--- title: Doudlah Farms — October 2025 Amazon Performance type: article created: '2025-10-24' updated: '2025-10-24' source_docs: - raw/2025-10-24-doudlah-farms-marketing-amazon-ecommerce-inventory-call-96644259.md tags: - amazon - ecommerce - advertising - roas - client:doudlah-farms - seller-central - product-launch - b2b - vapg - inventory layer: 2 client_source: null industry_context: null transferable: true --- # Doudlah Farms — October 2025 Amazon Performance ## Overview Review call covering Amazon YTD performance, Seller Central access resolution, Old World Popcorn launch status, and B2B portal rollout. Amazon sales are nearly double year-over-year with profitable campaigns at 3.0x ROAS. Several operational blockers were identified and partially resolved during the call. **Attendees:** Gilbert Barrongo, Karly Oykhman, Avokerie Onorimuo (Asymmetric); Lucy Doudlah, Mark Doudlah, Jason Doudlah (Doudlah Farms) --- ## Amazon Performance Snapshot ### Year-to-Date Sales | Metric | This Year | Last Year | |---|---|---| | YTD Sales (through Oct 24) | $86,702 | $47,000 | | October Forecast | >$100,000 | — | Sales have nearly doubled year-over-year. October is on track to be the first $100k month. ### Campaign Performance (Last 30 Days) | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Ad Spend | ~$24,000 | | Ad Sales | ~$73,000 | | ROAS | 3.0x | Campaigns are profitable. The team will continue increasing bids on top-performing campaigns to push October over the $100k threshold. ### Profitability Trend - Net margins are now consistently **>30%**, up from <30% in prior months (June–September ranged 27–29%). - **Organic units** are increasing — more sales occurring without direct ad spend. - **Subscribe & Save** subscriptions are growing, though more slowly than organic. ### Keyword Visibility Doudlah products dominate the first page for broad, generic keywords such as "Organic Beans." On a search for "bulk dried organic beans," three of the five top-of-search results were Doudlah listings, plus additional placements further down page one (video campaign, multiple SKUs). --- ## Top Product Performance (Last 30 Days) | Product | Sales | Net Profit | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | Organic White Popcorn | $24,000 | 27% (~$6,700) | Advertised units >50% of total — bids to be lowered incrementally | | Dried Black Beans | $21,000 | — | Strong performer; inventory replenished this season | | Organic Yellow Cornmeal | ~$12,000 | — | Outperforming Old World Popcorn | | Old World Popcorn | $10,207 | 26.4% (~$2,712) | Launch of branded packaging on hold (see below) | **Action (Gilbert):** Lower bids incrementally on Organic White Popcorn to reduce advertised unit share and improve net margin. Increase bids on other top-performing campaigns. --- ## Review Generation — Vine Program Three low-review products were enrolled in Amazon Vine to build social proof: - **Pink Beans** (~5 reviews) - **Blue Haven** (new listing, 0 reviews) - **Buckwheat Flour** (<10 reviews) Vine reviewers receive product in exchange for honest reviews. Expected to lift conversion rates on these SKUs. --- ## Seller Central Access Issues ### Issue 1: Lucy's Employee Access — Resolved Lucy had been unable to access Seller Central under her own credentials and was forced to log in as Mark. The root cause was a UI bug: the "Grant University" checkbox in user permissions did not automatically select all sub-permissions as expected. During the call, the team manually checked the **Admin** box for each permission section, which granted full access. Lucy confirmed she could now log in independently with her own credentials. ### Issue 2: Primary Account Email — Unresolved The primary Seller Central account is registered to `mark@doudlahfarms.com`, which is a **non-existent email address** (the domain email was discontinued). This means: - Amazon cannot reach Mark via email (messages bounce). - Critical communications — policy alerts, account health warnings, suspension notices — will be missed. **Blocker:** The desired replacement (`mark.r.doudlah@gmail.com`) is already associated with Mark's personal Amazon shopping account, so Amazon's system rejects it as "already taken." **Resolution path:** Gilbert will contact Amazon Seller Support to request the email change and get guidance on resolving the personal account conflict. Mark has indicated he is willing to close his personal Amazon account if necessary. **Action (Gilbert):** Contact Amazon Seller Support to change the primary account email to `mark.r.doudlah@gmail.com`; advise on personal account conflict. --- ## Old World Popcorn — Branded Packaging Launch on Hold ### Background Doudlah Farms has a **VAPG (Value-Added Producer Grant)** that covers marketing costs for popcorn, including packaging, advertising, and agency fees. The grant was set to