When Karen Danudjaja worked long hours in commercial real estate, her reliance on coffee led her to seek healthier alternatives. In 2018, she launched her company Blume with just a turmeric latte based on jamu, an Indonesian elixir, and initially sold it in Vancouver coffee shops.
“Before and after work, I labeled packages in my living room and did deliveries,” she recalls. “It just became my singular obsession. I was lit up and excited about something so meaningful.”
She eventually worked with holistic nutritional experts to launch two products - Superfood Lattes and SuperBelly hydration powders -- both manufactured just outside Vancouver. From the start, she focused on a diverse omnichannel sales strategy that includes Blume’s website, Vancouver-based specialty stores, cafes and boutiques. The products are now sold in over 6,000 retail stores.
Danudjaja wanted to expand her omnichannel strategy even further so in 2022 she turned to Amazon to grow in North America. Total Amazon sales now represent 30% of overall sales with 200% annual growth. “We believe all these channels can coexist and work together versus work against each other,” said Danudjaja.
Blume lists all of its 20 products in the Amazon store and uses events like Prime Day and programs like Subscribe and Save to engage new customers.
“Amazon has been a huge growth channel for us and an important way to meet new customers that we wouldn’t necessarily meet otherwise,” Danudjaja explained. “It’s this lever that’s becoming a really important aspect to our growth.”
The business had a customer surge when it participated in this year’s Prime Day. Over the 4-day event in July, Blume had more than $400,000 in sales, a 200% increase from the previous Prime Day. Danudjaja said July is Blume’s first $1 million month on Amazon.
Blume also builds loyalty through Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program, which provides discounted pricing and coupons when customers sign up for regularly scheduled deliveries. Blume has 9,000 Subscribe and Save customers in Canada and 1,500 in the U.S.
Blume’s experience with Amazon started with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), where Amazon provides pick, pack and ship support. Danudjaja said FBA helped Blume scale across Canada and the U.S., and sped up deliveries.
As Blume’s business grew on Amazon, Danudjaja turned to Amazon Ads to grow further. Sales increased by 290 percent in the last six months and unique customer visits to Blume product detail pages rose 80 percent – two spikes that Danudjaja attributes to Amazon Ads.
Blume actively responds to feedback, such as reformulating their blue lavender and chai blend based on customer input. “Those insights are so valuable as we look to always improve and really answering what our customers want from us,” Danudjaja explained. “We use the Amazon reviews in aggregate with social listening we have in other places so we can make tweaks in a balanced way.”
While Blume has grown across North America in the last three years, it’s also stayed focused on its Canadian roots. Danudjaja is based in North Vancouver and the rest of her 22-person team works remotely across Canada and some in the U.S.
“Something I’m really proud of at Blume is that we’re in the heart of neighborhoods and independent stores that really make communities,” said Danudjaja.
The products use only plant-based ingredients that are less harmful to the environment. Blume also partners with Cleanhub to offset its plastic usage by funding plastic waste collection efforts globally.
Looking ahead, Blume plans to expand U.S. sales, launch new flavors and variety packs, and develop a third product line based on Amazon insights.
“There’s a lot of room for growth on the two product lines we have already, but we’re also obsessed with other concepts that exist in the wellness space, so we’re always working on fun things,” she said.