How U&I Is Guiding Indē Wild And Other Emerging Brands From Packaging Through Production and EDI

Developing the right vendor relationships can make all the difference for launching a scalable, profitable brand.

But it’s often not easy to develop the right vendor relationships, as Lipika Hegde, head of global product at Indē Wild, knows too well. She compared pinning down a packaging supplier with minimum order quantities that the Ayurvedic skincare and haircare brand founded by influencer Diipa Büller-Khosla could meet with reasonable lead times to finding a needle in a haystack.

And Hegde did find that needle: Teaming up with beauty packaging company U&I Worldwide was a big win for Indē Wild, which debuted in June 2022 with a focus on deploying green chemistry and superfood ingredients. She sings the praises of founding partners and married couple Michael and Beth Lichtman’s hands-on approach, especially critical for a new brand navigating the complexities of the beauty industry.

“We were keen on partnering with someone who was able to support our brand as we had extremely specific requirements and a tight project timeline, and we wanted someone who has expertise in working with established brands,” says Hegde. “We needed guidance, and U&I came highly recommended.”

U&I has garnered excellent recommendations in part because it can give comprehensive guidance to brands such as Indē Wild. Michael says, “It is a growing brand backed by passionate people, but, like many indie brands, they needed support in a variety of areas and were a bit short on resources within their company. We were able to bring a full program together.”

U&I sourced the bottle and the dropper, matched the target PMS (Pantone Matching System) spray color and the silk screening of the type, as well as engineered the liner and folding cartons. During the process, Hegde emphasizes the impact of relying on a trustworthy and super communicative partner was invaluable. She says that U&I handled the intricate packaging details to allow the brand to concentrate on marketing, sales and business strategy.

“It was important for us to maintain operations throughout this process in order to avoid delays. Michael and Beth went above and beyond to make sure our product packaging was delivered on time and to our specifications. They communicated with us continually as they guided the production process,” says Hedge. “The end result was the quality was great and the timelines were met as promised.”

U&I Worldwide developed packaging for skincare brand Virginskin.

U&I provides both domestic and international production of primary and secondary packaging to brands of various sizes and manages the production details and timelines up through final delivery as requested. With a “listen-first” approach, Michael and Beth understand that every client is different, so it’s essential to grasp the end objective and have ideas and solutions that make sense for that objective within a budget that’s manageable for the client.

A growing part of U&I’s business is implementing complicated EDI systems–a method used to send electronic communications from retailer to brand. Since most large retailers require EDI compliancy in order to place purchase orders and receive goods, without compliant integration a brand can not sell to these retailers.

Beth was an integral part of sexual wellness brand Vella Bioscience’s retail launch. “Beth navigated us through EDI integration seamlessly,” recalls Carolyn Wheeler co-founder and COO of Vella Bioscience. She continues, “We had one major national retailer say they’ve never seen a brand onboarded to EDI as fast as Beth did for Vella. she tackles unexpected challenges head on, and has a keen eye for finding cost savings. Beth is a gem and has been a fundamental addition to our team.”

Each retailer has unique information requirements for EDI compliance, additionally, some retailers require the brand skus to be uploaded in the Intertrade Catalogue as this is what the buyers refer to when purchasing. Typically, Beth can accomplish a brand’s EDI setup in 3-5 weeks depending on the number of retailers as well as their availability to connect. “Without a dedicated person with knowledge of the systems, time will be lost and delays are likely. I tend to be the “squeaky wheel” in holding all parties involved to move forward swiftly,” Beth says.

Michael underscores that entrepreneurship is no small undertaking and nurturing brands is paramount to him and his wife, who have been operating U&I since 1990. The company doesn’t adhere to traditional MOQ thresholds and will move forward with runs as small as 1,000 units. Beth says, “We really know beauty, and we love the passion that exists in the beauty and wellness industry. The enthusiasm, especially in an emerging brand, is really exciting to partner with.”

She adds, “People have invested a lot of time, effort and money into creating these brands, and we want to support their passion and deliver quality packaging solutions. We always listen and offer options to move the brand forward, understanding that packaging evolves as the brand grows.” If a brand uses U&I as its packaging production team and to onboard to EDI U&I offers reduced pricing. “We always work with our clients to make the programs work,” notes Beth.

Sexual Wellness brand Vella trusted U&I for a PR and marketing campaign.

Originally U&I was conceived as a New York City photo studio and printing plant. As the beauty ecosystem matured, Beth and Michael began expanding its services in the early 2000s in response to customer demand. On top of beauty development, packaging and printing, U&I helps with influencer marketing programs. It will fulfill, dropship and print shippers for clients as needed.

“It all comes back to trust, integrity, sincerity and service,” says Michael. “When our brands needed more services or products to grow, they would come to us because they trust us and know we listen, so we grew.”

For more information about U&I’s services, reach out directly to Michael Lichtman or visit the website.