S$.$W$.$O$.$T$.$ analysis of Seasonal Food $4$ U $($SF$4$U$)$ is a midwestern$-$based business that purchases primarily locally grown food, packages it into meal$-$sized portions, and distributes it throughout the United States. The company focuses on health and freshness by highlighting fruits and vegetables in season. The meat is locally sourced grass$-$fed beef and open$-$range chickens.

The company is family owned. It was founded in $1990$ by Ed Marino, $75$ years old and still its CEO. Ed began serving customers in a few counties around his small town. The original products were raised and grown chiefly on his farm. Ed was always the marketer and salesperson. Ed's late wife would can much of what they grew to extend the time for selling products beyond the growing season. His two children, Sam, $48,$ and Anita, $45,$ are active in the business. Sam's focus is on finance and distribution. He is self$-$taught in both areas. Anita has a degree in agriculture and nutrition. She focuses on food buying and meal planning. Both children are in good health, and together, all three have built a robust and loyal employee team.

SF$4$U has grown into a $$10$ million company. They have invested in good accounting software that can grow with them. Ed transitioned from local and word$-$of$-$mouth sales to catalogs and prominent farmer's markets as the company grew. They recently added a static web page listing their products. He has resisted a more active, live website that may show more fresh food, tell the company history, or allow online ordering. Ed is not smartphone savvy, so he is unfamiliar with the power of apps. Sam and Anita use apps for many things and believe it would be helpful to SF$4$U$,$ but they cannot create them in$-$house.

They have begun to see large, national fresh food ads targeting busy families. The ads offer online ordering and subscription$-$based, frequent deliveries. SF$4$U has little information on the broader food home delivery market. Often, free or reduced$-$price starter packages are offered to gain new customers. SF$4$U has seen its costs rise in all business areas, and Ed is reluctant to lower prices for any reason. When SF$4$U loses a customer, they do not know why or what alternative the customer chose. They have fully identified their competition.

SF$4$U warehouses, refrigerates, packages, and ships from its one facility. They are currently at capacity. Fresh food spoils quickly. Canning food is no longer in vogue as families move to frozen or shelf$-$stable packaging to fill in when foods are out of season. As the company grows and competitors increase, SF$4$U cannot supply in$-$season food grown only in the Midwest. Most U$.$S$.$ fresh fruits and vegetables come from the west coast and Florida. There have been recent and occasional shortages of wholesalers, and transportation is slower than before the pandemic. Inflation is impacting SF$4$U and its customers.

The company has a good record of what customers like and don't like in food home delivery packages. The information is from experience and is the knowledge of all three managers. It is not recorded anywhere, and there is no marketing strategy beyond Ed continuing to do what he has always done.

They have read articles that many parents are too busy to shop or prepare meals. Child health has been a growing concern, and one solution gaining momentum is focusing on healthy, natural food. Some school districts are considering increasing budgets to upgrade the meals.

Sam and Anita have ideas to move the company forward and work well together. Ed has discussed retiring as he faces declining health but has no documented succession plan. The financial details of Ed's departure or sudden death are not worked out. The company has had an excellent reputation, and Sam and Anita are determined to actively move the company ahead.