When Gretchen Hedrick and her husband John left their careers as a teacher and attorney in Denver to take over her father’s laundry detergent company in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, they inherited a 40-year business legacy. What they didn’t inherit was a roadmap for the digital age.
Twelve years later, Forever New International has undergone a dramatic transformation. The company, which started in a Minnesota kitchen in 1975, now generates 70% of its sales through Amazon, competing alongside well-known and well-established laundry brands.
Gretchen’s father was a serial entrepreneur with a talent for identifying niche opportunities. He developed Forever New wash, a premium powder formulation crafted specifically for delicate fabrics like lace, silk, lingerie, and cashmere, setting it apart from conventional laundry detergents. The product quickly proved to be a clear success, and in 1990, he relocated the business to Sioux Falls, where he built a manufacturing facility. The move was a strategic one: the city offered an ideal environment for manufacturing, and the state provided valuable tax benefits for manufacturers. Sustained growth over the years ultimately paved the way for his well-earned retirement.
Gretchen and John’s decision to take over wasn’t obvious for the couple raising three daughters in Denver. But the opportunity to grow the company while raising their family in Sioux Falls proved irresistible.
“We are a second-generation company, and that’s kind of a hard thing, because a lot of second-generation companies fail,” said Gretchen. “We’ve grown the right way and with the right people, and we aspire for our kids to be the next generation to take this on.”
Forever New’s relationship with Amazon began reluctantly in 2014 when resellers started offering their products. But everything changed a year and a half later when John took over their Amazon presence. The business evolved from a 50/50 split between online and offline sales to Amazon now representing 70% of total revenue.
“I’m astonished every month just how many more units we sell and the places that the product goes,” Gretchen said.
Since taking over their Amazon sales, they learned how to scale at every level, from packaging cases to shipping full pallets and truck shipments.
The company’s manufacturing capability operates on a 60/40 split: 60% for their own brand and 40% for white label and private label work. This diversification, combined with consistent demand from Amazon has created the stability needed to plan production. Amazon’s forecasting tools in Seller Central help them anticipate demand and maintain their workforce, which ranges from 6 to 18 employees depending on seasonal production needs. For example, in the summer, their hiring ramps up and they’re able to produce more.
“I’m not sure if Forever New would have reached the growth that it reached without Amazon, because you really have to have a lot of marketing dollars to compete with some of these bigger brands, especially in the laundry category,” Gretchen explained. “Amazon allows us to join that playing field in a way that sets us on the same stage.”
Gretchen added that Amazon has helped the business test out new products. For new product launches, the Amazon Vine program, which allows sellers to access a community of trusted Amazon shoppers who share their honest product experiences, has been crucial. When Forever New launched Forever New Everyday—their first mass-market everyday laundry detergent—about six months ago, Vine helped them test market acceptance with trusted reviewers.