When you’re building a snack brand from the ground up, it’s easy to focus on recipe perfection, eye-catching packaging, and flashy marketing. But if you can’t get those products from point A to point B quickly and affordably, it won’t matter how great the snack tastes. Shipping and fulfillment may not be the most glamorous part of running Tantos, but let me tell you, it’s make or break.
Early Days and the Importance of Shipping
Even before we officially launched, I knew Tantos’ lightweight product (think “shipping air”) would pose unique challenges. Sure, it’s awesome that our puffed pasta chips weigh almost nothing, but shipping something so light can eat into margins fast if you’re not careful. We wanted 1-day fulfillment for orders from our 3PL and to keep shipping costs from spiraling. That meant finding a 3PL who could handle both ecommerce and wholesale in a way that wouldn’t bankrupt us.
Researching and interviewing potential 3PLs was as tough as finding our co-packer, maybe even tougher, because I’ve never had the best experiences with third-party logistics in my past. Trust is huge; you’re literally handing over your product (and reputation) to another company. I asked around for referrals (as you’ve come to learn I do a lot), got five suggestions (yes, that many), and interviewed each one. I asked them about everything: pick-and-pack fees, receiving costs, storage, returns, turnaround time, location, software integration, and communication. All these factors can impact your bottom line more than you’d think.
Eventually, I decided on Frankly Fulfillment in Ohio. Their pricing was good, they understood our margins, and they felt more like partners than just vendors. Setting everything up took effort, integrating software, defining workflows, but once it was in place, our shipping stress dropped significantly. I’ve had no major horror stories with them, and their communication is top-notch.
Shipping rates (both inbound to them and outbound to customers), storage fees, turnaround time, and the ability to handle returns or special packaging are so important to ensure you keep as much profit as possible. Because Tantos is so light, shipping expedited can destroy our margin, so we typically use ground or similarly affordable options. Frankly Fulfillment’s location in the Midwest means most of our customers get their Tantos in about three days anyway.
Another way we cut costs is by using box sizes already on hand at our 3PL. This was their suggestion, and it saved us from buying custom boxes we might not need right away. It’s a small detail, but every penny counts when your product is inexpensive.
Our system flows like this: orders come from our website, Amazon, and wholesale, and everything syncs with our inventory management software, which then alerts our 3PL’s system. Once Frankly Fulfillment ships the order, they trigger a status update back to our software, letting us know it’s fulfilled. It sounds complicated, but once set up, it’s mostly hands-off. Early on, though, I was refreshing the tracking status every five minutes to ensure no surprises. The biggest challenges were initial setup, learning the software and making sure every platform “talked” to the others. Now that it’s humming, I check in periodically with the 3PL to confirm all is well and see if we can optimize costs further.
Choosing the Right 3PL
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s don’t settle on a 3PL that doesn’t meet your service and cost requirements. Being inefficient on shipping can sink your margins, especially when you’re shipping a lightweight product like Tantos. Lean on referrals, compare multiple quotes, and trust your gut. A good 3PL feels like an extension of your team, not just a warehouse.
Efficient fulfillment might not grab headlines like a new flavor launch, but it’s crucial. Customers only remember when their order arrives late or damaged and no amount of marketing hype will fix that. So whether you’re shipping puffed pasta chips or any other product, mastering the shipping puzzle is essential to building a brand people trust.