begin October 1, 2025. ### Blocker The **federal government shutdown** has delayed issuance of the official grant acceptance letter. USDA cannot reimburse any costs incurred before the acceptance date is formally established. Ordering new branded packaging now would mean paying out-of-pocket for a large run with no reimbursement path. ### Decision **Launch of new branded Old World Popcorn packaging is on hold** until the grant acceptance letter is received. - In the interim: continue ordering small runs of plain Uline bags as needed to maintain inventory. - Current FBA inventory: ~185 units white popcorn, ~126 units yellow popcorn — approximately **4 months of supply** for both SKUs. No immediate inventory risk. ### Preparation Plan Lucy will finalize all packaging designs (bags and boxes, across 1 lb, 3 lb, and 25 lb sizes) so the order can be placed immediately upon grant approval — no further design delays once the federal shutdown resolves. **Action (Lucy):** Finalize Old World Popcorn packaging designs for all sizes. Be ready to place order the moment VAPG acceptance letter arrives. --- ## B2B Portal — Rollout Stalled ### Background Doudlah Farms is launching a B2B ordering portal for wholesale customers (restaurants, co-ops, institutions). The final step before go-live is collecting email addresses for each customer account. ### Blocker Customer ordering structures are highly inconsistent. Key example: - **Epic** (5 restaurants on the Epic Systems campus): 5–7 different staff members place orders each week, rotating across all five locations. No single stable contact or shared email exists. Lucy has accumulated 6+ email addresses for this one account with no clear pattern. Similar complexity exists for **Metcalfe's** (3 locations) and **Willy Street Co-op** (3 locations). ### Proposed Solution Karly will draft a template email for Lucy to send to key customer contacts (starting with Andrea, Epic's supervisor for all five restaurants). The email will: - Introduce the B2B portal and explain the new ordering process. - Ask the customer how they'd like their account structured (shared email vs. individual accounts). - Highlight benefits: visible pricing, automated invoicing, consistent order history. - Frame the ask as streamlining ordering for both parties — not dictating how they run their business. Lucy will personalize the template before sending. **Action (Karly):** Draft B2B portal outreach email template addressed to Andrea at Epic; send to Lucy for personalization and delivery. --- ## Walmart — Fulfillment Decision Doudlah Farms is onboarding to Walmart Marketplace. The team decided to start with **self-fulfillment (self-ship)** via ShipStation rather than Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), given current low Walmart sales volume. Will reassess and shift to WFS if volume grows. **Action (Karly):** Set Walmart fulfillment to self-ship in Seller Center; update settings. --- ## Other Updates - **October Newsletter:** Sent. Social media posts (Facebook + Instagram) to follow next week. - **Gift Card Issue:** Still in progress; target resolution by next Friday's call. - **Warehouse Donate Page:** Progress updates on hold until the federal shutdown resolves (VAPG-related content). --- ## Key Decisions 1. **Amazon campaigns:** Continue current strategy; increase bids on top performers; lower bids incrementally on Organic White Popcorn to reduce ad dependency. 2. **Old World Popcorn launch:** Hold all new packaging orders until VAPG grant acceptance letter received. Finalize designs now. 3. **B2B portal:** Unblock via outreach email to key customers proposing account structure options. 4. **Walmart:** Start with self-ship; revisit WFS when volume warrants. 5. **Seller Central email:** Escalate to Amazon Seller Support; Mark willing to close personal account if needed. --- ## Action Items | Owner | Action | Due | |---|---|---| | Gilbert | Lower bids incrementally on Organic White Popcorn | Ongoing | | Gilbert | Increase bids on top-performing campaigns | Ongoing | | Gilbert | Contact Amazon Seller Support re: primary account email change (`mark.r.doudlah@gmail.com`) | ASAP | | Karly | Draft B2B portal outreach email template (to Andrea at Epic) for Lucy | Next call | | Karly | Set Walmart fulfillment to self-ship in Seller Center | Next call | | Karly | Resolve gift card issue | By next Friday | | Karly | Hold warehouse donate page updates until shutdown resolves | — | | Lucy | Finalize Old World Popcorn packaging designs (all sizes) | Before grant approval | | Lucy | Send B2B portal email to Andrea (Epic) once template received | After Karly drafts | --- ## Related - [[clients/doudlah-farms/_index]] - [[knowledge/amazon-strategy/vine-program-review-generation]] - [[knowledge/ecommerce/b2b-portal-implementation]] - [[knowledge/grants/vapg-grant-doudlah-farms]]