Robert Ralph (aka ‘Farmer Bob’) began his company journey with a dream of becoming a farmer. While most farms are passed down from generation to generation, Bob had to start from scratch. He overcame obstacles to being a first-generation farmer, including several barriers to entry and high capital requirements. After much contemplation on what crop to grow, Farmer Bob landed on an unlikely choice: popcorn.
In order to sow the seeds (or in this case, kernels) of a successful business, Farmer Bob recognized the need to go seed-to-store. Thus, Princeton Popcorn Company was born.
A Hassle-free, fast fulfillment experience
As Princeton Popcorn Co. moved to a direct-to-consumer model, Bob acknowledged the need for fast and efficient fulfillment processes in order to keep customers satisfied. When fulfilling orders on its own, Princeton Popcorn found it couldn’t keep up with demand or rely on carriers to pick up items on time to meet delivery promises.
The company was quickly growing after making its mark on Amazon but had a desire to expand to new markets, but needed a fulfillment partner to successfully do so. Princeton Popcorn Co. turned to Deliverr to take on the entire fulfillment process so that it could have support in areas they no longer had the bandwidth to take on, and ultimately provide a better customer experience. Learn how Deliverr helped turn a first-generation farmer’s dream into a successful DTC commerce business.
“Deliverr really delivers when it comes to streamlining our shipping. It has enabled our small company to have the same tools as a giant company without having to pay for the infrastructure. They are our force multiplier.”
– Robert Ralph, Founder
Since Princeton Popcorn is a small business that has a large amount of low per-order revenue amounts, the company utilized Deliverr’s standard shipping option in order to lower their basic shipping charges. Though this is the best choice for their business, Deliverr enables 2-day and next-day delivery for even faster shipping.
Seeing fulfillment as a revenue-driver, not a cost center
In addition to making shipping hassle-free, Deliverr also provided Princeton Popcorn with the tools to function as a growing business. Using Deliverr to fulfill shipments offered the company a lower cost than shipping on their own, including handling the small details that add up quickly: the cost of shipping materials and the cost of labor to handle picking, packing, and shipping.
Working with Deliverr also meant that Princeton Popcorn no longer needs to worry about recruiting or managing their own personnel for fulfillment, saving not only money, but time.
At the end of the day, when a business relies on multiple companies for fulfillment, shipping costs are higher. You save money (and time!) when you don’t need to worry about paying a company to pick up your items, another company to store them, and yet another to deliver them to the customer.
Princeton Popcorn Co. recognized the convenience, affordability, and transparency of Deliverr’s fulfillment and has seen company growth ever since.
Partnering with Deliverr to assist in handling fulfillment has allowed the company to significantly increase sales by 150% year-over-year and focus on other areas of growth.
What’s next for Princeton Popcorn Co.
While Princeton Popcorn Co. currently only sells kernels, the company is looking to expand its product line with ready-to-eat popcorn this year. With pre-poppped, flavored, and packaged popcorn options, Princeton Popcorn wants to offer customers quick satisfaction—shortening the time from decision to delivery even more.
Find out how Princeton Popcorn and other small- to medium-sized brands are growing their business with Deliverr’s Fulfillment and Logistics Services.
