--- title: Amazon, Ecommerce & Inventory Strategy — 2026-02-06 type: article created: '2026-04-05' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2026-02-06-doudlah-farms-marketing-amazon-ecommerce-inventory-call-120443621.md tags: - doudlah-farms - amazon - fba - ecommerce - b2b - email-marketing - inventory - wholesale - hubspot - quickbooks - shopify - product-positioning - biodynamic - demeter - tested-clean - sqf - recall-compliance - tagline - trademark layer: 2 client_source: Doudlah Farms industry_context: food-beverage transferable: false --- # Amazon, Ecommerce & Inventory Strategy — 2026-02-06 ## Overview Strategy call with the Doudlah Farms team covering three primary areas: Amazon FBA fulfillment optimization, finalization of a 4-part B2B cold email campaign, and identification of a critical need for a new inventory management system. Key outcomes included a confirmed ~$3.5k/shipment savings from bypassing AWD, adoption of the "Beyond Organic, Beyond Expectations" tagline, and a decision against pursuing certified gluten-free status. **Attendees:** - Karly Oykhman (Asymmetric) - Gilbert Barrongo (Asymmetric) - Avokerie Onorimuo (Asymmetric) - Lucy Doudlah (Doudlah Farms) - Mark Doudlah (Doudlah Farms) - Jason Doudlah (Doudlah Farms) --- ## Key Decisions ### 1. Amazon: Bypass AWD, Ship Directly to FBA Amazon Warehouse Distribution (AWD) was failing to fulfill FBA orders, causing holiday-season stockouts. The team confirmed a shift to direct FBA shipments. While this creates more complex, multi-destination shipments, the cost savings are significant. > *"On this last shipment alone, I think it was $3,500 somewhere around that ballpark difference from shipping one order versus the other."* — Karly Oykhman **Decision:** Continue direct-to-FBA shipping despite increased operational complexity. Savings of ~$3.5k per shipment justify the overhead. --- ### 2. B2B Email Flow: Finalized with Edits A 4-part cold email flow targeting ~500 wholesale prospects (grocers, restaurants, hospitals) was reviewed and approved with the following edits: - **Product copy refinements:** - "Lentils" removed from product list - "10 classes of organic dry beans" (not just "beans") - "Specialty flours and corn meals — fine ground" - "Heirloom and ancient grains" (not "stone milled") - "Organic popcorn kernels" + "Tested Clean popped popcorn, three ingredients" - "Sunflower kernels — roasted and salted" - **Certifications:** Add "Demeter® Biodynamic®" and "Tested Clean®" with registered trademark symbols - **Messaging:** Connect nutrient density → flavor → customer satisfaction (reference "hidden hunger" concept) - **Email 4 closing:** Include Lucy's direct phone number; close with the bag tagline: *"Farming this way, we keep our soil healthy and it does the same for us… enjoy Doudlah Farms Organics, like the world depends on it — because it kind of does."* - **Email style:** Plain-text, 1-to-1 format (no marketing imagery) to appear personal **Flow will not launch until the B2B site is fully operational.** --- ### 3. Tagline Adopted: "Beyond Organic, Beyond Expectations" Mark Doudlah proposed formalizing "Beyond Organic, Beyond Expectations" as the official brand tagline. The phrase was noted as effectively capturing biodynamic farming, Demeter certification, and Tested Clean status without relying on a single buzzword. **Decision:** Adopt the tagline. Karly to research trademark viability and file if clear. Once trademarked, add to website, flyers, and future bag print runs (with TM/® symbol). > *"Beyond Organic, Beyond Expectations does such a great job of covering not only are we biodynamic, but we're testing for 222 pesticides."* — Mark Doudlah --- ### 4. No Certified Gluten-Free Status Mark Doudlah explicitly declined to pursue certified gluten-free status due to cross-contamination risk at the milling stage. The same combine is used for wheat and popcorn harvest; the miller cannot guarantee zero cross-contact. **Decision:** Do not advertise or label products as certified gluten-free. Handle individual customer inquiries via direct phone call (Lucy). Transparent communication has been well-received by customers. > *"I don't want the lawsuit and the bad PR. It's not worth it."* — Mark Doudlah --- ### 5. Inventory Management System: Urgent Need Identified The current manual inventory process is causing stockouts of critical packaging materials (bags, boxes). More critically, the absence of lot-number tracking creates a product recall compliance gap under SQF requirements. **Decision:** Mark (Asymmetric) to develop a custom inventory system proposal. Off-the-shelf alternatives to evaluate: ECI, Fishbowl, Info Plus. Karly to be introduced to Jerry Galloway (Mark Doudlah's contact) for evaluation support. **System requirements:** - Real-time tracking: raw product, packaging materials, finished goods - Automated low-stock alerts (suggested threshold: 15%) - Lot-number tracking for recall compliance - SQF quality control integration --- ## Action Items | Owner | Task | Status | |---|---|---| | Karly | Verify Moms Across America coupon total ($36.74 — confirm if total order or 10% donation); hold check until confirmed | ☐ | | Karly | Create free-sample coupon on B2C site for Lucy (do NOT use B2B site — creates unwanted QuickBooks invoices) | ☐ | | Karly | Update B2B email flow with all discussed edits (products, tagline, Tested Clean/Biodynamic, cornmeal, sunflower, popcorn, flavor/nutrient density, closing, Lucy contact info) | ☐ | | Karly | Research "Beyond Organic, Beyond Expectations" trademark; if viable, file application; add to site and flyers | ☐ | | Karly | Create Google Sheet for tracking future packaging changes; add as standing agenda item | ☐ | | Karly | Draft blog post: "Hidden Hunger" and nutrient-dense foods | ☐ | | Karly | Email Jason re: Amazon pickup date | ☐ | | Mark Doudlah | Send Karly Jerry Galloway's contact info for inventory system evaluation | ☐ | | Mark (Asymmetric) | Finalize and present inventory management system proposal | ☐ | --- ## Supporting Notes ### B2B Site Order Workflow - **Manual orders for existing clients:** Lucy will use her test login to place orders on behalf of clients who prefer to text/call (e.g., Mark Bernard). She can overwrite customer name, company, and PO fields at checkout; the email entered will receive the QuickBooks invoice. - **Free samples:** Must go through the B2C site with a coupon code (100% discount). The B2B site auto-creates QuickBooks invoices and cannot be overridden for zero-dollar orders. ### Moms Across America Payment - Coupon code sales generated $36.74 — unclear whether this is the total order value or the 10% donation amount. Karly to confirm before Mark sends check. - 1% of last year's website net sales (~$70k) also owed. Both amounts to be combined into one check. ### Packaging Change Process - With ~21 products × 3 sizes = ~63 SKUs, bag changes are extremely costly and time-consuming (dye lines, file transfers, approvals). - Going forward: maintain a running Google Sheet of desired changes, dated, so all updates can be batched into a single print run. ### "Hidden Hunger" — Blog Concept Mark Doudlah introduced the concept of "hidden hunger" (attributed to Dr. Don Huber): when food lacks nutrient density, the body continues signaling hunger even after eating, driving overconsumption. Nutrient-dense food satisfies faster and tastes better. This concept should anchor a future blog post connecting Doudlah Farms' farming practices to consumer health and weight management. --- ## Related - [[clients/current/doudlah-farms/_index]] - [[clients/current/doudlah-farms/b2b-wholesale-site]]