From Suppliers to Customers: Why Long-Term Relationships Still Matter at Traverse Bay Farms
On
/
0 comments
Quick context: Traverse Bay Farms shares how 25 years of supplier relationships in Northern Michigan reflect a larger business philosophy built around trust, quality, consistency and genuine customer relationships.
Quick Summary
- Traverse Bay Farms has replaced only three or four suppliers since 2001.
- The same relationship-first mindset extends from suppliers to customers.
- Trust, communication and consistency matter more than a single transaction.
What 25 Years Taught Traverse Bay Farms About Building Genuine Relationships
What does the way a company treats its suppliers have to do with the way it treats its customers?
At Traverse Bay Farms, we believe the two are closely connected.
Since our company was founded in 2001, we have replaced only three or four suppliers. That unusually small number says something about how we approach business.
We value communication. We value consistency. We value trust. And when we find people and companies who share those values, we would rather build a genuine long-term relationship than continually chase the next transaction.
That philosophy does not stop with our suppliers.
It is the same mindset we bring to the customers who visit our stores, order from us online, discover one of our products through a retailer or simply come to us looking for information.
In August 2026, Food and Beverage Outlook spotlighted Traverse Bay Farms co-founder Andy LaPointe in its The Question thought-leadership series. The publication asked business leaders how they are managing relationships with key suppliers in an increasingly volatile environment.
LaPointe's answer centered on three ideas that have helped guide Traverse Bay Farms for 25 years: trust, communication and loyalty.
But the bigger story is not simply how we work with suppliers. It is what those relationships reveal about the kind of company we have tried to build.
A Relationship-First Mindset From Suppliers to Customers
Traverse Bay Farms approaches supplier and customer relationships with a similar philosophy: communicate honestly, set high standards, be dependable and think beyond the immediate transaction.
A supplier may provide something we need to operate our business. A customer may choose one of our products, walk into one of our stores or place an order online.
Those are different relationships, but there is still a person on the other side of each one. That matters to us.
We have never wanted Traverse Bay Farms to become a company where every interaction is viewed only as a transaction. But the transaction should not be the entire relationship.
Over time, genuine relationships are built through what happens before and after that transaction: how people communicate, whether promises are kept, how problems are handled and whether each side feels respected.
That is the high-quality mindset we try to carry through the entire company.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Traverse Bay Farms was founded in Northern Michigan in 2001.
- Winner of 38+ national food awards at America's largest and most competitive competitions.
- The company has replaced only three or four suppliers in 25 years.
- Annual projections and expectations are shared with important vendors.
- Traverse Bay Farms still requests competitive quotes on new orders.
- Long-term relationship value is considered alongside short-term pricing.
- The same emphasis on trust and consistency extends to customer relationships.
What Only Three or Four Supplier Changes in 25 Years Says About Our Business
Replacing only three or four suppliers since 2001 is more than an interesting business statistic. For Traverse Bay Farms, it reflects a preference for building relationships that can improve, deepen and become more valuable over time.
That does not mean we ignore pricing. We continue to request competitive quotes when placing new orders. We believe knowing the marketplace is part of running a responsible business.
But the lowest price on one order does not necessarily tell you which relationship offers the greatest long-term value. An established supplier already understands how your company operates. That history matters.
We do not want someone to feel valued only at the moment they place an order. We want the experience surrounding that order to communicate something about Traverse Bay Farms: that we care about doing business well and that we hope the relationship lasts longer than a single purchase.
Trust Is Built Before You Need It
One of the most important lessons we have learned is that genuine business relationships need to exist before circumstances become difficult. Trust built during ordinary years can become especially valuable when there is a shortage, delay, mistake or unexpected change.
“That kind of loyalty is not created during a crisis – it is built years before the crisis arrives.”
— Andy LaPointe, Co-Founder, Traverse Bay Farms
— Andy LaPointe, Co-Founder, Traverse Bay Farms
A company earns customer trust the same way: gradually, through repeated experiences. Did the company communicate clearly? Was the customer treated fairly? Was the relationship handled with the same care after the sale as before it?
No individual interaction establishes a 25-year reputation. Thousands of individual interactions do.
Communication Is One of the Foundations of a Genuine Relationship
Clear communication has played an important role in Traverse Bay Farms' long-standing supplier relationships. We share annual projections, establish expectations and communicate when business circumstances change rather than leaving vendors to guess what is happening.
LaPointe told Food and Beverage Outlook that this includes being open with suppliers even when Traverse Bay Farms loses an account.
Communicate as clearly as you can. Be straightforward when circumstances change. Try not to create surprises that could have been prevented through a conversation.
We believe those habits contribute to better supplier relationships, but they also influence the kind of customer experience we want to create.
Why Price Matters but Does Not Tell the Whole Story
Traverse Bay Farms still seeks competitive supplier pricing because responsible purchasing matters. At the same time, 25 years of business experience has taught us that value can include qualities that do not always appear on the bottom line of a quote.
