This Week's Focus in the Greenhouse
This week, every available hand has been focused on one thing: finding and fulfilling the orders that were missed due to our fulfillment system issue.
Because the issue affected how orders were pulled into our fulfillment workflow, much of the work to identify and process impacted orders is being done manually, order by order. At the same time, the team continues prepping a significant number of plants each day to keep shipments moving out the door.
We are also managing a high volume of emails and phone calls from understandably frustrated customers. It is all hands on deck, and non-essential tasks have been set aside entirely until we work through the backlog. The team is exhausted, but we are not stopping until every order is fulfilled.
We know some customers are concerned about grow window timing, we'll be sharing tips on extending your season soon.
Tray of Chocolate Bhutlah pepper plants after passing quality checks and being labeled, ready to ship to their new homes.
Live Pepper Plants: Production Update
Current Growth Stage
There is no major update on growth stages this week. Plants throughout the greenhouse continue to span various stages, and keeping up with watering has been a challenge given the volume of prep work underway, but we are getting it done.
A greenhouse technician adjusting a flat of pepper plants on a flood table during watering, keeping plants healthy and hydrated even during the busiest weeks of the season.
Observations & Challenges
We want to be fully transparent about something that has been weighing heavily on us.
As we have worked through the fulfillment issue, we have identified that some customers who placed pre-orders, essentially reserving their plants months in advance, did not receive their orders because those plants were inadvertently fulfilled to other orders first before the fulfillment system issue was identified.
We see it. We hear your frustration. And we are deeply, sincerely sorry.
This is not the experience pre-order customers deserve, and it is not something we take lightly. We are working hard to identify exactly how this happened and to make it right for every impacted customer.
On the operational side, we have been thoroughly documenting the issue and developing solutions to make sure this does not happen again. Our team is actively working with our shipping and IT partners to identify the root cause and build more efficient safeguards and workarounds for the future.
Seed Stock Production
This week we began prepping our grower plants to head outside, either here on site or with the partner growers we work with each season. Once we get caught up on live plant fulfillment, seed stock production will be our next major priority. Exciting things ahead on that front!
Looking Ahead
The focus for the coming week remains the same: working through every delayed order until the backlog is cleared.
Our priorities remain:
- Fulfilling all impacted orders as quickly as possible
- Personally identifying and reaching out to pre-order customers affected by the stock issue
- Continuing to respond to customer emails and calls as quickly as we can
- Finalizing process improvements to prevent this from happening again
What This Means for Home Growers
We know that ordering live plants requires trust, and that timing matters, especially for super hot varieties that need every possible day of the growing season.
We are committed to making this right. If you have questions about your order, please don't hesitate to reach out. Our team is here and working hard to get healthy, high-quality plants into your hands as quickly as possible.
Keep Up with the Greenhouse
Missed a week? 👈 Week 19: Last Week's Update
Want to see how the season started? 👉 Start at Week 1
Stay spicy friends, thank you for your grace and patience during one of the most challenging weeks we've had. We will get through this together.
🌶️ The Pepper Joe's Growing Team