Kinetic 12, a Chicago-based management consulting firm, is influential in helping the foodservice industry navigate complexity and pursue sustainable growth. In a sector shaped by fragmented value chains, and shifting consumer habits, the firm enables manufacturers, distributors, and operators to plan more strategically, collaborate more effectively, and execute with greater impact. Launched nearly a decade ago, Kinetic 12 initially focused solely on foodservice manufacturers but has since broadened its reach to serve the full ecosystem. Its work spans three tightly integrated service areas: strategic consulting, collaborative operator forums, and a marketing communications and culinary selling division introduced more recently. This holistic model allows the firm to craft effective strategies, ensure their precision implementation, and deliver real-world results. “Our tagline is ‘strategy, set in motion.’ We don’t just develop strategy, we make sure it gets activated,” says Art Bell, partner at Kinetic 12. Strategizing Beyond the 1 Percent Growth Plateau At the crux of Kinetic 12’s consulting practice lies a sharp focus on helping clients grow in a relatively stagnant market with an annual growth of just 1 percent. While demand for out-of-home dining remains intense, macroeconomic volatility, labor shortages, and shifting consumer expectations have pressured traditional growth levers. Kinetic 12 works closely with clients to mitigate this, redefining go-to-market strategies, optimizing trade spend, and developing customer segmentation models that reflect value and opportunity, not just scale. Through structured situation assessments and SWOT analysis, the firm builds tactical roadmaps and scorecards that align execution with strategic priorities, ensuring sales strategies and messaging are tailored to each client’s unique market context. One of its success stories involves a leading food manufacturer whose largest accounts were not delivering the best returns. Kinetic 12’s segmentation framework uncovered that these high-volume customers were not necessarily the most strategic. By applying a scorecard-based approach, the client shifted focus toward accounts with stronger alignment and higher ROI, reshaping commercial priorities and internal mindsets.

Sustainability is a shared priority for both food brands and consumers, but the path forward for packaging isn’t always simple. Companies face increasing pressure to reduce polymer products, minimize waste and adopt greener materials, yet packaging remains the first line of defense, protecting food from oxygen, moisture and contaminants that impact safety and product integrity. The challenge lies in materials. High-performance solutions like multilayer laminates and foil-based films offer strong protection but are hard to recycle or compost. More sustainable options, such as mono-materials or compostable films, often fall short of cost requirements. It’s why even McKinsey reports suggest 60 to 70 percent of U.S. consumers still rank food safety above environmental impact when evaluating packaging. Sunshine FPC is helping brands move past this either-or mindset. It addresses the packaging design challenge head-on, guiding manufacturers toward sustainable materials without compromising on what keeps food safe, fresh and compliant. Its Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) capabilities reflect this balance in practice. By precisely engineering oxygen and moisture transmission properties, Sunshine’s MAP structures extend shelf life by up to 35 percent. The result: reduced food spoilage, preserved product quality and improved efficiency across the supply chain, all while supporting ESG commitments. “We don’t treat sustainability as a bolt-on feature. It has to be engineered into the structure, alongside performance and safety, so brands aren’t forced to compromise,” says James Chuang, President and CEO of Sunshine FPC. Its compostable PLA and PHA films undergo identical rigorous testing as traditional materials, ensuring they support the protective requirements of MAP. Post-consumer recycled (PCR) content gets engineered to match sealing integrity as virgin resin, an essential factor in shelf-life preservation. This is backed by a robust quality system where Sunshine’s materials and processes align with FSMA, Prop 65, and BRC standards, all under an internal Quality Management System (QMS) embraced company-wide. This allows brands to lead on sustainability without risking operational performance or consumer experience.