The challenge: Navigating complex specialty cheese markets without drowning in data

As Procurement Manager at Futura Foods, the UK subsidiary of Denmark-based white cheese specialist Nordex Foods, Ethan Holmes oversees a sophisticated operation sourcing specialized Mediterranean cheeses across Southern Europe. Futura’s portfolio demands deep market knowledge and strong supplier relationships while maintaining competitive pricing in increasingly volatile markets.

The traditional approach to market intelligence was consuming valuable time. Creating comprehensive market reports without Vesper would require 10-15 hours of manual data collection from fragmented sources. “It would probably take me at least 10 hours, maybe 15 hours,” Ethan reflects on what the process would look like without the platform. “It could be a large aspect of someone’s whole job.”

Beyond the time investment, Ethan faced a strategic challenge: how to maintain Futura’s philosophy of long-term supplier partnerships while ensuring competitive pricing. “A lot of people might reduce buyers down to individuals that look at cost efficiency,” he explains. “But it’s more about how do you take the measure of the market and understand what a fair price is for what you’re getting.”

The outcome: Company-wide intelligence that delivers immediate ROI

By implementing Vesper’s commodity intelligence platform, Futura Foods transformed procurement from a cost center into a strategic intelligence hub:

  • 5x Faster Reporting: Market analysis reports that would take 10-15 hours are now completed in just 2-3 hours.
  • €16,000 Saved in a Single Negotiation: Demonstrating how small discrepancies create a significant impact.
  • Company-Wide Intelligence: Ethan became the central source of market intelligence for all teams.
  • Commercial Team Empowerment: Sales teams gained the data and insights needed to justify pricing decisions to customers confidently.

The €16,000 calculator moment: Turning a “small discrepancy” into massive savings

Earlier on the day of our interview, Ethan had closed a deal that perfectly illustrated Vesper’s value. During our conversation, he pulled out his calculator to show me exactly how a seemingly minor price discrepancy had led to significant savings.

“We were looking at purchasing large quantities of Dutch cheeses,” Ethan explains. The supplier had increased prices based on farm gate costs and stock pressure. With only one supplier available for quotes, Ethan couldn’t simply shop around for better prices.

Using Vesper, he identified a discrepancy between the quoted price and market reality. He built his case using multiple data sources from the platform: the VPI (Vesper Price Index) benchmark for the specific product, German market prices for similar Dutch cheeses, regional stock levels, and farm gate milk prices.

As he showed me on his calculator, this “small discrepancy” in pricing translated to €15,000-16,000 in savings. “After a while they came around to our way of thinking,” Ethan recounts. While this was just one example from that morning, he notes this scenario repeats throughout the year. “I could go back and find more examples, but Vesper is paying for itself multiple times over.”

Beyond procurement: Becoming the central intelligence hub for the entire company

What started as a procurement tool has evolved into Futura’s central source of market intelligence. Ethan now produces regular weekly reports for specific situations and comprehensive monthly analyses, plus ad-hoc reports for key accounts and their managers.

“The report right now probably takes me a few hours to really get down to a good draft,” he explains. This efficiency allows him to serve multiple stakeholders:

  • Leadership Team (MD, CFO): Strategic market outlook and budget planning
  • Commercial Directors: Pricing strategy and market positioning
  • Key Account Managers: Real-time intelligence for specific customer negotiations
  • Sales Teams: Data-backed justification for price changes

“I can walk over and help them with their specific customer issue,” Ethan notes, “or be able to advise the business about what might be happening in Q3 and Q4.”

From negotiation to education: Giving the sales team confidence to defend prices

One of Vesper’s most valuable applications has been helping Futura’s commercial teams justify pricing decisions to customers. In volatile dairy markets, price increases can strain customer relationships without proper context.

Ethan shared a recent example with a major UK buying group questioning significant price increases in Italian cheeses. Using Vesper’s data, he built a comprehensive narrative showing US buying patterns, European availability constraints, and the precise trajectory of price shifts.

“It’s right there in front of them,” Ethan explains about presenting the data. “It’s a significant step forward in our ability to service our customers.”

This capability transforms difficult pricing conversations. Account managers no longer rely solely on supplier explanations; they arrive armed with independent market data that validates their position. “Vesper has helped us in almost every negotiation,” Ethan emphasizes, “but also internally with our ability to educate staff and give them a basis to go and talk about markets confidently.”

The multiplier effect: Strategic value beyond cost savings

While the quantifiable savings justify Vesper’s cost “multiple times over,” Ethan sees equal value in the qualitative improvements. By becoming the company’s central source of market intelligence, he enables better decisions across all departments.

“Who knows how inspired our customers have been by that representation from our salespeople,” Ethan reflects. “That’s been a massive value add.”

The platform also serves as a review tool, allowing Futura to benchmark their procurement decisions retrospectively. “We’ll always go back and say, was that justified by pricing at the time?” This continuous improvement cycle helps refine their approach and validate strategic decisions to stakeholders.

Looking forward: Intelligence as a competitive advantage

For Futura Foods, Vesper has evolved from a time-saving tool to critical business infrastructure. Real-time intelligence has become their competitive edge in an industry where information gaps can cost tens of thousands of euros in a single transaction.

As food markets face increasing volatility from climate events, geopolitical tensions, and shifting trade policies, Futura’s investment in comprehensive market intelligence positions them to deal with uncertainty more confidently. Whether catching pricing discrepancies that save €16,000 or empowering sales teams to maintain customer relationships through turbulent markets, Vesper has transformed how Futura Foods operates across its entire organization.