For eGourmet, every shipment matters — and so does every dollar of margin. As a national 3PL specializing in perishable food fulfillment, the company can reach any U.S. destination in just one to two days. That speed has fueled rapid, accelerated year-over-year growth, but by 2024, parcel costs were climbing fast across the industry.

The question for COO and Founder Mary Kemper: How do we keep scaling while protecting the margin that powers our growth?

The answer was Tusk. Since accessing alternative carriers through Tusk, eGourmet has reduced its average per-shipment cost by over $3 per parcel while adding capacity, visibility, and flexibility across their network — putting hundreds of thousands of dollars of margin back into the business.

Recognizing the Opportunity

Kemper is clear: “Their performance isn’t bad at all,” she says of the big national carriers, “but they are more expensive than alternative carriers and their dominance and rigidity makes it difficult to negotiate price reductions.”

Rather than wait for costs to climb further, eGourmet acted early, exploring how alternative carriers could complement its network and give them faster escalation paths for time-sensitive issues. The goal wasn’t just to save on freight; it was to turn cost control and operational agility into a competitive advantage for their clients.

The Tusk Approach

The timing couldn’t have been better. “Ben [Emmrich, CEO and co-founder of Tusk] reached out to us,” Kemper says. “It was just the perfect timing — a perfect sales call.”

Tusk onboarded eGourmet in July 2024 with a turnkey, data-driven integration into their existing rate-shopping application. That move delivered:

• Broader reach via fully tracked line hauls and alternative carriers: all in one system, no extra ops burden.
• Real-time problem resolution, with an ops team able to fix delivery issues before they became delays; critical when a single missed day can wipe out a perishable order’s value.
• Parcel-level visibility and proactive alerts that cut resolution times from hours to minutes.

“If there’s a problem — a wrong address, a missing gate code — Tusk can get it fixed that day,” Kemper says. “That’s a huge win for perishables. Every hour matters.”

The Impact: Margin in Action

Since then, the numbers have told the story:

• Over $3 saved per parcel
• Shipment volume up 207% in the first eight months

With Tusk in the mix, eGourmet scaled without missing a beat — maintaining consistent pickup performance and delivery reliability even through peak season. Lower costs didn’t come at the expense of performance; if anything, faster resolution times meant more orders arrived fresh and on time.

Positioned for the Future

By shortening time-in-transit without adding warehouses, eGourmet has stayed ahead of a shifting market — offering high-performance delivery while avoiding the capital expense of new facilities.

“Our industry has been a roller coaster the last five years,” Kemper says. “Having a partner like Tusk puts us in a strong position to innovate and adapt quickly.”

For eGourmet, diversifying carriers with Tusk was about more than savings — it was about gaining control of margin and strengthening the operational backbone needed to sustain rapid growth.

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About eGourmet
eGourmet is a national 3PL specializing in the fulfillment of perishable foods. With the ability to reach any U.S. destination in one to two days, eGourmet has record-setting annual growth by combining speed, reliability, and a relentless focus on customer needs.

About Tusk
Tusk Logistics is the national delivery network built to give shippers an alternative to the high costs and inflexibility of traditional carriers. Through a single integration, Tusk connects businesses to a vetted network of alternative carriers, providing full parcel visibility, proactive issue resolution, and competitive rates. With a focus on speed, reliability, and cost control, Tusk puts shippers first by helping them scale efficiently while protecting their margins.