CHURCH BROTHERS SALADSModular Display Systems
Redesigning the salad kit supply chain through independent SKU management, reducing retail shrink and extending shelf-life visibility across ingredient categories.
Systems Design
Supply Chain
Retail Strategy
THE PROBLEMSYNCHRONIZED EXPIRATION WASTES PRODUCT
Traditional bundled salad kits treat every ingredient as a single unit — one barcode, one expiration date. When any one component expires, the whole kit becomes unsellable.
But proteins, greens, toppings, and dressings don't expire at the same rate. Locking them together creates artificial scarcity and drives unnecessary shrink at the retail level.
The result: perfectly usable ingredients being discarded, margin pressure passed down the supply chain, and frustrated retailers with limited flexibility.
4×
SHELF LIFE VARIANCE BETWEEN COMPONENTS
~30%
ESTIMATED RETAIL SHRINK FROM BUNDLED EXPIRY
1SKU
TRADITIONAL SINGLE BARCODE MODEL
10+
WEEKS POTENTIAL FOR DRESSINGS & DRY TOPPINGS
THE SOLUTIONINDEPENDENT SKU MODEL
The modular display system decouples each ingredient into its own independently tracked SKU, each with its own barcode, pricing, and expiration logic.
Rather than a single bundled kit, the display unit houses four distinct components that retailers can restock independently. When proteins sell out or near expiry, greens, toppings, and dressings remain viable.
This unlocks granular inventory management at the retail level, reduces full-kit waste, and enables dynamic pricing on individual components — particularly longer-shelf-life items like dressings.
For Church Brothers, this translates to fewer chargebacks, stronger retailer relationships, and a scalable model for mixed-category produce display systems.
INGREDIENT VARIANCE MAPPINGSHELF LIFE BY CATEGORY
Each ingredient category follows a distinct expiration curve. Mapping these variance windows reveals the core inefficiency in the bundled model — and the design opportunity for modular management.
Proteins, the shortest-lived component, drive the expiration date of the entire traditional kit. The modular model liberates the other three categories to fulfill their natural shelf lives.
KEY INSIGHT
A dressing with 10+ weeks of viable shelf life should never be discarded because a protein expired at week 2. Independent SKUs prevent this waste entirely.
Greens
3-5 shelf window
Proteins
1-2 shelf window; shortest lived
Toppings
Up to 7 week shelf window
DRESSING
10+ week shelf window · longest-lived
THE DESIGN
Display Architecture Diagram
The design decisions were shaped by a combination of factors, including shelf-life variance modeling, retail planogram constraints, cost sensitivity, and an understanding of how customers assemble or interact with the product.
Early structural exploration mapping ingredient separation and retail footprint constraints.
Identified need for ingredient isolation
Explored vertical stacking vs lateral compartment layouts
Considered planogram width constraints
Evaluated restock accessibility for staff
Proof-of-concept visualization to test spatial hierarchy and customer interaction flow.
Customer selection zones
SKU separation
Visual hierarchy testing
Retail footprint approximation
WHEN IT ALL COMES TOGETHERFinalized Modular Display System
BUSINESS IMPACTWHAT THIS UNLOCKS
REDUCED SHRINK
Retailers no longer discard viable long-shelf-life components when proteins expire. Each SKU is managed independently, dramatically reducing full-kit waste.
FLEXIBLE RESTOCKING
Individual component reorders replace full kit replacements. Retailers can replenish only what's needed, whether it's proteins, greens, or toppings, on their own schedule.
GRANULAR DATA
Four independent barcodes generate category-level sell-through data. Church Brothers gains visibility into which components drive velocity — enabling better forecast and production planning.
DESIGN PROCESSHOW WE GOT HERE
01 DISCOVERY
Mapped existing supply chain flows and identified where shrink was occurring. Interviewed retail partners on pain points with bundled expiration management.
02 VARIANCE ANALYSIS
Audited shelf-life data across all ingredient categories. Identified the 4× gap between proteins and dressings as the core design constraint to address.
03 SYSTEM DESIGN
Developed the modular SKU architecture and physical display unit specification. Created barcode logic and expiration tracking framework for each component tier.
04 COMMUNICATION
Produced visual diagrams, technical specs, and retailer-facing materials to communicate the system's logic and advantages to internal and external stakeholders.