From Brews to Bogs — Autumn’s Supply Chains in Action

By ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi, CSCP, CPA, CAE

Pumpkin spice is wafting in the air, 12-foot skeletons are taking over lawns, and crisp autumn leaves are brushing the pavement. Fall is officially here — and any supply chain professional will tell you that this season is a masterclass in hyper-compressed execution, agricultural risk management and shifting demand patterns. Here’s a look behind the scenes at how some of our favorite traditions make it to market. 

First, with every pint of Oktoberfest lager comes a supply chain that begins long before the tap. Climate volatility continues to threaten crop yields, so major beverage makers are implementing resilience tools right in the field. One example in the news this week comes from Heineken, which has launched a regenerative agriculture program to secure the future of malting barley. The initiative pays farmers yield premiums and offers multi-year contract certainty to de-risk sustainable farming practices such as cover cropping. Soil health is improved and critical inputs are safeguarded amid volatile weather patterns. 

Complementing these farm-level investments are new decarbonization efforts inside the production facility itself. Retrofitting breweries with industrial heat pump networks enables plants to capture waste heat generated during refrigeration — the very process used to chill beers — and recirculate it to heat brewing water. This closed-loop design slashes natural gas reliance by 30% and significantly reduces scope 3 emissions across the network. 

While beverage producers build resilience over multi-year horizons, other seasonal staples face an exceptionally tight clock. Take cranberries: Moving the crop from bog to grocer for holiday sauces and seasonal baked goods requires coordinated execution within a 30-day harvest window. In Wisconsin, which accounts for about 60% of the U.S. crop, this equals a massive freight surge. To harvest millions of pounds of fruit, growers flood their beds with water — using tiny air pockets inside the berries to float them to the surface for mechanical skimming. Once skimmed, they must be processed immediately. To make this possible, more than 700 individual growers share high-capital equipment through agricultural cooperatives including Ocean Spray. In fact, just this week Ocean Spray CEO Abigail Buckwalter named Brad Hartzell as chief supply chain officer, stating the move will help modernize operations while supporting the company's “strong cooperative foundation.”  

Of course, no autumn would be complete without Halloween — and this year reveals some fascinating consumer trends. First came “Summerween,” as CPG companies advanced production timelines to ship spooky-season goods as early as July. Warehouse holding periods were elongated in order to capture the 49% of consumers who now shop well before October. At the same time, inflation is contributing to the rise of “Hobbyween” — a cost-saving shift from finished costumes and decor toward raw craft, DIY components and materials. 

Elevate your seasonal execution expertise

Navigating harvest anomalies, narrow fulfillment windows and unpredictable consumer demand requires industry-leading supply chain education. Master key strategies with the Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) program, or sharpen your foundational skills with an ASCM Planning Certificate. Both will help your supply chain perform, no matter how steep the seasonal surge.