Becoming a Big Cheese in Ecommerce with Streamlined Fulfilment

The Cheese Wedge Company crafts a delicious range of handmade, small-batch cheeses, featuring classic flavours, such as Vintage Cheddar, to unique specialties, such as the spicy Dragon Bite. 

Launched in 2017, they built their name at food festivals and markets – until COVID-19 left them with 50 cancelled events’ worth of cheese and no way to sell it. So, they took a leap into ecommerce… and it turned out the world had a serious craving for cheese.

Launching an online store wasn’t just a stopgap – it became the foundation of their success and what started in a converted garden shed has since matured into multiple warehouses and a business that’s absolutely on a roll. 

But as sales soared, so did the fulfilment chaos…

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The Challenge

“Processing orders used to really frustrate me. It took me six hours to copy and paste 300 orders. And now, it's phenomenal - we just click a button.”

When The Cheese Wedge Company first started selling online, their fulfilment process was far from mature – every order had to be copied and pasted manually, a time-consuming and tedious process that grated on their time and patience. 

What started as a manageable task quickly turned into a logistical nightmare as demand for their cheese skyrocketed:

• Manual processing bottlenecks: Processing orders for dispatch could take up to six hours a day, slowing down operations and making it difficult to keep up with demand.
• Lack of carrier flexibility: They wanted to explore different shipping options to offer customers the best service, but without a system that could manage multiple carriers, switching between carriers was complicated and inefficient.
• On-time delivery for perishable products: Customers don’t want their cheeses left on a doorstep in the sun. The Cheese Wedge Company needed a system they could rely on to get their products to customers at exactly the right time.
• Picking & packing custom bundles: With an option for customers to create a custom bundle on their Shopify site, picking & packing these orders could be complicated and required additional data. 
• Special order requirements: With a selection of gift boxes that also offer alcohol, The Cheese Wedge Company needed to ensure that they could add reliable age verification services. Additionally, with a growing members-only loyalty program, powered by Smile.io, they needed a way to highlight these orders. 

It was clear they needed a fulfilment solution that could keep up with their growing business – without adding extra complexity.

The Solution

“On average time-wise, with Zenstores, we’re saving one whole day a week.”

Zenstores sliced through The Cheese Wedge Company’s fulfilment challenges, transforming their shipping process into an efficient operation. Here's how:

• One-click shipping: No more time-consuming manual tasks! Orders are now processed in minutes, and dispatching orders has been streamlined into a quick task, allowing the team to focus on other aspects of the business.
• Seamless carrier integration: Zenstores offers multiple carrier integrations, making it easy for The Cheese Wedge Company to choose the best shipping providers for their needs, ensuring smooth, reliable delivery for all their orders. 
• Automatic filtering: Local delivery orders are automatically filtered, ensuring the right shipping method is always applied – without any manual sorting. Plus, orders that have additional requirements, such as alcohol deliveries that need age verification or orders placed by members of their loyalty programme, are flagged and relevant services can be automatically assigned. 
• Bundles made simple: Custom bundle orders are imported from Shopify and data is formatted perfectly in Zenstores – allowing a simple pick & pack process for the warehouse team, even on complicated custom products! 
• Multi-platform management: Orders from various platforms are now managed in one central dashboard. With all sales channels integrated, the team can handle all incoming orders in one place, making the fulfilment process far more efficient and less prone to errors.
• Same-day dispatch: With Zenstores streamlining their fulfilment, The Cheese Wedge Company has cut order processing time and can now confidently offer same-day dispatch, leading to increased conversion rates. 

With Zenstores automating and streamlining these essential tasks, The Cheese Wedge Company’s fulfilment process runs like clockwork, allowing them to focus on growing their business and keeping their customers' cheese cravings satisfied.

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The Results 

“Zenstores is basically an extra member of staff!”

With Zenstores streamlining their fulfilment, The Cheese Wedge Company has dramatically reduced order processing time from hours to just minutes. 

Previously involved shipping and fulfilment requirements, from alcohol age verification to complicated custom bundles, have effortless automations and simple processes and now, what once required hours of manual effort, is a seamless operation that runs at the click of a button. 

This huge time-saving has allowed the team to shift their focus away from the painstaking logistics of order processing and devote more energy to growing their business and expanding their product range. 

And as their ecommerce business continues to grow, Zenstores ensures fulfilment stays easy, efficient, and totally stress-free. With their operations running as smoothly as a well-aged cheddar, The Cheese Wedge Company is ready to scale even further, confident that their fulfilment process will support their growth, no matter how big the cheese orders get!