Sobeys
- Written by: Jon Duschinsky
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Where they Were
Sobeys understood something many large organizations overlook:
Tomorrow’s biggest suppliers are often today’s smallest businesses.
As a family-owned company with deep roots in local communities, they saw an opportunity to invest beyond transactions and help emerging food entrepreneurs grow.
The challenge wasn’t finding suppliers. It was strengthening the ecosystem that would produce the next generation of them.
What was off Centre
Most supplier relationships begin when a business is already successful. Sobeys wanted to engage much earlier.
The question wasn’t: How do we buy from more small businesses?
The question was: How do we help great businesses become suppliers worth scaling?
We weren’t just helping businesses grow.
We were helping build the future of food”
Finding Centre
centrepoint led a cohort-based development experience for emerging food entrepreneurs.
The work combined purpose, vision, strategy and leadership development to help founders answer four fundamental questions:
Who are we? What do we stand for? Where are we going? Why should others want to be part of it?
Through shared learning, peer cohorts and direct connection to Sobeys leaders, participants developed stronger businesses and stronger networks.
The program became more than training. It became a community.
What Changed
Small businesses gained clarity, confidence and connection.
Founders who often operated alone found peers, support and a sense of belonging. For Sobeys, the impact extended beyond individual companies.
The organization strengthened relationships across its supplier ecosystem, built loyalty with emerging brands and reinforced its commitment to local food innovation. The result wasn’t immediate. It was intentional.
An investment in the future supply chain before it was needed.
“For the first time, I could clearly articulate where we’re going.”
“The cohort became as valuable as the content.”
“If any other leaders are wondering about this work, I have only one thing to say — Do it!”
“I left with more confidence, more clarity and stronger connections.”
Jon Duschinsky
I connect people with purpose.
My purpose is to help organizations and leaders find their centrepoint — their purpose — and through the clarity and energy that this unleashes, create more meaningful relationships and more impact on the things they truly care about. Purpose is where capitalism meets sustainability. And pretty soon, it will be the only way to do business.
Find your centre.
Move with clarity. If your organization feels heavier than it should, there's usually a reason.
Let’s find what’s getting in the way and what becomes possible when people, leadership, and strategy start moving together.
