--- title: Doudlah Farms FBA Scaling & Operations type: article created: '2026-01-23' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2026-01-23-doudlah-farms-marketing-amazon-ecommerce-inventory-call-116732945.md tags: - doudlah-farms - amazon - fba - inventory - operations - scaling - supply-chain layer: 2 client_source: null industry_context: null transferable: true --- # Doudlah Farms FBA Scaling & Operations ## Overview As of January 2026, Doudlah Farms' Amazon business has reached a growth inflection point that has outpaced existing operational capacity. January revenue tracked to ~$145k (up from $112k in December, which was itself suppressed by inventory issues), with daily net profit hitting $2,500 and organic unit sales at 100/day — up from ~60. The core challenge is preventing the operational bottlenecks and stockouts that caused a prior ranking drop (e.g., position #2 → #9) from recurring as volume continues to compound. This article captures the operational model, inventory priorities, and infrastructure decisions made to support this growth phase. --- ## Sales Metrics (January 2026) | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Revenue (first 22 days) | $98,000 | | Projected monthly revenue | ~$145,000 | | Daily net profit | ~$2,500 | | Organic units/day | ~100 (up from ~60) | | Growth rate | 50–100% month-over-month | --- ## The Core Problem: Stockouts Kill Rankings Running out of stock on Amazon is not just a lost-sale event — it causes significant, slow-to-recover ranking damage. In Doudlah Farms' case, a stockout dropped a top product from position #2 to position #9, with recovery taking weeks. At $2,500/day net profit, even a short stockout is a material loss. **Root causes identified:** - Bagging and staging operations running out of a garage (~25×25 ft) — insufficient space and no climate control - Bag inventory (sourced from EPAC) has a 4-week lead time with no forecast provided to the supplier - No shared, real-time inventory tracking across raw product, cleaned product, and bagged product - Production scheduling (milling, cleaning) not synchronized with Amazon replenishment cadence - Jason (primary operations contact) capacity-constrained; no dedicated admin support --- ## High-Priority SKU Inventory Status | Product | Status | Notes | |---|---|---| | Yellow Popcorn (3 lb) | **Critical** — 2,200 lbs / ~1 pallet | New load scheduled for delivery Monday | | White Popcorn (3 lb) | Moderate — 3 pallets | 400 × 25 lb bags being palletized | | Yellow Cornmeal (5 lb) | OK — 5 pallets | — | | Black Beans (5 lb) | OK — 211,000 lbs | — | | Buckwheat | Low — raw only | Semi-load to miller; Jason coordinating schedule | | Rye Flour | None on hand | Sourced from miller | | Blue Haven Corn | ~120 units | First run sold out immediately; 400 units needed | **Monthly production targets:** - 1,000 units/month each: yellow popcorn, white popcorn, Doudlah popcorn, Old World popcorn, yellow cornmeal - 500 units/month: black beans - 400 units: Blue Haven corn (new product, high demand) --- ## FBA Shipment Planning Amazon distributes inbound inventory across multiple fulfillment centers, so large single shipments get split into 4–5 separate loads regardless. The agreed approach: - **Cadence:** Weekly FBA shipments rather than one large monthly push - **Volume:** ~22–24 pallets per semi-load - **Owner:** Karly to send a weekly Amazon shipment plan to Jason, then schedule weekly FBA pickups This approach reduces storage pressure at the farm/staging location and keeps Amazon inventory levels more consistent, reducing stockout risk. --- ## Operational Infrastructure: Edgerton Warehouse **Current state:** All bagging and staging happens in a ~25×25 ft garage. This is the primary bottleneck. **Proposed solution:** Rent ~2,000 sq ft of space within the existing Edgerton storage facility (where bulk product is already stored) to create a dedicated bagging and staging operation. **Workflow vision:** 1. Raw/cleaned product stored in Edgerton racks 2. Pull product → bag on-site → stage pallets 3. Amazon pickup directly from Edgerton **Action:** Mark Doudlah to negotiate space and schedule a site visit. Edgerton is ~10 miles from the farm; fallback options include Milton (~30–40 min away, 2,500–70,000 sq ft available). --- ## Bag Inventory & EPAC Lead Times EPAC (bag supplier) requires **4 weeks lead time**. No sales forecast has been provided to them historically, which means orders are reactive rather than planned. **Urgent bag orders needed (top priority):** - 5 lb yellow cornmeal bags - 3 lb white popcorn bags - 3 lb yellow popcorn bags - 5 lb black bean bags **Action:** Lucy to place expedited orders immediately and provide EPAC with a rolling sales forecast to reduce future lead times. --- ## Shared Inventory Tracking System No shared, real-time inventory system currently exists. Bag inventory was last formally tracked in 2022. Product inventory is split across Edgerton, the farm, and Jason's location. **Proposed system (Mark Hope to build):** - Track three product states: raw → cleaned → bagged - Track across all locations (Edgerton, farm, other) - Include velocity data to project stockout dates - Import current bag inventory from Jason as starting point This system is a prerequisite for proactive replenishment planning. --- ## Administrative Support As volume grows, the operational coordination burden (order entry, inventory updates, shipment planning, B2B order management) is exceeding what Lucy and Karly can absorb alongside their primary responsibilities. **Proposed hire:** A part-time or shared administrator to: - Enter orders (including B2B clients who won't use the self-service portal) - Update inventory records - Assist with shipment planning and label production - Could work remotely ~90% of the time; periodic in-office collaboration possible This is framed as a near-term necessity, not a future consideration, given current growth trajectory. --- ## Bag Packaging — Deferred Decision Mark Doudlah raised the question of whether simpler/cheaper packaging (e.g., plain plastic bags with heat seal + label, as used by Old World) could reduce the $0.40–$0.70/bag cost. Decision: **deferred**. Current packaging is working well, rankings are strong, and the team has no bandwidth to test alternatives right now. To revisit when operations stabilize. --- ## Related - [[clients/doudlah-farms/_index]] - [[knowledge/amazon-strategy/b2b-site-launch-and-quickbooks-integration]] - [[knowledge/operations/inventory-tracking-system]]