How Fulfil enabled Lynch Creek Farm to 4X production without increasing costs
Key Results
- 4x Production increase
- From 5,000 to 19,000 units per day
- Busiest season: Christmas
- 3 Warehouses (Distribution facilities)
Products Used
- ✓ Order Management
- ✓ Warehouse Management
Fulfil has helped us constantly push the ceiling of our production capacity higher and higher. We used to produce up to 5,000 units / day. Once we started using Fulfil, we were able to break our production records. Last year we did 19,000 pieces in a 12-hour day.
— Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Overview
Lynch Creek Farm is owned and operated by Andy and Tracy Hunter. Andy's love for agriculture, gardening, and sustainability was instilled in him at an early age, growing up on their family farm on Lynch Road in Shelton, Washington. The farm had evolved into a full-time livelihood, selling organic produce at regional farmers' markets, including the Olympia Farmers Market.
Along with his wife, Tracy, they expanded their farming operation to include specialty seasonal items such as fresh-cut flowers in the summer and evergreen wreaths in the winter holiday season.
Challenge
In 2006, they started producing and selling wreaths online. Crafting fresh evergreen wreaths from scratch posed operational challenges, including sourcing quality materials and managing in-house assembly and year-round production.
Due to seasonality, Lynch Creek Farm's operations faced intense demand during November and December. By 2017, their existing solution—largely based on spreadsheets—was becoming insufficient.
Production bottlenecks
They sold hundreds of thousands of wreaths within a 6-8 week window, requiring thousands of packages to be shipped quickly. Outdated processes limited their fulfillment capacity to 5,000 items per day.
Guesswork
Estimations for daily production were often inaccurate, relying on a manual system that was cumbersome and approached operations reactively.
Internal knowledge
Critical information was often held by individuals, creating a bottleneck in team performance.
"We have this saying: what happens if I get hit by a beer truck tomorrow and I'm not here? Information that I have must be at everyone's fingertips or else we're going to struggle." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Solution
As demand grew, Lynch Creek Farm needed a reliable platform. They partnered with Fulfil, which improved efficiency in production, order management, and inventory management.
"Fulfil has helped us constantly push the ceiling of our production capacity higher and higher. We went from 5,000 units per day to 19,000 pieces in a 12-hour day." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
With a seasonal business model, Fulfil's flexibility and integration with Shopify covered their unique demand cycle.
Results
Since adopting Fulfil, Lynch Creek Farm has experienced substantial growth and improved operations:
Greater Production Capacity
Fulfil systematized production, leading to efficiency gains.
Stable Headcount Growth
Maintaining a stable headcount while strengthening team capabilities became a priority amid labor market challenges.
Improved Employee Satisfaction
Quick access to information improved team productivity, enhancing job satisfaction.
"Having a strong system like Fulfil allows us to do more with less... Our daily processes are simplistic, but powerful." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Increased Customer Satisfaction
Fulfil enabled timely fulfillment of orders, significantly enhancing customer experience.
Better Accuracy in Anticipating Costs
The platform helped them manage costs effectively amid global supply chain issues.
Transparency in Customer Service
Fulfil improved their Customer Service team's ability to provide updates and reassurance to customers regarding order status.
"Fulfil can't make ships get here faster, but we have information that helps us anticipate next steps." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Unlocking Additional Capabilities
They took advantage of Fulfil's Open API to build a simplified production app.
"We developed an easy app using Fulfil's API that allowed team members to review production activity easily." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Greater Visibility into Operations
Fulfil minimized exclusive knowledge challenges, ensuring all team members had access to necessary information.
Accurate & Predictive Purchasing
Fulfil facilitated production planning using historical data and real-time adjustments.
"Having that information in our hands via Fulfil has made it super easy to be successful." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Looking ahead
Lynch Creek Farm values flexibility and is always looking for ways to adapt and improve based on operational demands.
"We've seen 30-40% growth from one year to the next, and to adapt, you have to be on your toes and looking for better ways of doing things." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Leveraging your team
They prioritize team involvement in fulfillment processes for continuous improvement.
"I lean on my team to share their amazing input and ideas. We've built an understanding that we're going to take the time to make things better." — Eve Munguia, Director of Operations
Custom & self-serve orders
They are developing a self-serve order system for Corporate customers using Fulfil's Open API, improving efficiency in order processing while reducing labor costs.
Originally published in 2024. Lynch Creek Farm continues to run on Fulfil today.