AC Foods, the growers of Sumo Citrus®, faced a significant data hurdle common in the fresh produce category: their syndicated data (Nielsen and Circana) was messy, highly seasonal, and non-UPC-based. This complexity made category performance hard to analyze. For years, the team relied on manual, rigid Excel dashboards created by a consulting partner, which eventually became "unmanageable". With a lean team and no dedicated category analyst, AC Foods needed a solution that could scale, maintain self-service flexibility, and free their sales and marketing teams from spreadsheets.

"We just kept adding more and more each year until the file got so large it became unmanageable. We wanted something more manageable that empowered sales to be self-service. Bedrock connects our data in one place so we're not looking at two silos." - Matt Dini, Brand Manager, AC Foods

Onboarding Bedrock

AC Foods chose Bedrock Analytics for its ability to unify disparate data sources, empowering their sales team with self-service analysis. The goal was a more manageable solution that connected their Nielsen and Circana data in one consistent view. The implementation was a hands-on, collaborative process led by Bedrock's onboarding team, customizing the platform for AC Foods' unique produce metrics. Key outcomes of the dedicated support included:

• Metric Simplification: 80 metrics were streamlined to 46, preserving analysis quality while simplifying uploads.
• Data Consistency: Promotion metrics were aligned between Nielsen and Circana for consistent reporting.
• Customization: Custom export templates (including fonts and colors) were standardized.

"The support was amazing. They went over and above-even troubleshooting fonts and colors. It really felt like a dedicated team on our side." - Matt Dini, Brand Manager, AC Foods

Key Wins and Impact

Even before the full sales rollout, AC Foods saw a measurable impact across its workflows, transitioning from manual processes to streamlined, self-sufficient operations. The results provided a competitive edge and instant credibility:

• Real-time Answers: Sales and marketing can now pull data mid-meeting to answer buyer questions on the fly, eliminating the old "let me check and get back to you" dynamic and building instant trust.
• Faster Data Access: The team moved from a single monthly dashboard to receiving weekly updates during the season, enabling faster visibility, reaction to trends, and preparation for retailer conversations.
• Data-Driven Authority: Having harmonized Nielsen and Circana data allowed the team to speak with precision about performance, reinforcing AC Foods' category leadership in every retailer discussion.
• Streamlined Workflows: The process, which once required multiple handoffs, became a simple, self-managed upload and refresh, resulting in fewer bottlenecks and greater ownership of insights.

"On buyer calls, we can now pull data and answer questions on the fly instead of circling back later by email. Having that visibility in real time builds instant credibility with retailers and strengthens our position in the category." - Matt Dini, Brand Manager, AC Foods