Learn how LiVe helps one food industry client save time, money and headaches when it comes to managing the supply chain logistics of their refrigerated goods.
When UNREAL, a producer of healthy snack bars and treats, required a freight partner to manage their growing demand, LiVe’s team brought the expertise, technology and care they needed.
Brian Bauersfeld, UNREAL’s Director of Operations, has been with the organization for two and a half years; when he joined, LiVe was an existing partner of UNREAL.
“When I first started, I was amazed at how fast LiVe got us trucks,” said Bauersfeld. Shortly after joining the Unreal team, Baursfeld got the “lowdown” of all vendor partners, and LiVe received a “big thumbs up” from everyone at UNREAL.
With LiVe’s help, UNREAL successfully schedules and delivers shipments of their goods across the US, working closely with LiVe as an extension of their team to deliver to nationwide retailers such as Costco, Giant, Whole Foods, Kroger, and more.
Navigating Needs Across Time Zones
Prior to joining the UNREAL team, Bauersfeld worked with a mattress company, handling supply chain management and logistics. When he joined UNREAL, he was shocked at the level of service LiVe provided. In particular, the leadtime of scheduling a pickup took him aback.
“We could reach out the same day and get a truck, and the rates weren’t ridiculously expensive,” Bauersfeld said. “Compared to a lot of companies out there, LiVe makes scheduling trucks really easy—which is the name of the game.”
“It’s a competitive edge in my mind to stay with LiVe,” continued Bauersfeld. “They solve problems—and you can’t always put a dollar amount on those problems. You’d be spending so much time otherwise.” Without LiVe’s help, the UNREAL team would likely require another employee dedicated to the outbound side of their business.
Among Bauersfeld’s favorite aspects of the LiVe partnership is how responsive the team is—even on nights and weekends—and how they operate as an extension of the UNREAL team.
“They solve problems—and you can’t put a dollar amount on those problems.”
– Brian Bauersfeld, Director of Ops, UNREAL
A Freight Logistics Partner That’s Part of the Team
“LiVe solves problems for us—versus creating problems—and that’s the biggest thing for me,” said Bauersfeld. “They’re really an extension of our team.”
LiVe’s team handles their full truckload (FTL) business, including reefer trucks for chocolate and ‘meltable’ goods. Temperatures above 70 degrees is too warm for the packaged foods, so climate control is critical to maintaining the quality of the product. If any issues ever arise, the UNREAL team can utilize LiVe’s scorecard system of feedback to communicate where and how the partnership could improve.
And even when things don’t go to plan, the LiVe team is standing by to help. One recurrent obstacle is the weight of UNREAL’s pallets.
“Our pallets are pretty light, so they can shift in transit,” said Bauersfeld. Retailers like Costco will reject a shipment with tipped pallets, so UNREAL relies on LiVe’s team to source a nearby rework center to the distribution center to handle rework and the logistics of re-delivering shipments.
“LiVe puts out the fires for us,” he said. “I do feel like they’re an extension of our team, especially on the logistics front—and that’s a real test of the partnership we have with them.”
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About UNREAL
UNREAL is a producer of natural, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and fair-trade certified snacks. Their mission is to provide healthy alternatives to everyone’s favorite snacks using high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients with low sugar.
Their guilt-free treats are designed to be sustainable and healthy, free of artificial flavors, chemical colors, preservatives, fillers, and more. UNREAL is available in groceries across the nation, including Costco, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Kroger, Giant, and more.
About LiVe Logistics
Win at the game of freight by using LiVe Logistics as your freight and trucking brokerage partner. Stop putting up with broken promises, late shipments and logistics chaos. Experience a lower freight total cost of ownership (TCO) and proactive, 24/7 communication instead. LiVe Logistics offers a variety of 3PL services, including full truckload (FTL), less-than-truckload (LTL), shared truckload (STL), multi-stop deliveries, drop trailers, box trucks, sprinter vans, flatbeds, refrigerated, frozen, reefer, flatbeds, intermodal, rail, and warehousing. Request a quote today—give us your hardest loads and see what LiVe Logistics can do for you.
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