Craft Chocolate Company Needs a Reliable Shipping Software
UPS® and Rollo Ship help Orinoco Chocolate Co. deliver bean-to-bar chocolate safely from the Arizona desert.
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- Orinoco Chocolate Co. makes three-ingredient, bean-to-bar chocolate in Prescott, Arizona, and ships to 41 U.S. states and 7 international destinations with a team of two to four people.
- Chocolate travels in insulated coolers with ice packs, so the team buys speed when the weather demands it — air services carry 40.9% of summer shipments versus 13.7% in winter.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® is the primary service, moving 71.1% of the brand's volume. Service level is chosen per order after comparing rates, not set once and forgotten.
- Across 1,972 shipments and 40 consecutive active months on Rollo Ship, the brand has seen an estimated $79,704 in total savings versus retail postage rates.
- Savings concentrate where the pressure is: 23.9% of paid labels produced 80.3% of total savings, at a median of $163.47 per expedited label.
- Rollo Ship is free multi-carrier shipping software and app for eCommerce sellers and regular shippers in the U.S. and Canada, comparing USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post and Purolator rates in one dashboard.
Orinoco Chocolate Co.'s beginnings
In 2021, Jessica Ellis and Christian Tyler co-founded Orinoco Chocolate Co. in Prescott, Arizona, with a simple premise: craft bean-to-bar chocolate using just three ingredients — cacao, maple sugar, and cocoa butter — sourced directly from farmers in Venezuela and around the globe.
What started with a couple of orders a month has grown into an award-winning brand shipping across 41 U.S. states and 7 international destinations, serving wholesale accounts, online customers, and in-person events from a single factory.
The challenge
Shipping chocolate from one of the hottest regions in the U.S. means every package needs insulated coolers, ice packs, and fast transit times — especially in summer. Insulated packaging is bulky and light, which is exactly the profile where dimensional weight decides the price rather than the scale. With a team of just 2–4 people handling manufacturing, sales, and fulfillment, the brand needed an efficient way to compare shipping options, select the right service level for each order, and control costs on shipments the company pays for itself.
The solution
Orinoco Chocolate Co. began to ship with UPS® on Rollo Ship — multi-carrier shipping software and app for eCommerce sellers and regular shippers in the U.S. and Canada that compares USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post and Purolator rates in one dashboard, generates labels, and manages orders from a single place.
The team relies on UPS 2nd Day Air® as its primary service, delivering the transit speed needed to keep chocolate safe at a cost that works for the business.
Rollo Ship's rate comparison, saved presets and shipping automation, and mobile app help the team make fast shipping decisions every day — shifting to air services for 40.9% of summer shipments versus just 13.7% in winter to match seasonal risk.
Rollo Ship has streamlined shipping for our brand, which can get complicated when shipping chocolate. It has been easy to use, especially for running comparisons of cost and timing. UPS has provided us with reliable 2nd-day service for a reasonable cost.— Jessica Ellis, Co-Founder, Orinoco Chocolate Co.
The results
Since onboarding in early 2023, the brand has completed 1,972 shipments on Rollo Ship across 40 consecutive active months, with volume nearly doubling from 370 shipments in year one to 737 in year two. UPS carries 71.1% of the brand's shipped volume, and Rollo Ship has helped the team manage costs with an estimated $79,704 in total savings versus retail postage rates.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Shipments, year one | 370 |
| Shipments, year two | 737 |
| Total shipments to date | 1,972 |
| Share of volume on UPS® | 71.1% |
| Share of paid labels driving 80.3% of savings | 23.9% |
| Median savings per expedited label | $163.47 |
| Estimated total savings vs. retail postage rates | $79,704 |
The biggest impact shows up on urgent shipments: just 23.9% of paid labels generated 80.3% of total savings, with a median savings of $163.47 per expedited label. For a small business that covers shipping on every order, those savings directly protect margins and fund growth into hiring, payroll, and marketing events.
Photos courtesy of Orinoco Chocolate Co., published with permission.
