Dropship Partner Page - Updates and Latest News.
****ALERT- our cloud storage provider AWS (Amazon Web Service) is experiencing a service issue. The app is currently down. We expect a quick resolution. Please check back to see if we need action on your part. This is the 1st time AWS has been down on our platform (3+years), so we aren't sure what will happen to orders processed during this time. You should see no disruption in your sales.****
Update: Please do a quick review of your orders received between 14:00(PST) yesterday and this morning at 10:00. If an order appears in your store but not the app, please forward the [order number] AND either the [Shop ID] or [myshopify domain name]. We will then perform a manual sync.
February 22, 2021
Happy Monday!
We continue to be surprised by the level of demand! SSS remain >+180% from 2020.
The work from home mandate is definitely driving sales and you are really connecting with your buyers.
In the way of updates:
All flavored coffee has been converted to all natural - S & S Flavors is supplying us with all natural, vegan, gluten free flavorings and they are fantastic.
We secured a great Tanzania lot with a nice regional profile to match our offering list, so the shortage has been averted.
**We have had multiple request for both receipts and notifications when your successful payment for an order does not process (card declined) so you will be receiving receipts for all order payments moving forward. This will go into effect immediately.**
All product and packaging are available. Our regular supplier has been able to restock our matte black mailers, so all single bag 12oz orders and sample sets will be back to these.
1 more week to provide suggestions for new additions for the 2021 holiday season. So far in the lead is Peppermint/Candy Cane, S'mores, and Chocolate Covered Cherry. We have had requests for a premium espresso and we are currently developing a few options including a sweet/medium roast blend, a dark rich Indonesian Espresso and an Italian (darker than our French). Input is welcome.
Best selling coffee this week was a bit different:
1) Best Sellers Sample Pack
2) Cowboy Blend
3) Flavored Sample Pack
4) African Blend/Espresso
5) Bali
6) Brazil
7) Single Origin Sample Pack
8) Turtle
Have a great week!
February 15, 2021
Happy Presidents Day. Today is a shipping holiday, so be sure to be aware of +1 to shipping times.
Demand is still strong. Our top 100 stores are +171% over 2020 and overall SSS + 185%.
All direct ship orders are now being handled in the app. Sample orders (2oz bags) are still manually processed via email.
Fulfillment Times are at 3-4 days for drop ship orders, 3-5 for direct ship. We are no longer processing non-app or manual submissions.
Please remember that you should not list/sell products before having bag label approved and assigned to the sku. This is time consuming (expensive) on our side and makes the order unshippable resulting in upset customers on your side.
Top sellers last week:
1-3: Sample sets
4) 6 Bean
5) French Vanilla
6) Cowboy
7) Chocolate Hazelnut (a single seller had huge sales impacting this)
8) Bali
All products/packages are in stock. We have an impending shortage of Tanzania due to COVID impacts at origin. We are working on an alternative lot. This may impact sellers as soon as March.
We had hoped to have the new K-style cup line up and running but have been further delayed by the new Cal-Osha Covid rules. Our process is labor intensive (batch roasted, hand filled and sealed). It is nearly impossible and not financially viable for a break-even product under the current restrictions. We will keep you updated but we are focused on products that are profit centers for our partners vs. loss leaders such as these.
You have 2 more weeks to submit request for 2021 holiday offering additions. New blends, flavors and origins are all being evaluated so we can source for the Q3 updated offering list. Let us know what your customers are asking for.
Please also let us know if if there are other updates/statistics you would like to see here that would help you grow your business.
Have a great week!
February 8, 2021
It's official, the normal 1st of the year slowdown did not happen. Demand continues to rise.
All packages and products are in stock
Fulfillment times: we continue to run right at 3 business days for all app orders. Direct ship orders are at 3 business days and we are no longer accepting manual orders so will stop reporting on them.
Direct ship orders are now in the app. (Beta testing) The 'bulk' orders tab should be used for all non-2oz orders effective today. If the offering you want to order is not available, this means you do not have an approved label assigned for that product and you will need to upload and assign the label before you can proceed.
Best sellers this week were a bit of a surprise (well, other than the sample sets...)
In order
1) Best selling samples
2) Single origin samples
3) Flavored samples
4) French Vanilla
5) Cowboy
6) Bali
7) Breakfast Blend
8) 6 Bean
Most popular grind type - drip 74% of all orders.
We still want to hear your flavor/origins of choice that you would like to see added to our list.
Please, please do not list or sell products without first assigning the label. The delay this causes in our system and the and the cost associated are the easiest cost cutting we can do to avoid price increases.
Have a great week!
January 25, 2021.
Sales are still strong and there has been no sign of the normal "January Dip" in sales.
All product and packages are in stock.
Best Sellers last week.
