Frutto Foods builds a strong business foundation to support their explosive growth.
Case Study
Frutto Foods partners with Silo.
“Trust Silo. In my opinion, it’s the best financing option in the industry today. No matter the challenge, Silo worked with us to find a solution every time. ”
Johnny Najar
Founder and CEO at Frutto Foods
Featured Products
Let's get to know
Frutto Foods
Frutto Foods has quickly developed a reputation for being a service oriented team that focuses on delivering a spectrum of fresh fruits and vegetables with a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude. As they continue to broker strong relationships with suppliers and meet the continued demands of their customers they are intentional about building and maintaining an efficient and connected business experience with the help of Silo’s modern technology and access to working capital.
Location
Miami, Florida
Team Size
10
Their Goals
As Frutto Foods continues to expand their business operations, they are focused on building a strong, dynamic produce company grounded in integrity, trust, and true partnership.
Special ingredient to share
An Ode to Old friends: Tomato on the Vine & European Cucumbers
A Greek Summer Salad:
2 tsp of olive oil
Pinch of salt & pepper
One cup of chopped tomatoes
Half cup of quartered cucumbers
Three handfuls of fresh spinach
2 tbsp of feta cheese
Quarter cup of halved black olives
Built on Integrity, Frutto Foods Gets The Fuel It Needs to Explode
The Challenge
A produce industry veteran, Johnny, founder and CEO of Frutto Foods, had his eyes set on building a strong, dynamic produce company grounded in the integrity he felt was too often lacking in the industry. His former years spent in successful partnership with many produce powerhouses gave Frutto Food the early success they needed to ramp quickly. Three weeks in, the Frutto Team was off to a great start. They had a solid roster of customers, a steady flow of sales, and a demand that kept growing. It appeared that Johnny’s new business, built on integrity, was on to something special. However, the stability that Frutto Food needed for longevity had yet to be achieved. Cash flow gaps, created by delayed customer payments, and the operational growing pains that disconnected systems embellish put their growth goals and ultimate success at risk.
Johnny knew that in order for Frutto Foods to continue building the infrastructure needed to support their growing business they would require a combination of technology and financing to successfully navigate this phase of their growth.
Traditional banks offered him a fraction of the start-up capital he needed to succeed, while his young, driven team were disenchanted by the clunky, expensive technology solutions that seemed to fill the market. As Johnny began his search for modern technology systems and alternative financing solutions, he found a unique combination in Silo.
The Solution
Silo, a values-based perishables fintech company, proved to be the comprehensive solution that Frutto needed. Within roughly two weeks the Frutto Foods Team deployed a combination of Silo’s Instant Pay and Inventory Management solutions across their operations, bridging data flow gaps and cash flow inefficiencies.
While Silo Instant Pay quickly granted them access to all outstanding accounts receivables, Silo’s Inventory Management and Quickbooks integration automated Frutto Food’s business operations, providing true connectivity between inventory, order management, accounting and cash flow functions. Silo’s user-friendly platform and hands-on implementation made it easy for Johnny’s team to adopt their new operational changes while Silo’s remote access and data insights made it possible for Frutto Foods to make more informed business decisions on-the-fly.
Silo’s thoughtful and reliable approach to partnership gave Johnny confidence that they had shared values, paving the way to a tight knit partnership.
Whether it’s growth, infrastructure, or investing in our team, Silo is there to help us reach our goals.
The Results
Within 6 months, Frutto Foods increased their monthly revenue by 500%
While Silo’s Inventory Management solution bridged operational inefficiencies that surfaced valuable insights, Instant Pay unlocked funds that they used to fuel more traction in the market. This enables them to turn over higher volumes of product each month to keep up with their growing customer demand.
Profit margins 4% above market average
Increased revenues and efficiencies allowed Frutto to grow at the pace they wanted while keeping operations lean. As a result, they’ve been able to achieve record high profits, in an industry that typically operates on razor thin margins, further fueling their growth momentum.
