DutchCrafters, a subsidiary of JMX Brands and the largest online store of Amish furniture at dutchcrafters.com, has started testing handling some of its own deliveries with an in-house shipping team based out of the company’s LaGrange, Ind. warehouse.

The small business has been using trusted contract shippers and carriers like UPS and FedEx to ship its Amish-made furniture and home décor nationwide. In July, the in-house team started delivering to customers in parts of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The company plans to continue weekly deliveries in a DutchCrafters’ branded truck as it evaluates the cost effectiveness and enhanced customer experience using this model, as well as possible expansion.

It has been a dream of founders’ Jim and Linse Miller to create an in-house delivery team since starting the company in 2003. The opening of the warehouse in LaGrange in January and promotion of Kari-Jo Koshes from customer experience team assistant manager to the new position of showroom and fulfillment manager played roles in making this experiment possible.

“Our own delivery team will give the personalized care that our customers deserve and provide the quality assurance necessary to ensure our furniture arrives safely to its new home,” said Koshes.
The in-house delivery team’s first delivery was to Katie H. in Findlay, Ohio. To mark the occasion, the company refunded her shipping charges, and the delivery team presented her with a bag of DutchCrafters-branded gifts. 

“To be able to ship our heirloom Amish furniture with our own DutchCrafters truck and delivery team is a dream finally realized. It brings us great joy to see our customers’ happy faces when they see their handcrafted Amish furniture for the first time,” said Linse Miller.