Flavored Samples, Best Sellers and Single Origin Samples were #1-3
4) Cowboy
5) French Vanilla
6) 6Bean
7) Bali
Most popular size is 12oz and drip grind most common grind type.
We are running right at 4 business days for fulfillment. Working to get down to 3 by the end of week. We continue to operate under extremely strict COVID precautions. USPS and UPS are still adding +1 to expected delivery dates.
USPS shipping price increase has taken effect. It is our goal to maintain our current pricing. To do so, we need your help. Efficiency in our process is key.
Please do not list/sell products without assigning a label.
If you have an order that is 'stuck' in pre-shipment. Please check that you have approved labels assigned to all SKUs in the order before you email an inquiry.
Final touches are going into the app based direct ship orders. Until then, continue to email your direct orders as usual.
We have begun the process of adding our new flavors and origins for the 2021 Holiday Season. Send us your requests and most asked for flavored coffees. We add new items based on demand, so this is your chance to have input.
Have a great week!!
January 18, 2021,
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Today is a shipping Holiday. Orders are currently being fulfilled in 3-5 business days.
The current COVID 19 restrictions for 2021 have further limited our staff and we are now staffed at 25%. This means we will be continuing to push our "normal" fulfillment times. Be sure you have a great COVID notice as many buyers may be in states less impacted or less restrictive and not realize how hard it is to manufacture and deliver under the current situation. USPS and UPS continues to deliver in +1-2 days over normal due to both precautions and high level of demand.
K style line is still on hold to comply with current restrictions
.
Sales continue to be strong with SSS at 178% year over year.
Best sellers last week were:
1-3) Sample packs.
4) Bali
5) Cowboy
6) Cinnabun
7) Whiskey Barrel
8) 6 Bean
All products and packaging are in stock.
We have secured sufficient coffee for Q1 from all origins. Whiskey barrel stock was close but no shortage and the latest batches are ready and plentiful.
Matte black mailers are back available and will be once again used for all single bag purchases.
Have a great week!!
January 11, 2021.
Demand continue to be at very high levels, congratulations on capturing the post Christmas sales.
Important:
As of Jan. 1, 2021, all orders shipped to the U.K. are required to have a VAT# for the customs document. If you want to sell to the U.K., you will need to file for a VAT#, Collect a 20% VAT at checkout, Submit your VAT# to us for each order you receive, submit quarterly returns to the U.K.
Monday Jan. 18th, 2021 is a shipping holiday. Delivery times will reflect the additional day delay. We will still roast/pack orders but they will not ship.
Best sellers this week are:
#1-3: Sample packs
4: Bali
5: Mexican Chocolate
6: Cowboy
7: Whiskey Barrel - supplies are meeting demand and our new barrels will be ready in time to meet demand.
8: 6 Bean
Most popular size=12oz
Most ordered =ground
We have caught up with orders and are fulfilling orders in 2-4 business days. USPS and UPS are both having frequent delays and delivery issues. It is important that you manage customer's delivery expectations.
Remember that if you have orders with tracking that have not shipped, it is most likely because you have not assigned a label to the product sold. Please do not sell products without properly assigned labels. It creates fulfillment delays and avoiding delays is imperative to avoiding price increases.
Please also remember to check your app orders tab if you have questions about orders. We had 94 emails this week asking why orders had not shipped. 45 had no bag labels, 43 had payment issues (if your card is declined for any reason, you need to go to the invoice tab and pay for the order. Unpaid orders do not appear in our queue). Only 1 was an actual processing error and 6 were regarding orders processed but not scanned in yet (normal).
We received a limited number of black 12oz bags and at the moment all products and packages are in stock.
There are still COVID 19 related supply issues that we expect to last until mid summer.
We are still working on getting our k style cup program to be safe and compliant with the continuously changing state of CA COVID 19 restrictions. We will announce here when we can begin production.
The conversion to app based direct ship orders is almost complete.. stay tuned.
We will resume live/online seminars in Q2. First topic will be a current process review and Q&A as we have lots of new partners and many changes since the last live session. We look forward to connecting and this session will be open and free for all.
Have a great week!
Happy New Year!
First of all, thank you all for your patience as we rapidly adapted to the COVID restrictions and huge increase in demand. Sales continue to be strong as we start the new year and our app is running as expected.
We are quickly catching up on orders and will be back to normal 2-4 (business days) for fulfillment by the end of the week.
There is a shortage of 12oz black bags. All 3 of our suppliers expect it to be mid Jan. before they can deliver. The process of adding the valves to our bags is labor intensive and hugely impacted by COVID restrictions here in CA. We will be substituting 16oz black stand up bags until they are available.
All other products and packages are in stock. The farm level COVID impacts are hitting the coffee market and will be more severe towards the beginning of Q2. We expect some sporadic shortages of various origins but are able to use stock from our other business lines for now.
2020 sales summary:
Demand in 2020 was the highest in our history with SSS averaging +206% year over year.
