What 3PL Does Golo Use for Warehousing & Fulfillment?
Golo uses Grip as their primary third-party logistics (3PL) and fulfillment partner.
Introduction to Golo
Golo Foods is a fast-growing wellness and weight loss company that has reached over 5 million customers worldwide. The company specializes in creating nutritious, preservative-free frozen meals that are specifically designed to support their weight loss programs. Golo currently helps approximately 40,000 people weekly with their weight management goals through their direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model.
Golo's frozen meal offerings are nutritionally dense and balanced, containing the right combination of protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, and healthy fats. Their product line includes five varieties: Plant-based blend, Chicken blend, Chicken and Rice blend, Egg blend, and Beef blend. What sets Golo Foods apart is their commitment to using unprocessed, high-quality ingredients with no artificial preservatives or additives, making their products gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO.
Why Golo Needed to Optimize Fulfillment
As a company operating exclusively through a direct-to-consumer model, Golo faced several significant logistics challenges:
- Complex temperature-controlled shipping requirements - Their frozen meals must arrive in perfect condition, requiring precise temperature control throughout the shipping process
- Independent logistics management - Without selling through retail stores or Amazon, Golo needed to handle all distribution and logistics independently
- Shipping cost control - Managing the high costs associated with nationwide frozen food delivery
- Inventory management - Ensuring proper stock levels across distribution points
- Operational transparency - Gaining visibility into their logistics operations
- Time-sensitive delivery - Ensuring frozen products arrive promptly to maintain quality
These challenges created significant operational hurdles for Golo as they scaled their business to serve their growing customer base across the United States.
Partnership with Grip and Impressive Results
Golo's partnership with Grip has transformed their fulfillment operations, delivering measurable improvements across multiple key performance indicators:
- Accelerated delivery times - 60% of packages now arrive within one day, and the remaining 40% within 48 hours
- Significant cost savings - Up to 30% reduction in shipping costs
- Improved product quality - Spoilage rates reduced by up to 25%
- Nationwide coverage - Expanded fulfillment network through Grip's strategically located temperature-controlled facilities
This partnership has allowed Golo to maintain product quality while scaling their operations efficiently to meet growing consumer demand for their frozen meals.
The Grip 3PL Solution
Grip implemented a comprehensive solution tailored specifically to Golo's frozen food fulfillment needs:
- Customized frozen fulfillment network - Providing nationwide coverage through temperature-controlled facilities strategically located in Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and California
- Advanced logistics shipping engine - Leveraging 25+ million data points to provide package-by-package shipping recommendations
- Dynamic package customization - Personalizing dry ice and gel pack amounts based on customer zip codes and distance from fulfillment centers
- Real-time optimization - Analyzing temperature, weather events, and carrier performance to determine the optimal shipping method for each order
- Multi-carrier strategy - Providing access to regional and national carrier partnerships with discounted rates
Grip's technology-driven approach enables their system to automatically determine in real-time the best carriers, shipping facilities, refrigerant amount, and box size for every package based on dynamic network conditions, creating significant efficiencies for Golo's operations.
Key Lessons for Other eCommerce Brands
The Golo-Grip partnership offers valuable insights for other eCommerce brands shipping perishable products:
- Data-driven shipping decisions are crucial for perishable goods - Using advanced analytics to account for variables like distance, temperature, and carrier performance can dramatically improve delivery success rates
- Strategic fulfillment center placement reduces costs and delivery times - A multi-node approach with strategically placed fulfillment centers enables faster delivery and lower shipping costs
- Package customization saves money and reduces waste - Tailoring packaging and refrigerant amounts based on specific shipment requirements optimizes costs and improves sustainability
- Technology integration is essential for temperature-sensitive products - Having technology that can make real-time decisions based on current conditions is critical for products requiring temperature control
Is Grip Right for Your Business?
When considering whether Grip might be the right 3PL partner for your business, consider these factors:
- Product type - Grip specializes in temperature-controlled fulfillment for frozen and refrigerated goods, making them ideal for food, beverage, and other perishable product brands
- Business model - Their services are particularly valuable for direct-to-consumer brands that need end-to-end fulfillment solutions
- Scaling needs - Brands experiencing growth challenges related to logistics, shipping costs, or spoilage rates would benefit most
- Technology integration - Companies looking to leverage data and analytics in their fulfillment processes will appreciate Grip's technology-forward approach
- Sustainability goals - Brands concerned with reducing waste and environmental impact through optimized packaging and shipping
To determine if Grip is the right fit for your specific needs, you can explore fulfillment partner options that match your unique business requirements.
Final Thoughts
The partnership between Golo and Grip demonstrates how a specialized 3PL provider can transform the logistics operations of an eCommerce brand dealing with temperature-sensitive products. Through their customized frozen fulfillment network, Grip has enabled Golo to optimize delivery times, reduce costs, and maintain product quality—all critical factors for a company shipping perishable goods directly to consumers.
As Taylor Lundin, VP of Operations at Golo, states: "The Grip team really goes above and beyond to customize your frozen fulfillment network to best help you achieve your goals. There are many third-party logistic companies in the U.S. that charge high prices with very little infrastructure and no customer service, but GRIP exceeds where others fail."
For eCommerce brands dealing with similar challenges in the frozen food, beauty, or fitness sectors, finding the right specialized 3PL partner like Grip can be the key to scaling operations efficiently while maintaining product integrity and customer satisfaction.