The StartOps Team
TLDR:
Dispatch Goods allows companies with recurring deliveries (like subscriptions or grocery) to implement reusable packaging at no additional cost.
Basic info
Year founded: 2019
Team size: ~15 FT / 50-60 warehouse
HQ location: San Francisco, CA
Regions served: Major metro regions in the US
What's the backstory?
Founder Lindsey Hoell spent the first decade of her career working in a cardiac OR, then moved to Hawaii (where she created her first business — a swimwear line for surfers).
There, she became obsessed with the circular economy. She moved to UC Berkeley for an MBA, with the vision of building circular logistics infrastructure, similar to the "milkman model". She dropped out after launching Dispatch Goods.
They initially focused on restaurants during the pandemic, then pivoted after hearing consistent customer complaints about accumulating freezer packs from meal/grocery deliveries.
The company has now reused nearly 8 million items and operates in the Bay Area, Baltimore (serving Mid-Atlantic from NY to DC), and LA.
Who do they work with?
Dispatch Goods works across industries (including meal kits, grocery delivery, pharma delivery, pet food, food service providers, etc.)
For meal delivery and grocery, there are 2 main criteria to working with them:
Regular or frequent deliveries (e.g. subscription boxes, grocery) — since each delivery is also when they pick up their packaging
50%+ recovery rate of their reusable packaging in each pick-ups.
They can also do stand-alone pick-ups from high volume closed loop settings (e.g. corporate and education campuses, offices, and venues.)
How does it work?
Dispatch Goods partners with last-mile logistics companies to collect used packaging during regularly-scheduled drop-offs, eliminating extra trips.
Packaging is returned to their warehouse network, where they QA, clean, and refurbish collected items — then redistribute them to companies at a lower cost than buying new.
Their backend software organizes different products from different brands, enabling complex logistics management.
Supported packaging types include ice packs, thermal totes, meal boxes, industrial produce buckets, and more.
What makes it different?
Low switching cost — Switching to Dispatch Goods is as easy as buying from a new packaging vendor. They can plug in their own last-mile delivery relationships, or work with existing carriers.
Lower cost than new — Their packaging supplies cost the same or less as those purchased new.
CX-positive — Packaging disposal is a negative experience for customers, and Dispatch Goods spares them the guilt and hassle of throwing things away.
How does pricing work?
Companies purchase from Dispatch Goods like any other packaging supplier. Costs vary depending on the item.
Pricing includes their own inbound + refurbishment logistics costs.
Case studies
Major consumer brands like Cook Unity, Misfits Market, and Thistle use Dispatch Goods to reduce waste.
Stanford Health campus switched to reusable meal containers provided by Dispatch instead of single-use
They are now serving industrial food supply chain operations using disposable containers (like produce buckets) that could be reused.
