Streamlined Supply Chain and Sweetened Operational Efficiencies for Graceland Fruit

About Graceland Fruit

Nestled in the heart of Michigan, Graceland Fruit has been a cornerstone of its community since its founding in 1973 by a group of cherry farmers. Over time, the company has expanded to become a leading producer and global distributor of premium quality dried fruit ingredients, exporting to over 60 countries from its 230,000-square-foot production facility in Frankfort, Michigan. 

As their business and global footprint grew, Graceland began to encounter the challenges of scaling operations. Their freight management processes, which were heavily reliant on manual workflows, started to feel less like their premium product and more like junk food. With a commitment to maintaining their high standards of service while meeting increasing demand, they set out to find a transportation management system (TMS) that could not only meet their current needs but grow with them. 

Challenges

Graceland Fruit’s logistics team was working hard to keep their transportation processes running smoothly, but their tools and processes were holding them back. Key challenges included:

• Slow, manual freight management workflows: Scheduling shipments required significant time and effort, leaving little room to focus on more strategic initiatives.
• Lack of real-time visibility: With no easy way to track shipments, the team struggled to keep customers – and themselves – informed about the status of their orders.
• Inefficient load tendering: Finding and securing the best rates for shipments was a time-consuming, paper-driven process.
• Limited data insights: KPI tracking and reporting involved manual data entry, which was both labor-intensive and prone to error, if it existed at all.

These hurdles made it clear that Graceland needed a smarter, more automated approach to freight management—a solution that could save time, improve visibility, and provide the insights they needed to grow effectively.

Why Shipwell

Graceland Fruit was drawn to Shipwell for its robust TMS capabilities, which offered everything they needed to clear their operational hurdles and more. Shipwell’s platform includes:

• Dock Scheduling: A streamlined way to plan and coordinate scheduling, drastically reducing the time required to manage shipments.
• Instant LTL Rates & Spot Bidding: Giving the team the ability to secure the best shipping rates quickly and easily.
• Real-Time Container Tracking: Bringing visibility to every shipment, from the farm to the customer’s door.
• Advanced Analytics: Automated KPI tracking and reporting for better decision-making.

What sealed the deal for Graceland was Shipwell’s consultative approach. The Shipwell team worked closely with them to ensure a smooth rollout, starting with spot bidding and LTL shipments before expanding to other features.

“I can get all of our shipments for the next two weeks done in basically one day.”
- Trish Triem, Transportation Manager at Graceland Fruit

Solution

Time Savings That Speak for Themselves

With Shipwell’s Dock Scheduling feature, what once took two weeks to plan now takes just one day. Trish Triem, Graceland’s Transportation Manager, described it best: “I can get all of our shipments for the next two weeks done in basically one day.” This dramatic reduction in time has helped streamline operations, allowing the team to focus on what matters most—ensuring on-time deliveries and optimizing their supply chain.

“Being able to look at all of our shipment modes visually in one system, connected to our production and office locations is a huge time saver.”
- Trish Triem, Transportation Manager at Graceland Fruit

Invoicing automation has significantly boosted productivity, saving the team over 1,100 hours each year. With less time spent on manual data entry, the logistics team can now concentrate on higher-value strategic tasks such as carrier relationship management, carrier compliance, live shipment tracking, analyzing transportation data like on-time performance, and ensuring that their shipping operations align with seasonal demand fluctuations. This shift allows the team to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Improved Visibility and Customer Service

With Shipwell’s real-time container tracking, Graceland now has the ability to monitor their containers visually in one system, connected to their production and office locations. This visibility allows the team to quickly answer customer inquiries, provide accurate delivery updates, and ensure that their dried fruit products—whether cherries, blueberries, apples or cranberries—arrive on time, every time.

A Stronger Partnership, Not Just a Platform

One of the unexpected benefits of working with Shipwell has been the exceptional customer support. From the beginning, Graceland was paired with a dedicated representative who has stayed with them throughout the 3-year partnership. This consistency has fostered trust and reliability, making Shipwell feel less like a vendor and more like an extension of the Graceland team.

“The Shipwell team has been incredibly responsive and open to feedback,” says Triem. “They’ve even made improvements to the platform based on our suggestions, which isn’t something you see every day.”

Looking Forward

With their logistics processes now running more smoothly than ever, Graceland Fruit is exploring the next chapter of their partnership with Shipwell. They’re excited to implement features like freight pay and audit, direct ERP integration, and enhanced container tracking functionality to unlock even greater efficiency and cost savings.

For a company like Graceland, where every detail matters—from the freshness of their fruit to the timeliness of their deliveries—the ability to scale with confidence is invaluable. With Shipwell’s TMS, they’ve turned their supply chain into an ingredient for success.