[ IN PRACTICE ] CASEBOOK
Craving a Sweet 3PL Partnership THE CUSTOMER
From its start in the back room of a diner about a decade ago, Detroit-based Bon Bon Bon, which offers “the goodest goodies and sweetest sweets,” now operates a manufactory and four brick-and- mortar locations, has a presence at local markets, and ships across the United States and internationally.
Bon Bon Bon, a 10-year-old artisan chocolate company with stores in Michigan and an ecommerce arm, creates bonbons with clever flavor combinations and eye-catching designs. THE PROVIDER Evans Distribution Systems is a full- service third-party logistics provider that o ers warehousing, fulfillment, value-added, transportation, and stang solutions.
Before Bon Bon Bon connected with Evans, a “small and mighty team of employees,” according to Rodriguez, lled and packaged online orders, among other responsibilities. Along with the challenges of managing the growing volume of orders were the challenges of the chocolate itself, which is perishable and requires a temperature- controlled environment. What’s more, each order can be customized, including with a handwritten note and a choice of packaging tape designs. FINDING A PARTNER In 2023, Bon Bon Bon began its partnership with Evans Distribution Systems. The team at Bon Bon Bon knew of Evans in part from its work with vegan cosmetics and skincare brand, The Lip Bar (TLB), whose agship store is also in Detroit. A 90-year-old company, Evans operates more than three million square feet of warehousing space in Michigan. Bon Bon Bon uses Evans’ ful llment, shipping, logistics, warehousing, and product storage services.
Yet even as Bon Bon Bon has grown, its internal shipping department remained small—no more than a handful of employees. So, Bon Bon Bon partnered with Evans Distribution Systems, a third- party logistics (3PL) provider, also based in Michigan. “We never would have been able to offer shipping solutions at the level of expertise that Evans has been able to,” says Alessandra Rodriguez, head of marketing for Bon Bon Bon. A LIFE OF CHOCOLATE At 19 years old, Alexandra Clark, Bon Bon Bon’s founder and head chocolatier, decided to dedicate her life to chocolate. With $32,000 she received from a taxi accident—it occurred as she was leaving a chocolate show—she opened a chocolate shop near Bon Bon Bon’s current manufactory. Initially, the shop was open only on Saturday. Fast forward to 2024, and the company has multiple locations and is in action seven days a week, with operations
by Karen Kroll
signi cantly ramping up between Thanksgiving and Valentines Day.
January 2024 • Inbound Logistics 205
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