When people want their coffee, they usually want it now. That’s the challenge Intelligent Blends faces each week. Though they aren’t serving hot and fresh cups, they are a leading manufacturer of single-serve and bagged beverages.

“Our customers, whether they are consumers or businesses, have high standards when it comes to delivery,” says Adam Bartell, Intelligent Blends’ manager of operations. “That means our freight provider has to be on point.”

They’ve found that in Amazon Freight.

Starting small
Back in 2021, Intelligent Blends’ shipping operations could have been running more efficiently, says Bartell. There’s a lot to manage. They have a diverse portfolio of products with nearly 200 SKUs that include everything from French roast pods to dirty chai lattes. They sell across a variety of e-commerce channels, including a storefront on Amazon.com, and serve both B2C and B2B markets.

“We were using a lot of less-than-truckload carriers,” says Bartell. “It was taking a long time, it wasn't reliable, and we didn’t have good visibility into our freight.” They turned to Amazon Freight to see if they could consolidate shipments and get their product into Amazon’s fulfillment centers faster.

The team at Amazon Freight analyzed Intelligent Blends’ operations and shipping needs, looking at the lanes they were on and how they could integrate with the Amazon network and the more than 60,000 trailers flowing through it.

Bartell and his team saw immediate results. Loads started being picked up and delivered on time and communication improved. “We just didn’t have to worry as much about our loads when the trailers pulled away from our loading docks,” he says. The freight reliability that had been so elusive before was finally happening.

A portal to easier shipping
What Bartell found that has made his job smoother is the Amazon Freight self-service portal. There he can quote, book, and manage all of his loads in a user-friendly interface.

Typically, he logs in once a week and enters his pickup location and destination, what he’s shipping, and when. He’s served up an assortment of prices and pickup and delivery dates and times to choose from. “It’s a huge time saver for the booking stage,” he says. “If I was working with a different carrier, I would be talking with them back and forth to get everything that I get upfront with Amazon Freight.”

The portal is also a window into the status of his shipments that he shares across the company. His warehouse team can log in and get immediate visibility into the loads and their pickup windows. They need that information throughout the day to stay ahead of the inflows and outflows from their docks. The portal saves Bartell time by not having to constantly send load updates.

It’s a rarity in the industry, he says. “I have yet to see a freight company with such a dedicated portal that I can use to quickly know exactly what's going on and book an appointment.”

An intelligent relationship
But behind the portal and Amazon technology is a level of service that has stood out to Bartell: “It really is second to none. We have an incredible transportation consultant looking out for us.”

His consultant is always there if he has an issue but is a true advisor, looking at the long game for ways Bartell can find efficiencies and save costs. “He provides us with new and innovative ideas to make sure that we're always looking for ways to improve.”

Beyond that, there's a 24/7 shipper support service that Bartell and his team can rely on. The GPS tracking of loads on Amazon trailers is crucial but, as with anything in transportation, disruptions happen. “If our warehouse is working late and a truck hasn't shown up, they can call that team and they'll get an answer.”

At the core of the relationship is mutual growth. “Amazon Freight and our business are rising together,” says Bartell. “The more we've used Amazon Freight, the more in stock we are and the more I trust that everything is being replenished and received quickly. It just gives me more ‘good days’ with my job.”

Take the next step
If you want to have more good days like Intelligent Blends and tap into Amazon Freight’s 60,000 trailers and the overall Amazon network, create your shipper account. You can start quoting and booking loads instantly.