Top 10 selling products for all of 2020 across all of our business lines:
1) Best Selling Sample set
2) 6 Bean Espresso
3) Flavored Sample Set
4) Single Origin Sample Set
5) Cowboy
6) Bali
7) Breakfast Blend
8) Cold Brew
9) Colombia tied with Ethiopia
10) Peru
Whiskey barrel is on pace to be the new # 4 or 5 but was added mid year.
Most popular size: 12oz
Most popular grind: Drip
News for 2021:
INCREASE IN COGS
USPS shipping prices will increase 2.85%
Minimum wage is now $14.00/hr in CA. While this does not directly impact our employees, it will impact all goods and services. Bags will be +$0.08 ea. Mailers +$0.04 ea.
Coffee is up 26% over the last 90 days and is expected to increase another 25% by Q2.
NO INCREASE IN PARTNER PRICE FOR Q1/Q2
We plan on holding our prices level through Q2 by continuing to increase efficiency in our processes.
To do this, we need your help.
1) The Direct Ship Program and the commercial line will be integrated into the app. Minimums will apply and be more strictly followed.
2) Be sure you have a label on file for every product you sell.
3) Follow updates closely as we will continue to post all info/updates here. We do not staff a phone line or have dedicated sales people(cost is too high for this price model). All your emails are answered by staff in the roastery including our roasters, to ensure quick response times, please use their time wisely. Most questions have answers in the documents tab of the app. but don't hesitate to contact us with questions or other issues when necessary.
NEWS FOR 2021
The new K style cup program will be rolled out during Q1. Look for updates and set up info here and in the document tab in the app. We will be offering 6Bean, Cowboy, B Blend and Peru Decaf in 12-packs.
There will be no planned Origin Trips in 2021.
Business and sales seminars will resume but will now be on-line only. We have permanently converted our public cupping room and design center to shipping and receiving.
The latest (December) stricter COVID restrictions limit our capacity to approximately 30% of actual, we will therefore accelerate our expansion to be ready for continued growth. We will limit new partners through a stricter application process in order to allow current partners to grow without limitations.
Thanks for being our partner and we look forward to a great 2021!
December 21, 2020: Merry Christmas and a Very Happy Holidays to all of our partners.
We are still open and allowed to operate under the latest COVID 19 order but under very strict/limited conditions.
Sales remain at record levels and our teams continue to produce and ship your orders at amazing speed with incredible accuracy. We are grateful to all of our employees. The current mandate means our employees are working fewer hours with more demanded of them (we are allowed 1 employee at every other station - this time last year, we had 2 at each station....) yet they are producing half the total rate of last year(1/4 the staff). Way to go team!!
Please be sure every order submitted has a valid sku and each sku sold has an assigned label. Orders without valid skus are not picked up by the app and items without labels cannot be shipped and slow the process.
This week, we will be closing early on 12/24 and all day on 12/25 so our employees can spend Christmas with their families.
Fulfillment times continue to be 5-6 business days for app orders. Direct ship orders 6+ business days.
Orders received on 12/21 have an expected roast/pack date of 12/30. Due to the holidays, orders from 12/23 will have an expected ship date of 1/5. Please keep your customers informed. These are not normal processing times for us. These are not normal times.
Best sellers this week:
Best selling Samples
Single Origin Samples
Mexican Chocolate
Whiskey Barrel
Flavored Sample
Christmas/Holiday Blend
Bali/Colombia
Cowboy
Pumpkin Spice.
All products and packages are currently in stock. We see some supply side issues with 12oz bags and the same color 16oz will be used if necessary. Whiskey Barrel is also running low due to the lengthy process and high demand but will not be an issue until mid-January.
We hope you have a great week, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!
December 14, 2020: Wow, what a great week for sales. SSS are now 243% of last year at this time! Way to sell!
Best sellers this week - no surprises:
Flavored Sample Packs
Christmas/Holiday Blend
Pumpkin Spice
Single Origin Sample Packs
Best Selling Sample Packs
Cowboy
Whiskey Barrel
Bali
All products and packages are in stock.
Orders in the app by midnight last night will have a high likelihood of arriving before Christmas. Orders coming in today and after will likely not. A good idea to keep your customers well informed and manage their expectations. Your orders are our to priority and our teams are working as efficiently and as quickly as possible under the current conditions.
Our label compliance reviewer continues to clear all labels every business day so don't hesitate as you prepare for the new year. Traditionally, January is a great sales month as you convert gift receivers to buyers with a really low CAC. Be sure your store has those offerings set up and ready.
Happy Holidays and have a great week!
Congratulations on the fantastic sales!
