Expana Exclusive: Sourcing for Multiple Categories, Staying Nimble – An Interview with Lipari Foods

In this period of unprecedented global uncertainty for agribusiness procurement leaders tasked with optimizing sourcing strategies across diverse product categories, Expana turned to Lipari Foods to find out what is core to them in this increasingly complex environment.

Founded in 1963, Lipari Foods is, today, one of the largest privately held specialty food distributors in the United States, managing more than 37,000 SKUs across 10 product categories sourced from over 22 countries. And unlike most distributors in the US who tend to have several different points of distribution across several states, Lipari Foods operates mainly from single centralized distribution site in Warren, Michigan.

Expana interviewed Ian Amin, who recently joined the company as Vice President of Strategic Sourcing. Amin has spent the last several months learning the intricate machinery that powers this operation. His role requires navigating not just one or two product categories but spanning specialty, deli, bakery, dairy, international foods, and convenience retail distribution. Amin will speak at Expana’s Agrifood Intelligence Summit Chicago in November, where he plans to share insights on how companies like Lipari Foods are adapting their procurement strategies to survive an environment shaped by geopolitical instability, tariff volatility, and shipping disruptions.

Amin grew up in the Metro Detroit area. He left Michigan to pursue a career in the food industry but returned in November 2025 to take the Lipari position. “I’d seen the trucks going by in my childhood. And I was familiar with the name because I’ve worked in the industry, but I left the Detroit area for several years and I only recently came back for this role,” Amin commented. “So, really getting a peek under the hood and seeing just how big the company is has been quite an experience.”

Amin had previously centered on protein sourcing and had covered all protein categories at another food distributor. However, his elevation to Vice President of Strategic Sourcing at Lipari demanded that he expand his expertise significantly. “Trying to be a product expert across all categories is challenging,” Amin said. “I like to consider myself a jack of all trades, master of many, because you can’t be a master of none if you want to be in this kind of role. But if you only focus on one or two, then you’re just not going to be able to succeed.”

Today’s Complexity

Since taking the position, Amin has confronted immediate challenges that have tested his ability to think strategically across the company’s diverse portfolio. The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global energy markets and transportation costs. Tariff uncertainty in 2026 has created an environment where plans established a few months prior may become obsolete within weeks. These geopolitical forces have compelled Lipari Foods to rethink how it sources products, manages suppliers, and plans logistics.

When the Middle East tensions flared in the spring of 2026, Amin and his team discovered that procurement strategies developed earlier in the year no longer made sense. This realization forced a fundamental shift in how Amin approaches his role.

“If anything, I think it has taught, certainly myself and others at the company, that we have to be nimble,” Amin said. “You can try to carve out a plan for the next three, six months and build your strategic calendar for the rest of the year, but what you built in January may not make sense now in July. It’s important to have your finger on the pulse, go back and check if your strategy still makes sense.”

Amin, for instance, had initially planned to evaluate Lipari Foods’ packaging category, believing significant cost savings existed in the sourcing of packaging materials. However, as markets evolved, he recognized that much of the packaging sourcing involved plastics derived from resin, which has experienced extreme volatility this year. Pursuing aggressively on resin-derived products during a period of price swings would have been counterproductive.

“So, if I had stuck to that and said we’re going to save money on resin derived products, I don’t think I would be too successful right now,” Amin joked. “So, it’s not to say that we won’t evaluate those categories, but maybe it’s better pushing them back further in the timeline and instead taking a look at others in the meantime.”

According to Amin, such executions demand rigorous communication across the organization. He emphasized that internalizing strategic insights accomplishes little if senior leadership and cross-functional partners remain uninformed. Regular updates on shifts in sourcing priorities, emerging risks, and category-specific developments must become routine.

“That’s where I think being nimble, keeping your ear to the ground, understanding the news that’s coming in on a regular basis has been really important. And then outside of that, too, is just communicating,” Amin said.

Beyond tactical flexibility, Lipari Foods has fundamentally reassessed its supplier base and diversification strategy. The company operates on a philosophy of building long-term strategic relationships with suppliers. Yet maintaining those relationships in an era of geopolitical tension requires mutual adaptation.

“We really have had to look closely at our partners to navigate the geopolitical tensions and really find a path that makes sense for both us and our supplier partners,” Amin said. “Ultimately, if your supplier is not successful, then, whether it’s now or 12 months down the road, you yourself are not going to be successful. You have to find a path that makes sense for both of you.”

