When it comes to comfort and feeling loved, few things work better than a plush, cozy blanket from Minky Couture. These blankets have become favorite gifts for millions of people hoping to share a virtual hug with family and friends.

So what does that have to do with Hoj Innovations? Well, we’re glad you asked.

Hoj Innovations might not be the first name you think of when it comes to small business success stories, especially when you’re thinking about soft and cozy blankets. After all, Hoj Innovations is best known for forklifts and pallet racks. As a material handling company, we have seen many small businesses grow over time, but it is always exciting to witness a small boutique business like Minky Couture experience enormous growth. It is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the quality of their products or services.

Check out the segment on Good Morning America from May 4 with special Mother's Day deals. (The Minky deal starts at about 2:35 into the video)

Like many businesses, Minky Couture began as an idea born out of necessity in someone’s basement that blossomed into a full fledged company employing hundreds of people and shipping millions of dollars of goods around the world. And like many businesses, Minky Couture quickly found out they needed some help as they scaled from a handful of products made for friends and family to a warehouse and distribution center of more than 100,000 square feet.

That's where Hoj Innovations came in. 

When Hoj Innovations first began working with this Minky Couture, they were still relatively small, but they had a clear vision for their future. They were passionate about what they did, and they had a strong understanding of their target market. They knew they needed to expand their reach, and they recognized the importance of optimizing their operations to support their growth.

Hoj Innovations and our crew of professional warehouse design experts and inventory management engineers stepped in and helped make that explosive growth a lot less stressful. We certainly can’t take credit for the amazing blankets, robes and other goodies created by Minky Couture, but we’re extra proud that we played a small roll in their transformation from labor of love to being featured on Good Morning America.

“When I was introduced to Hoj Innovations, I was introduced to everything you need to fulfill your orders,” Minky Couture founder and CEO Sandi Hendry said. “They literally made my life better and allow us to (focus on giving) the best blanket possible.”

One of the most important parts of Minky’s success is their ownership of the process. From first mile to last mile, the crew at Minky Couture take pride in careful oversight of every step in the process from the moment you order a blanket online until it’s placed on a delivery truck at their warehouse. Knowing your blanket was under their watchful and caring eyes until the last possible moment ensures quality in care - the trademark of Minky Couture.

To ensure this, Minky and Hoj have developed a self-fulfillment model of warehousing. Rather than storing their products at a remote warehouse and contracting with a third party logistics company to complete order fulfillment, Minky Couture kept everything in-house. Utilizing Hoj Innovations’ WarehouseOS inventory management system, Minky is able to store, pick, pack and ship everything from home - maintaining the personal touch and detailed oversight the company owner demands.

“It has been great to work with a company like Hoj Innovations that said “give us your issues before we even get started,” Jamie Lewandowski, Minky’s Director of Inventory Operations, said. “Hoj helped us along the way and helped us be the best that we can be. And we’re not done yet.”

As Minky Couture continued to grow, we were there for nearly every step of the way, adapting our solutions to meet their evolving needs. We worked closely with them to develop a supply chain strategy that would help them expand their reach without sacrificing the quality of their products or services.

On an average day, Minky Couture packs and ships some 700 orders using WarehouseOS with seasonal spikes of up to 3,000 shipments per day. WarehouseOS has enabled flawless execution of the fulfillment process. 

It has been incredibly rewarding to watch this small boutique business achieve such significant growth. Hoj Innovations takes pride in knowing that we played a role behind the scenes in their success, helping them reach their goals, meet their vision and become the leading brand of comfy, cozy blankets and we look forward to continuing to support their ongoing growth and success.

At the end of the day, our goal as a material handling company is to help businesses like Minky Couture achieve their full potential. We know that small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help them succeed. Whether it's through customized material handling solutions, ongoing support and consultation, or simply being a trusted partner, we are here to help small businesses thrive.

Would you like to be the next Minky Couture success story? Give Hoj Innovations a call and let us help you create your own business dream come true.