs, just to name a few.

During the American Bakers Association (ABA)’s annual convention, held April 19-23 in Colorado Springs, CO, executives from five large-volume commercial bakeries shared the stage to talk about the baker-supplier relationship. The panel, moderated by Eric Dell, president and CEO of ABA, featured Paula Marshall, CEO of Tulsa, OK-based The Bama Cos.; Brian LeComte, president and COO of Fall River, MA-based Gold Medal Bakery; Tyson Yu, CEO of Los Angeles-based Aspire Bakeries; and Bill Quigg, president and CEO of Richmond, IN-based Richmond Baking.

To kick off the conversations, Yu highlighted several foundational steps bakers and suppliers can take to strengthen their partnerships, including taking advantage of in-person events such as the ABA Convention.

“The first step is showing up,” he said. “Then, set up meetings. Be intentional about making time to first listen, learn, talk strategy and get updates. In-person events offer a great venue to do so, and that’s where relationships start.”

Every great partnership starts with both parties getting to know each other, and Yu said that’s especially true with bakers and suppliers.

“When a supplier asks how they can help Aspire Bakeries, I encourage them to get to know our foods,” he said “I invite them to tell me what they like and how they can improve one of our products, whether it’s through an ingredient, packaging, or an OEM that can help us run more efficiently. Understanding and explaining how it will impact the entire supply chain will go a long way. It’s as simple as that.”

Marshall expanded on the idea of showing up to include on-site bakery visits, particularly when a problem pops up.

“The suppliers that are first on our list are the ones that visit us,” she said. “It makes all the difference to be there on the manufacturing floor with our technical team and watch the products run. When we have a problem, we want a supplier who is willing to get on a plane, come to the production floor and live through the challenge with us so we can all be partners.”

“The suppliers that are first on our list are the ones that visit us. It makes all the difference to be there on the manufacturing floor with our technical team and watch the products run.” — Paula Marshall | CEO | The Bama Cos.

Productive relationships also work from a place of unspoken trust that’s built over time through showing up, talking and problem-solving together. Bakers need to be able to trust their suppliers, and vice versa.

“When I think about the best partnerships we have with vendors, it starts with trust,” Quigg said. “I am confident that if we have an issue, we can call them up and they will care. For me, it’s about getting to know people on a more personal level, beyond just a business transaction. And that goes both ways.”

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