The company has also begun identifying secondary and tertiary suppliers earlier in the process. Rather than treating lower-ranked suppliers as mere backup options, Lipari Foods is now actively cultivating relationships with suppliers outside its traditional top tier, Amin said.

“The one change I would say in how we’re diversifying things is just trying to identify maybe more of those strategic suppliers a little bit earlier,” Amin said. “We’re looking more at some of those suppliers that are a little bit further down the list and going, okay, this might not be a top one, top two, top five supplier necessarily if you take a look at spend or what they can offer, but hey, they really deliver for us on X, Y, Z. So, let’s make sure that we keep conversations open with them and try to build that trust, build that relationship so that if we run into some kind of challenge with one of your legacy suppliers, you might be able to find a new opportunity with someone else.”

In the seafood category, for example, Lipari Foods works with several core suppliers developed over years of collaboration. Yet tariff shifts and geopolitical complications across different regions over the last 12 to 18 months have required the company to think more strategically about geographic diversification, Amin said. Some suppliers may excel in Southeast Asia but lack comparable expertise in Latin America. Others operate exclusively as importers. Meanwhile, Lipari Foods increasingly values suppliers with domestic manufacturing capabilities that could enable sourcing of Gulf shrimp or value-added seafood products.

Managing Multiple Categories

For Amin, managing procurement across Lipari Foods’ 10 product categories requires understanding how each category’s unique market dynamics shape sourcing priorities. Cost matters universally, but the factors that drive profitability vary substantially by category.

“For something like fresh cut produce, shelf life is critical. Understanding who I can work with that gets us the highest quality product from day one, because you might only have seven or eight or 10 days to sell that product before it’s going into the recycling bin or into the compost bin,” Amin said. “Shelf life in that category is really important, but also geography of where those suppliers are located.”

Frozen vegetables are a different challenge. While cost remains important, customer preferences for product attributes and brand positioning often drive sourcing decisions in this category, Amin said. International customers sourcing through Lipari Foods may demand specific product qualities or brands that dictate supplier selection, superseding pure cost optimization.

Dairy represents yet another distinct puzzle to solve. Dairy products typically face abbreviated windows before expiration. More critically, the dairy category operates as a commodity market driven by global price signals. Multiple suppliers often purchase from identical commodity markets, experiencing similar cost pressures. According to Amin, success in dairy sourcing depends on identifying suppliers who monitor relevant commodity futures markets closely, maintain the ability to contract forward, or hedge positions to provide customers with consistent pricing and quality over extended periods.

“It really comes down to the commodity market and finding the right supplier partner who’s dialed into that, who has the ability to potentially contract, has the ability to hedge or take a position, so that they can provide you the most consistent, highest quality product for a longer period of time,” he argued.

Beyond managing existing product categories, Lipari Foods has signaled its intention to deepen its presence in certain product areas. Earlier this year, the company completed the acquisition of Crystal Farms Dairy Company, a cheese manufacturer headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, from Post Holdings. The move reflects Lipari Foods’ recognition that its existing strength in dairy distribution creates opportunities for vertical expansion into value-added processing.

“Lipari has a large dairy manufacturing operation involved in further processing of different cheeses and shreds, and that’s something that we’ve already leaned into this year … We recognized that we’re already a leader in the dairy space and we think there’s more opportunity within it,” Amin commented.

“We decided to leverage that capability, especially with the growing consumer trends we witness. Dairy is blowing up in significant ways,” he added. “It just made sense for the company, and I think it was a good acquisition that we’re excited about.”

Chicago and Beyond

As Amin prepares to speak at Expana’s Agrifood Intelligence Summit Chicago in November, he carries both the practical lessons learned over his first months at Lipari Foods and a broader perspective on how food distribution companies navigate global complexity. He sees the summit as an opportunity to engage with leaders from major multinational food companies, learn from their experiences, and share Lipari Foods’ approach to supplier relationship management and procurement strategy.

“One of the reasons I’m going is that I believe in strategic supplier relationships and building those long-term,” Amin said. “The event is an opportunity to do that. I also looked at the roster and saw global experts of the procurement and sourcing community, and have a chance to hear ideas from them, but also exchange ideas of my own, as well as build on the knowledge I already have or that I’m sharing. Having the opportunity to sit with others in this community is a learning opportunity that I’m really excited to lean into and leverage.”

To hear Amin speak at the upcoming Agrifood Intelligence Summit, apply to attend here.