Grew in size from 4 people to 10 people in one year
Funds from increased revenues were put towards strategic investments in their Colombia and Texas operations. With new offices at home and abroad Frutto Foods expanded their team to keep up with the demand of his rapidly growing business.
Read the Full Story
A timely partnership fuels Frutto Foods growth potential
It all started with a dinner in Nogales, Texas, where Johnny first learned of Silo. After an introduction to the Silo team, Johnny recognized an opportunity to strike up a strategic partnership and leverage Silo’s solutions to get Frutto Foods where they wanted to go. Soon, Silo’s team conducted a series of consultations and advised Johnny to leverage Silo Instant Pay and Silo’s Inventory management to get his business into a comfortable operating position.
Silo Instant Pay allowed Frutto Foods to quickly access the AR funds owed to them. The flexibility and efficiency of Silo’s approach was made possible by innovative underwriting techniques that they used to design solutions specifically for the produce industry.
To Silo, Frutto Foods was more than just a client - they were a strong, integrity-based company with powerful growth potential. Post-funding, Silo’s Capital team continued to nurture Frutto’s customer relationships through their tailored collections process.
In Silo, Johnny found a values-forward partner, grounded in integrity and flexibility that he could rely on in the early days of his business. Silo’s team established an open, collaborative relationship with Frutto Foods and demonstrated a clear desire to work with Frutto Foods to meet their unique goals. “No matter the challenge, Silo managed to work with us and find a solution every time,” Johnny remarked.
Silo is so easy to use. It makes technology feel approachable and equips our staff with the tools they need to do their jobs and do them well.
Automate operations for a small, growing team.
Leveraging a combination of Instant Pay and Silo’s all inclusive inventory management platform across their operations proved to be what Frutto Foods needed. Silo’s Inventory Management and Accounting platform gave them tangible insights into their operations, bridging inventory, orders, and accounting processes that allowed them to visualize and connect the flow of their funds. “It’s all connected. With Silo, there’s not much you have to do to get stuff done on a daily basis.” remarked Johnny.
Silo helped us connect the dots across our operations. It automated processes and bridged gaps that make it the ideal solution for our small team.
Silo empowered them to analyze their buyer and seller relationships more closely, better positioning them to purchase and sell more strategically. Frutto Foods' ability to regain control over their business operations and access further funds to fuel growth opportunities gave them the confidence and cash flow health they desired.
This year was a roller coaster ride. Products were either really cheap or really high. With Silo I can weather the storm and execute on opportunities that make sense for our business.
Results you can see and feel
Silo Instant Pay gave Frutto the financing necessary to break into the industry and accelerate business when it mattered most. With start-up costs covered, Frutto Foods was now buying more tomatoes on the vine and investing in their expansion into Colombia and Peru, yielding increased sales volume that quadrupled revenue streams in six months.
To build a business the right way, you need a lot of start up capital. Banks don’t understand how this industry works, and factoring companies have the potential to ruin established customer relationships. Silo saw our potential and respected my customer relationships. They work like an extension of the Frutto Foods team.
Frutto Foods’ relationship with Silo had been built on a foundation of integrity and accountability and that gave Frutto the support they needed to grow confidently. “I trust Silo 1000% with my business. There's nothing different I would do if I had to start over again,” says Johnny. With Silo financing, they could now invest in and pursue strategic relationships with suppliers that they knew would help them grow in the directions they wanted.
Silo saw our potential and respected my customer relationships. They work like an extension of the Frutto Foods team.
A well-oiled machine
The combination of Silo’s platform and capital solutions brought ease, efficiency, and clarity to Frutto’s business operations. “Silo is so easy to use. It makes technology feel approachable and equips our staff with the tools they need to do their jobs and do them well,” Johnny says. Integrated tools allowed Johnny to build efficient workflows for his team and manage operations easily, leaving time for strategy. Streamlining his business ultimately gave Johnny the flexibility and confidence to expand his team from 4 to 10 people in one year, building on a team he’s proud to put out there as the face of Frutto Foods.