Reliability has value. Communication has value. Consistency has value. Trust has value. Experience working together has value.
LaPointe explained that Traverse Bay Farms may be willing to pay somewhat more to preserve a valuable long-term relationship rather than move an order simply to capture a one-time discount. It means looking at value more broadly.
Customers are not simply choosing an item. They are choosing the company standing behind that item as well.
What the COVID Supply Crisis Revealed About Long-Term Relationships
The COVID-era supply disruptions became an unexpected test of many business relationships. For Traverse Bay Farms, they also demonstrated why years of supplier communication and loyalty could matter when normal business conditions disappeared.
LaPointe told Food and Beverage Outlook that while many businesses struggled to obtain raw materials, long-standing Traverse Bay Farms vendors sometimes contacted the company proactively to help make sure it remained supplied.
Those calls were meaningful. But the relationships behind them had not been created during COVID. They had been developed during ordinary years, one order and one conversation at a time.
Good relationships are not simply useful when business is easy. They can become even more meaningful when business is hard.
Customers Deserve the Same Long-Term Thinking
The supplier story is ultimately relevant to Traverse Bay Farms customers because it reflects how we think a business should treat people. We want to earn relationships rather than assume them, and we want those relationships to be based on more than a single transaction.
Customers have choices. Choosing Traverse Bay Farms represents a decision to place some degree of trust in our company. We respect that.
After 25 years, we believe genuine customer relationships are built much like genuine supplier relationships: gradually, consistently and through repeated actions.
It Is About More Than Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty is valuable to any business, but our goal is broader than encouraging someone to make another purchase. We want Traverse Bay Farms to be a company people feel comfortable returning to because the relationship itself has earned their confidence.
Repeat business is an outcome. The relationship is what comes first.
A genuine relationship requires the company to think about what the customer needs, not simply what the business wants to sell. Sometimes that means providing information. Sometimes it simply means being dependable.
Over 25 years, those interactions become part of the character of a company.
A High-Quality Mindset Should Extend Across the Entire Business
Quality is often discussed only in terms of the product a company sells. We believe a high-quality mindset should extend further — to supplier relationships, customer communication, service, business partnerships and the decisions made when no one outside the company is watching.
The customer may never meet the companies supplying ingredients, packaging or other materials behind the scenes. But how we manage those relationships reflects the standards we bring to the business as a whole.
Five Relationship Lessons From 25 Years in Business
After 25 years, some of the most useful business lessons are also among the simplest. They apply differently to suppliers and customers, but each reflects the relationship-first mindset Traverse Bay Farms has tried to maintain since 2001.
1
Think beyond the next transaction
A purchase order and a customer order are both transactions. A relationship can continue long after either one is complete.
2
Communicate even when the news is difficult
Trust depends on honest communication. Sharing changes and addressing problems directly can strengthen relationships with suppliers, customers and other business partners.
3
Recognize that consistency has value
A dependable supplier can make a business easier to operate. A dependable company can make a customer more comfortable returning.
4
Do not confuse price with total value
Price matters, but so do reliability, service, communication, confidence and experience working together over time.
5
Treat trust as something that must be earned
No company is entitled to supplier or customer loyalty. Trust develops through behavior and can take years to build.
Key Takeaways
Traverse Bay Farms' long supplier relationships reflect something larger than a purchasing strategy. They demonstrate a relationship-first philosophy built around communication, trust, consistency and long-term value. After 25 years, we try to bring that same high-quality mindset to suppliers, customers and the other relationships that make our business possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
People Also Ask About Supplier and Customer Relationships
Twenty-Five Years Later, Relationships Still Matter
Business looks very different today than it did when Traverse Bay Farms began in 2001. Retail has changed. E-commerce has changed. Technology has changed. Customers can compare products and companies almost instantly.
But faster does not always mean better.
After 25 years, one of the clearest lessons we have learned is that the best business relationships rarely feel like transactions.
Communicate honestly. Be dependable. Set high standards. Treat people fairly. Think beyond the next transaction.
After 25 years, we still believe that matters.
Why Choose Traverse Bay Farms
- Founded in Northern Michigan in 2001 with a relationship-first approach.
- More than 38 national food awards earned over 25 years.
- Only three or four supplier changes in 25 years — consistency by design.
- Trust, communication and long-term thinking guide every business decision.
Continue the Traverse Bay Farms Story
For 25 years, Traverse Bay Farms has grown through retail, e-commerce, wholesale distribution and specialty foods while maintaining a relationship-first approach to business. Visit Traverse Bay Farms to learn more about our products, educational resources and the people and principles behind our company.
About the Author
Andy LaPointe is co-founder of Traverse Bay Farms, a Northern Michigan gourmet food and wellness company founded in 2001. His experience includes retail, e-commerce, wholesale distribution, product development, supplier relations and specialty food marketing. Traverse Bay Farms has earned more than 38 national food awards.
