Protein Buyer

Whetstone Distribution · Kansas city, United States

The Protein Buyer is responsible for local sourcing, purchasing, and pricing of beef, pork, poultry, seafood, and complementary products for Queen Foods, ensuring consistent product availability and driving margin performance for foodservice and retail customers. This role owns purchasing decisions across approximately 5,000 SKUs and 500,000-600,000 lbs in weekly volume, working directly with vendors and brokers to secure the best available market pricing and terms, evaluating bulk and block purchasing opportunities, and owning inventory from purchase through sale. The Protein Buyer works closely with the local General Manager and sales team to set and adjust pricing, keep Queen Foods stocked and running smoothly, and may support sales conversations directly with brokers and customers as needed.

Queen Foods has been supplying quality meats, seafood and more to Greater Kansas City and the surrounding area since 1991. Our mission is to always deliver quality products with premium service. We carry poultry, beef, pork, seafood, produce, and dry goods.

Queen Foods is part of the Whetstone Distribution family of companies, which is backed by Shore Capital Partners, based in Chicago. Whetstone Distribution and its family of companies have a vision to become the provider of choice for grocers and food service customers. Whetstone Distribution has plans to acquire more food distribution companies in the next couple of years to expand its reach in the Midwest.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain relationships with brokers and vendors across all protein categories, negotiating pricing, terms, and delivery conditions directly.
• Understand the market and secure the best available price across brokers, packers, and vendors.
• Evaluate whether bulk buying is in Queen Foods' best interest against current market conditions, storage capacity, and inventory needs, and negotiate terms accordingly.
• Maintain working familiarity with block order structures and standard industry purchasing mechanisms.
• Work with brokers on sourcing, and support direct sales conversations with brokers and customers as needed.
• Establish a weekly cadence and regular touch points with the sales team to adjust pricing - daily or weekly as needed - for core protein items.
• Create and monitor weekly pricing for protein items, incorporating market conditions and sales team feedback to drive margin expansion while ensuring necessary movement and rotation of protein inventory.
• Own weekly protein margins for Queen Foods, monitoring performance and adjusting pricing strategy accordingly.

Purchasing & Inventory Ownership

• Manage full local purchasing for Queen Foods across all proteins and complementary products across ~5,000 SKUs.
• Own inventory from the point of purchase through sale, monitoring aging, rotation, and shrink until product moves.
• Generate and manage purchase orders in line with demand, par levels, and current market conditions.
• Assist with local, non-contracted spot buys as needed to fill gaps in standard vendor programs.
• Monitor daily inventory levels to prevent stockouts and minimize excess inventory.
• Track vendor and broker fill rates, lead times, and delivery performance; follow up on shorts, quality issues, and delivery exceptions.
• Participate in slow-moving and obsolete inventory review, supporting clearance and rotation planning.
• Maintain accurate purchasing and inventory data in the Canopy ERP system, including PO status and receiving records.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate with the local warehouse team on receiving schedules, put-away, and inventory accuracy.
• Support the local sales team with market updates, day-to-day product availability, substitution options, and lead-time questions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent experience in protein procurement or purchasing; Associate's degree with strong relevant experience considered.
• 5+ years of experience in protein buying, procurement, or category management, with direct vendor and broker negotiation experience.
• Strong understanding of protein markets, pricing indexes, and market dynamics across beef, pork, poultry, and seafood.
• Proven negotiation skills with vendors and brokers; comfort structuring and evaluating bulk and block purchase agreements.
• Experience managing high-volume purchasing (comparable to $400,000-$500,000 weekly across roughly 5,000 SKUs) preferred.
• Comfort setting and adjusting pricing based on market data, margin targets, and inventory position; basic P&L or margin analysis skills.
• Working knowledge of ERP and inventory management systems (Canopy experience preferred).
• Willingness to work directly with brokers, including supporting sales conversations, as needed.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with warehouse, sales, and Whetstone category management teams.
• Reliable, on-site presence at the Queen Foods facility.