ACWI member Prism Logistics and its customer Nami Tea found an ingenious way of working together to help the victims devastated by last fall’s Northern California wildfires.
On Oct. 8, 2017, a series of wildfires broke out and swept across drought-stricken Northern California, raging for weeks, destroying more than 15,000 homes and taking 44 lives. Like many other companies, Prism pitched in to help.
Prism leveraged both company resources and the talents of its team members to do so, according to President and Co-Founder Jere Van Pufflen.
“As part of a five-company collaboration, we filled multiple box trucks and pickup trucks with water, non-perishable foods, clothes, bedding, paper goods, toiletries, pet food, cleaning supplies and school supplies and together delivered them to multiple locations across fire-ravaged Northern California,” he says.
One of the companies lending a helping hand was Numi Organic Tea, a Prism customer that says it was proud to take part in the effort. Established in 1999, Numi is the largest Fair Trade, organic premium tea company operating in North America.
Prism supports the company’s success behind-the-scenes as Numi’s exclusive logistics partner, responsible for receiving and processing orders, supporting customer service inquiries and managing inventory levels.
In addition, Prism addresses a range of special requirements, including labeling and kitting. It also manages Numi’s shipments to and from worldwide destinations, including Japan, the Philippines, South America and Australia.
Dannielle Oviedo, director of fulfillment operations at Numi, says that when she went looking for a fulfillment partner, she quickly discovered that other logistics partners providers did not offer the type of customer service support Numi needed.
“Prism stepped up to the challenge,” Oviedo says. “Prism not only understood what was needed, but it was transparent about what it would take to make that happen.”
Over the past five years of working together, she adds that regardless of the situation, Prism always has been ready to answer questions, reflect on concerns, work through solutions and collaborate on projects on the horizon.
In addition to handling all of Numi’s executional needs – ranging from customer service to fulfillment – Prism has been crucial in helping Numi stay in front of their exponential growth, Oviedo says.
Prism’s organic certification is especially important to Numi, she notes. “An organic infrastructure is critical for tea as leaves are generally unwashed before being dried, packed and ultimately placed in a cup. Prism supports this organic certification, vital to Numi and our customers.”
The fire assistance program grew directly out of this partnership, which is marked by a mutual commitment to philanthropy, including the Numi Foundation, which has transformed the lives of millions of people in the U.S. and around the world.
Prism also works with Abundant Life Ministries, which brings education and water to Ugandan communities; Rise Against Hunger, for which PRISM provides storage, mealpacking and distribution operations; and disaster aid like it did in Northern California and over the years through the American Aid Logistics Network.
Prism Logistics serves Northern California and other western states from a network of facilities in Hayward, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and Livermore, California. (http://prismlogistics.com)