We are now fully in holiday fulfillment mode. This means order times are stretching out and the latest state of CA COVID 19 restrictions mean we cannot add staff. We are operating at 35% of norm and orders are >300% of usual. Trust that your orders are important to us and we will fill them as quickly and accurately as possible. Our normal fulfillment time is 3-5 business days (usually 2-3) but we will be at 4-5+ for the rest of the season. Be sure your customers have realistic expectations. There is no way to rush custom, roast to order coffee. Also be sure to include additional shipping time in your policy. USPS and UPS are shipping an incredible volume of packages this year and both are adding 1+ business days to normal delivery times.
You can help us by ensuring that every order you place has a valid label assigned. If you see an order sitting (tracking assigned and not moving for 2+ days), it is almost always waiting on you to assign a correct bag label. Orders without bag labels cannot ship. The app is simple and very specific. You must have the correct sku assigned to your product and the sku must have a valid label assigned to be processed.
USPS has announced that Dec 17th. is the last day to ship for Christmas Eve delivery. This means your order needs to be in the app, paid with a valid bag label by Sunday the 13th. to have the best chance of delivery by the 24th. If your order is in the system and complete by Midnight the 13th, we will have it ready to ship by the 17th. No guarantee but this should get it to your buyer by Christmas.
All products and packaging are in stock. We still expect some shortages of supplies and raw coffee but none so far.
Our label compliance provider is working overtime and clearing all labels every day, so don't hesitate to add new products.
Best sellers this week - in order:
Best sellers sample pack
Holiday/Christmas Blend
Cowboy
Flavored sample pack
Single origin sample pack
Bali
Pumpkin Spice
Turtle
Fulfillment times projected for next week:
App orders - 4-5+business days.
Non-app and manual orders - 5-6+business days.
Direct Ship Orders - 5 business days.
We are grateful to be working with you!
November 30, 2020: We hope you had a great Thanksgiving with Friends and Family! Sales continue to be brisk with SSS at double last year.
We have completed the k style cup rework and cup lids are being printed as we speak. We hope to roll out the new program before the end of the year.
All product and packaging are in stock with some sporadic bag shortages expected in the next few weeks. We have secured what we project will be enough coffee from all origins to carry through the year. We will let you know at least a week in advance if this changes.
Orders over the weekend were very high pushing fulfillment time to about 3 business days and we expect to be in our normal range (3-5 business days) for this entire week.
The app continues to perform without error. You will notice a couple of upgrades including a 'delete' button on the labels allowing you to remove unused/unwanted labels. We have also added an additional info section as a home to policy and helpful procedure info.
Have a great week!!
November 23, 2020: Happy Thanksgiving!
We will be closed Thursday to celebrate with our families. It is also a shipping holiday so expect corresponding shipping times.
Sales continue to be fantastic and partners running advertising and sales are doing extremely well.
Many of our partners sell 25-40% of their yearly sales in the next 30 days!!
App orders are being shipped in 1-3 business days. Manual submissions and other orders with issues are being processed in 3-5 business days.
Best sellers this week continue to reflect more holiday season buying. In order by volume:
1). Flavored Sample Pack
2). Holiday/Christmas Blend
3). Best Selling Sample Pack
4). Pumpkin Spice (tie) Cowboy
5). Bali
6). Single Origin Sample
If you aren't already selling them, these are great additions to your holiday specials.
All products and packaging are in stock.
New COVID19 restrictions are in effect for all of California but we remain compliant and open.
As expected, USPS has announced a shipping cost increase for next year. We received notice from our bag supplier that there would also be a price increase on Jan 15th, minimum wage goes up on Jan 1st. We plan on maintaining our current pricing through Q1 2021 but this will require the help of all of our partners.
Please be sure you are accurately submitting orders.
Remember our app is very intentionally simple and accurate. It only recognizes exact skus. Once an order with a sku is identified, an order is triggered. Your card on file is charged and it is added to the queue for shipping to be created. Each afternoon, we process and add shipping to the next day's orders that will be roasted and filled. At that time, bag labels are printed. If you do not have a label on file, you order is placed on hold. It cannot ship until all labels required for the order are printed. (there is not nor will there be a process to notify you if you fail to assign a label to the sku sold. Please only sell items that have approved labels on file. This is your side of the partnership). If you have an order that has not shipped, be sure your card was charged, that you have labels on file for ALL products sold and only then send us an inquiry.
Below are some basic shipping deadlines. Be sure you add in our processing time (3-5) business days when creating a last minute buying reminder for your customers.
We hope listing out these dates helps as you navigate through the rest of the 2020 holiday season. Here are the last days to ship per carrier in order for items to arrive by Christmas Eve. Please remember to add in time for us to process and roast your orders when you are considering your website/customer info.
For delivery by Christmas Eve, December 24:
USPS
USPS 1st Class - Thursday, December 17, 2020
USPS Priority Mail - Saturday, December 19, 2020
UPS
UPS Ground - Tuesday, December 15, 2020