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Anyone who has ever built a company knows that finding the right partners and vendors is a major priority. This is especially true for a business or organization that ships a product. Keep reading our shipping logistics case study to hear how Freightzy became that reliable partner for Something & Nothing.
Finding reliable partners is an important part of building any business, whether you’re creating a product, hiring vendors, improving your workflow or setting up distribution. In order for any company to become a well-oiled machine, each partner must know their role inside and out, and offer best-in-class, customized, adaptable solutions. As a trusted shipping partner for many companies, Freightzy knows this better than anyone.
Freightzy’s team-centred approach allows companies to feel like they are getting the attention they need and deserve. This instils confidence in Freightzy’s services and in their ability to deliver (pun intended!) continued efficiency and improvement.
Just ask Something & Nothing, a UK-based, premium beverage company that joined the Freightzy fold in 2022.
About Something & Nothing
For Something & Nothing co-founder Olly Dixon, there is a direct link between his early career and the origins of what he calls a “an elevated soft drinks company.” Dixon had risen through the ranks of the agency world, creating campaigns and building brands, before taking the leap to open a bar in East London with a couple of friends. He had a lot of fun (still does!) with the business but after six months, he wanted to take a break from drinking. This is when he noticed a problem and an opportunity to win the gap in non-alcoholic beverage offerings.
There was very little, if anything, on offer that could make someone feel like that they weren’t missing out. Dixon began to contemplate this hole in the market, wondering if he could create a non-alcoholic drink that would feel special enough to make someone feel like they were imbibing even when they weren’t. This is when his branding background and hospitality experience came together, and Something & Nothing was born in 2017.
“I wanted to create a grown-up soft drink—something between a flavoured water and a soda—infused with global flavours and a global outlook,” said Dixon, who looks to his travels for product inspiration. “We are a flavour-first company. Flavour lasts and has a legacy.” The company’s flagship cucumber seltzer took a year to formulate, followed by the rose and hibiscus- and yuzu-flavoured options. The company’s product lineup now includes both premium sodas and alcoholic spritzers that use best-quality juices, extracts and botanicals.
Something & Nothing secured a number of good retail listings in the United Kingdom right away and began to gain attention and popularity. “The success took us a little by surprise, but we were proud to be disruptors in the soda category,” says Dixon. Initially, there were no immediate plans to expand beyond the UK, but then, in 2020, in the midst of the first pandemic lockdown, Something & Nothing was contacted by a retailer in the United States that was looking to import a small amount of product. It’s no surprise to anyone who has tried a Something & Nothing drink that the demand began to increase in the US in the months and years to follow. Unfortunately, however, this expansion was not seamless.
The Initial Problem
While Something & Nothing had their shipping figured out in the United Kingdom and across Europe, they hit significant roadblocks when they moved to expand distribution in the United States. “We were using other freight brokers when we were initially launching in the US, but we found it difficult to find an appropriate partner because our volume was too low at the time,” says supply chain manager Joe Burgwin. “Pricing was consistently expensive, the collections and deliveries were regularly late, and the tracking was often a headache.” Something & Nothing also experienced issues with damage to the product, from cans arriving frozen or crushed, to shipments ending up in entirely the wrong place. It became clear that Something & Nothing needed a better shipping partner—fast.
Finding a Fit with Freightzy
In mid-2022, Something & Nothing spotted Freightzy’s carbon-neutral program in a case study from enviro-tech company Cloverly. Carbon offsetting was an idea that aligned with the company’s altruistic backbone and environmental values. Upon reaching out to the Freightzy team, it became even more apparent that this could be the partner Something & Nothing was looking for in North America. “Immediately we noticed that Freightzy’s attitude toward shipping was different,” says Burgwin. “We felt inspired by their set-up and what they wanted to achieve.” Something & Nothing took the next step and had Freightzy quote a couple of loads, which returned with instant savings of 50 to 60 percent per job. Something & Nothing was also impressed with the easy tracking, traceability and speed.
With decades of experience in shipping, the Freightzy team was also able to advise on trickier shipments. “We used to struggle at times with alcohol shipments—we’d go back and forth with compliance teams, shipping agents, carriers, warehouses…but Freightzy made it look easy,” says Burgwin. “No more awkward, back-and-forth booking requests for us!”
Something & Nothing now works with a production facility in the United States, in Vermont, which also helps with North American shipping logistics.
How Freightzy Made a Difference
Freightzy loved Something & Nothing’s value systems from the outset—great products produced and delivered sustainably—and they were motivated to help their new partner find solutions that worked for them. They were quickly able to meet their shipping needs easily (even in complicated situations!), drastically reducing the amount of time the Something & Nothing team was spending on shipment management. Freightzy’s easy-to-use, smart booking and tracking app were also a breath of fresh air to the previously frustrated outfit. Freightzy also offers other easy-to-use, game changing tools, including shipping and freight class calculators.
Once it was clear that this partnership was the right fit, Freightzy also enrolled Something & Nothing in their carbon neutral program. With this option, Freightzy takes the lead on offsetting Something & Nothing’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To do this, Freightzy calculates the GHG on every load, based on factors that include distance, weight and mode of transportation. Freightzy then works with Cloverly to purchase verified offset credits that fund environmental projects around the world.
The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship
Something & Nothing aims to make the world’s most beautiful drinks, so naturally they needed a shipping partner who understood this goal and wanted to help. With Freightzy helming the shipping operations, the Something & Nothing team is freed up to focus on what they do best—solidifying their rightful place as global tastemakers. “Freightzy are decent, honest, good humans that always go above and beyond for us,” says Burgwin. “Everything is handled with as much care as if they were shipping their own product.” Burgwin goes on to say that it was a frequent concern with a lot of the team being based in the United Kingdom, and a growing number of shipments happening the other side of the pond. “But with Freightzy supporting us,” says Burgwin, “we don’t worry anymore.
