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When serial entrepreneur Are Traasdahl started Crisp seven years ago, he understood that data was critical to building a more resilient, agile supply chain — but he had no idea just how prevalent these issues would become. COVID dramatically changed consumer behavior and supply chain logistics overnight. The pandemic influenced Crisp’s product direction and made their work more urgent, while serving as a proof point for how important supply chain transformation really is.
“Before the pandemic, everybody thought they could push a button today and all the products would show up tomorrow,” Traasdahl says. Empty shelves and container ships backed up outside Los Angeles’ harbor changed that calculus, driving retailers, distributors and manufacturers to embrace data platforms and processes.
From Orchard Waste to Global Scale
The seeds of Crisp were planted years earlier, when Traasdahl walked through a New Zealand orchard and saw most of a year’s apple crop rotting on the ground. That image, symbolic of the third of the world’s food that never reaches consumers due to supply chain inefficiencies, ignited his conviction that data could be a key lever to fix systemic waste.
That conviction set him apart when the pandemic hit. Where others saw chaos, Traasdahl saw a catalyst. He understood that collaboration between suppliers, distributors and retailers was not just a competitive edge but a necessity for resilience.
Betting Big on AI
Traasdahl’s ambition goes well beyond incremental efficiency. In the past year, Crisp acquired four companies: Shelf Engine for AI-powered fresh produce forecasting and order automation, two UK-based firms to accelerate international expansion and Cantactix, a specialist in planogram optimization (the science of arranging products on shelves to maximize sales). Each deal reflects his determination to build a comprehensive ecosystem that helps predict and prevent waste and increase profitability at every point in the supply chain.
That vision is crystallized in Crisp’s new AI Agent Studio. Purpose built for the retail industry, AI agents perform specialized functions to help sales, category and supply chain teams understand the root cause of sales trends, predict and prevent out-of-stocks, detect problems and set priorities. It is a bold bet on AI not just as a back-office tool but as an active player in the future of supply chains.
Scaling Smarter, Feeding Better
Today, 7000 suppliers leverage the Crisp platform to track the impact of everything from daily sales to weather patterns. This pooled intelligence drives what Traasdahl calls “four categories of performance”: improved sales, enhanced profitability, stronger financial metrics and sustainability gains.
The results are hard to ignore. J.M. Smucker, for instance, recorded a 65% increase in seasonal pet food sales after using Crisp’s optimization tools. This kind of outcome reinforces Traasdahl’s central belief: Data is not just an advantage anymore; it is an essential foundation for feeding the world more efficiently.
Redefining the Future of Food
For Traasdahl, the mission of Crisp is not just about growth but about rewriting the operating model of the food industry. He is redefining how companies think about inventory, collaboration and sustainability, demonstrating that technology can deliver both profit and purpose. That vision is resonating with the industry as Crisp was recently recognized as no. 52 on the Inc. 5000 list with a three-year revenue growth of over 5000%, the #1 fastest-growing company in Arkansas and #2 overall in all business products and services.
By marrying mission-driven innovation with bold execution, Traasdahl has shown how one company can reshape an entire sector. In an era of climate disruption, consumer demand shifts and fragile supply chains, his work offers a blueprint for a smarter, more resilient and more sustainable way to feed the world.
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