Arcada Labs AT A GLANCE
Staff at every Dutch Bros location ordered their supplies from Premier Press through one platform, and their orders reached Premier's warehouse without anyone retyping them.
- Under 3 months from start to launch
- 20,000+ user accounts created
- 700+ Dutch Bros locations supplied, in 14 states
Staff signed in with their Dutch Bros account and saw only the products their role and state allowed, across thousands of products. Orders went straight into Premier's existing order system.
BACKGROUND
Dutch Bros' Story
A fast-growing chain
Dutch Bros went public in September 2021, after years of growth on the West Coast.
Plans to expand
In 2020, Dutch Bros planned to expand across the country and more than double in size in under two years.
OPPORTUNITY
What we built
From store to pick list
Orders went from the person placing them to the warehouse pick list, with no one in between.
Built to scale
The platform started with a handful of users and scaled up without changing a step of Premier's existing workflow, because it connected to the systems Premier already ran.
Self-service, even for custom orders
Staff could place complex and custom orders themselves, with no waiting and no manual step.
HOW IT WORKED
Fully automated, from order to warehouse
Two-way sync
Order and inventory data moved continuously between the storefront and Premier's existing warehouse and order system (WMS/OMS).
Custom orders without a manual step
Store-specific window vinyls and custom business cards went through proofing software and on to the warehouse, with no one handling them in between.
Volume without extra steps
The platform handled tens of thousands of orders without anyone retyping them, and order volume grew without adding a step to Premier's operations.
Built for outages
If the warehouse system went down, the storefront was built to stay up: orders would queue, and inventory counts would catch up in both directions once the system came back.
Parallel stock counts
The platform kept its own inventory counts alongside the warehouse system and synced them every minute, to keep backorders rare.
Orders through returns
The platform was designed for self-service, from orders through returns.
Worked with existing shipping
The platform calculated rates for nearly any carrier and connected to Premier's in-house shipping software for labels, so no new process was needed.
Custom shipping markups
Managers set rates case by case, with percentage or flat markups.
Simple rate choices
Each order showed the three best shipping options for it, which kept choices simple and costs down.
Accounting always current
Orders synced into Premier's existing systems as they were placed, so accounting reports were always current.
Taxes handled automatically
Accounting data was compiled continuously, and tax calculations and filings were handled automatically, which cut the hours spent on accounting.
Secure sign-on
When staff signed in with their Dutch Bros account, the platform gave them an access level based on Dutch Bros' own employee records.
Automatic access levels
From headquarters admins to store employees, each access level saw its own version of the store, and team changes showed up immediately.
Ordering for several stores
Users with higher access could order against the expense accounts of every store in their profile.
Connected to Premier's systems
The platform connected Premier's accounting, warehouse and shipping systems with Dutch Bros' employee records.
Easy to adjust
Access levels, product offers and shipping options were all adjustable, and a change for Premier Press or Dutch Bros took a click.
WHAT HAPPENED
Over the life of the contract
Premier Press and Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros grew past 700 locations in 14 states during the contract. Premier Press grew from 40 full-time employees in 2020 to more than 200.
Ordering for new stores
As Dutch Bros opened new locations, their staff were added to the platform, which grew past 20,000 users.
Fast to launch
The platform went from start to launch in under three months.