When every package contains handcrafted chocolate, delivery speed isn't a convenience — it's product protection. UPS 2nd Day Air® gives the team the confidence to promise timely delivery, even during Arizona's hottest months.
It is so important when shipping chocolate to ensure it will arrive promptly and not sit for days, so the product won't arrive melted.— Jessica Ellis, Co-Founder, Orinoco Chocolate Co.
What's next
What started as a small chocolate operation is now an award-winning brand with plans to expand into European and Japanese markets. Thanks to UPS® and Rollo Ship, the team can focus on crafting world-class chocolate while the shipping takes care of itself.
Every box we send represents the balanced artistry of our farmers, working with the land to provide us with cacao beans and maple sugar that we make our chocolate from. We honor that through our chocolate bars, which feature indigenous art on the packaging and are molded in the shape of a cacao pod. Our chocolate bars are all hand packaged with care, and reliable shipping allows our customers to receive their chocolates all over the world with the same beauty and quality that we produced them.— Jessica Ellis, Co-Founder, Orinoco Chocolate Co.
We'll come to you
At UPS®, we understand every SMB has different needs. That's why we meet small businesses where they do business — on e-commerce platforms, shipping apps, and their websites. Whether SMBs are scaling up or just starting out, we show up with the tools, flexibility, and support that are the right fit.
Questions about shipping perishable goods on Rollo Ship
What shipping service does Orinoco Chocolate Co. use for chocolate?
UPS 2nd Day Air® is the primary service. Chocolate ships from Prescott, Arizona in insulated coolers with ice packs, so transit time is product protection rather than convenience. The team shifts to air services for 40.9% of summer shipments versus 13.7% in winter, using rate comparison in Rollo Ship to match service level to seasonal melt risk.
How much has the brand saved using Rollo Ship?
Since onboarding in early 2023, Orinoco Chocolate Co. has completed 1,972 shipments across 40 consecutive active months, with an estimated $79,704 in total savings versus retail postage rates. Savings concentrate on urgent shipments: 23.9% of paid labels generated 80.3% of total savings, with a median of $163.47 saved per expedited label.
Which carriers can I compare in Rollo Ship?
Rollo Ship compares USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post and Purolator rates in one dashboard. USPS, UPS and Canada Post are built into the free account. FedEx and Purolator connect using your own carrier account. Rollo Ship is not a carrier — it is shipping software that gives shippers carrier choice without carrier lock-in.
Is Rollo Ship free to use for a small business?
Yes. Rollo Ship is free multi-carrier shipping software and app with no subscription. Your first 200 labels are free, then labels are 5¢ each, dropping to as low as 1¢ at the VIP tier of Rollo Rewards. There is no monthly fee, no contract, and no volume minimum to access multi-carrier rate comparison.
Can I ship perishable or temperature-sensitive products on a free plan?
Yes. Service-level choice, not plan tier, determines transit speed. On the free Rollo Ship plan you can compare ground and air services side by side before buying a label, save presets for repeat packaging, and buy expedited labels from your phone using the iOS or Android app — the same workflow Orinoco Chocolate Co. uses through Arizona summers.
Does Rollo Ship work for cross-border and international orders?
Yes. Rollo Ship supports shippers in both the United States and Canada, including cross-border shipments in each direction. Orinoco Chocolate Co. ships across 41 U.S. states and 7 international destinations from a single factory, managing domestic and international labels in the same dashboard rather than switching tools per destination.
About Orinoco Chocolate Co.
Orinoco Chocolate Co. makes three-ingredient, bean-to-bar chocolate in Prescott, Arizona, from cacao sourced directly from farmers in Venezuela and around the globe. All shipping data, quotations, and photography in this case study are published with the company's knowledge and permission.
If shipping cost and transit time both decide whether your product arrives intact, the comparison has to happen before the label is bought, not after.
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All shipping data, quotations, photography, and brand marks in this case study are published with the knowledge and permission of all parties represented, including Orinoco Chocolate Co. Shipping figures are drawn from the company's own Rollo Ship account activity and are specific to its shipping profile, product type, and destinations. Individual results vary.
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