How Rise Gardens conquered holiday shipping for tiny seed pods and 75-pound garden systems
If I had to describe Red Stag in one word, it would be ‘dependable.’ The greatest value they provide is that I simply don’t have to think about fulfillment anymore. Orders get shipped, inventory stays accurate, and they consistently follow through on every commitment they make. That peace of mind is invaluable.
Sully Stewart
VP of Operations | Rise Gardens
Rise Gardens’ results at a glance
180+ delayed orders → 100% on-time delivery
Expensive shipping → “Very competitive rates”
Inventory mysteries → Full transparency
Impersonal support → Dedicated representative
75-pound garden systems & tiny seed pods: a fulfillment paradox
As the pandemic transformed daily life in early 2020, Rise Gardens found themselves facing an extraordinary opportunity. Their hydroponic growing systems—designed to let anyone grow fresh produce indoors with minimal effort—suddenly became the perfect solution for homebound Americans worried about grocery shopping and seeking new hobbies.
“We were one of the companies that really was able to ride the wave up,” recalls Sully, VP of Operations at Rise Gardens.
But with this timely success came a fulfillment challenge that most ecommerce companies never face. Rise Gardens’ product line spans two extremes: tiny seed pods measuring just a few inches, alongside their flagship family garden—a bookshelf-sized hydroponic system that ships in a massive 40″ x 20″ x 20″ box weighing 75 pounds.
“It’s sort of like a Keurig for plants,” Sully explains when describing their user-friendly approach. “You just drop the pod in, put the nutrients in, and 30 days later, you’ve got a head of lettuce.”
This simplicity helped drive their popularity, but the physical reality of their products created a logistics puzzle.
As orders multiplied, Rise Gardens discovered that conventional fulfillment centers simply weren’t equipped to handle their unique combination of products efficiently. Most 3PLs specialize in either small items or large ones—rarely both.
“The Venn diagram where the crossover of Rise Gardens and distribution exists is rather small,” Sully notes. “It’s really a polarizing range of things to ship.”
This fulfillment challenge would eventually force Rise Gardens to rethink their entire logistics strategy, particularly as the stakes grew higher with each new customer relationship they built.
The holiday nightmare: 180 garden systems that never made it under the tree
When their first 3PL partner was acquired and suddenly pivoted away from large packages, Rise Gardens signed with a new provider who made ambitious promises about handling their unique product mix. Everything seemed promising—until the critical holiday season arrived.
As December progressed, Sully watched with growing alarm as orders piled up unshipped. What should have been their most triumphant season quickly turned into what he describes as “D-Day” for the company.
“Towards the end of December, there was just such a huge backlog of these big packages,” Sully recalls. “They just kept prioritizing all the smaller stuff and not getting around to the big orders. A lot of people who ordered for Christmas didn’t get it until the end of January.”
“The communication nightmare with our previous 3PL was unbearable,” Sully explains. “Instead of getting one person who understood our business, we’d get different representatives each time with no context. Critical information would get completely lost, and we’d waste hours repeating ourselves while our customers waited.”
By early 2023, Rise Gardens knew they needed more than just another fulfillment center. They needed a partner who could handle their 75-pound garden systems as expertly as their tiny seed pods, especially during the make-or-break holiday season.
The Red Stag solution
After a disappointing holiday season and years of frustration, Rise Gardens discovered Red Stag Fulfillment in early 2023—a partner who viewed their 75-pound garden systems as an opportunity, not a problem.
The transformation became most apparent during the following holiday season. Instead of anxiously tracking missing orders and crafting apology emails, Sully found himself with something unprecedented: peace of mind during Q4. Orders shipped on schedule, customers received their garden systems in time for Christmas, and Rise Gardens’ reputation remained intact through their busiest period.
“Red Stag’s specialty in large packages is evident in everything they do. Their dimensional divisors are excellent and they offer competitive shipping rates for our bulky garden systems. Since switching, it’s been smooth sailing—no issues whatsoever.” — Sully Stewart
Perhaps the most refreshing change was no longer feeling like a detective constantly investigating inventory discrepancies and shipping delays. For the first time, Rise Gardens experienced truly proactive communication through their dedicated account representative.
“Working with John at Red Stag has been exceptional,” Sully notes. “He’s consistently proactive about communicating issues and brings in the right expertise when we need to resolve complex challenges.”
This proactive approach extends to inventory management—a previous pain point that had consumed hours of Sully’s time each week:
“What truly sets Red Stag apart is their accountability. If there’s ever a discrepancy, they don’t wait for us to find it—John reaches out immediately and issues a credit on our invoice. That level of transparency is remarkably unique in this industry.”
The most significant impact? Sully can finally focus on growing the business instead of troubleshooting logistics.
Red Stag’s reliability has directly accelerated our product innovation timeline. We can introduce new products much faster because we don’t need excessive safety stock to compensate for fulfillment uncertainty. That’s a competitive advantage that directly impacts our bottom line.”
Sully Stewart
VP of Operations | Rise Gardens
Turn fulfillment into your
competitive advantage
Rise Gardens transformed their biggest operational challenge into a genuine competitive advantage. Where other 3PLs saw oversized packages as a problem, Red Stag saw an opportunity to deliver excellence.
The results speak for themselves: flawless holiday fulfillment, proactive inventory management, and the freedom to accelerate product innovation without worrying about logistical limitations.
Does your business struggle with oversized products, complex shipping requirements, or holiday fulfillment nightmares?
Red Stag specializes in the shipping challenges other fulfillment centers avoid.
