# Fulfillment & Freight Forwarding from a Single Source Saves Ela Mo Time and Headspace

## Success Story

## Company

**Ela Mo**  
**Industry**: Cosmetics & Beauty, Personal Care  
**Company Size**: Growing  
**Products Used**: Freight, Fulfillment

[Ela Mo](https://www.elamo.me/) was founded by Fabian and his wife at the kitchen table in 2017. Their growth of over 100 percent year over year has made them a substantial player amongst carrier bag and backpack brands. The founding couple wanted to inspire their customers to be adventurous and go their own way with their well-designed bags.

For the first couple of years, Ela Mo focused on selling via [Amazon](/content/blog/amazon-fba-vs-fbm-meaning/index.html). Due to their strong growth in organic search volume and their desire for a closer relationship with their customers, they opened their first online shop in 2019.

“Customer centricity! We focus on our customers. What makes a product a good product? What do our customers want and need? These questions are at the heart of what we do and how we keep improving. That is how we have managed to build a brand together that we and our team can make a living from.” – Co-founder Fabian.

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To stay in close contact with their customer and continue to build up their online community, they are looking to find new channels to speak directly with them, having been successful on Instagram and trying out TikTok.

“It is not an option for us to sell in Karstadt or Intersport. We might try a pop-up store one day but currently we have no plans to resell at a traditional brick-and-mortar store”, says co-founder Fabian.

Being customer-centric is also one of Hive’s core values, which was one of the deciding factors as to why the couple chose them as a fulfillment partner in May 2021. Ela Mo and Hive are both focused on continuously developing their respective products as well as following modern, progressive business principles.

## Saving time and money thanks to freight with Hive

A time-consuming challenge for the founders was organizing the freight of their goods from the production site in China to Hive’s fulfillment center in Rangsdorf, Berlin. Hive expanded its services in mid 2021, [offering freight forwarding directly via the platform](/content/product/freight/index.html). This service takes out the extra work for them dealing with various shipping companies, comparing prices and times, and offering the most economical solution.

This meant they were able to kick off the freight process in August 2021. The first shipment of goods was sent from the production halls of a small, owner-managed partner company in the Chinese province of Fujian to Hive's BER2 fulfillment center in Rangsdorf.

“Peace of mind” is what we are after, says co-founder Fabian. “With Hive on our side, we can sleep soundly at night.”

Before this freight forwarding solution, Fabian spent up to fifteen hours per month researching and organizing overseas logistics. This number was increasing due to the constantly changing environment of global supply chains.

Logistics is not Fabian's expertise. Staying on top of logistics takes a lot of time and energy, and those resources are much better invested in product development and marketing. He leaves logistics to the professionals - Hive.

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## Customer comes first – sustainable products and relationships

A strong foundation of trust was crucial for the founders when selecting a fulfillment provider.

"When we hand over an essential part of the value chain, namely the delivery of new products, we have to be 100 percent confident that it will work." – Fabian.

“Having a contact person who always gets back to us within a few hours with a comprehensive answer gives us exactly the security we need.”

This quick feedback also contributes to Ela Mo's high quality service to their customers. For Fabian, the first priority is that the customer is happy with the product. They will even cover the cost of repairs of the backpacks if they are damaged through normal use.

Sustainability is paramount; their backpacks must last a long time without breaking and be CO2 neutral. With Hive, they can use rail freight to get their products from production to the fulfillment center.

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## Making the right use of freed-up resources

Co-founder Fabian is carefully steering Ela Mo’s growth course. New product development and designs are driving the brand's expansion. Plus, Hive's entry into new markets opens up many expansion opportunities for them.

Fabian can also imagine using other services that Hive offers, like direct injection, where parcels are transported directly to the target market and shipped at local prices.

The founding duo sees their brand taking on many markets in the future. A long-term collaboration with Hive will simplify scaling in markets such as France or Italy.