Home Goods · Product development

DTC home goods startup

Took a custom ceramic homeware line from sketch to a 1,500-unit pilot run with full QC inspection.

Region

Sourced in China · Delivered to North America

Timeline

11 weeks, sketch to launch

Scale

1,500-unit pilot, 3 designs

Market ResearchProduct DevelopmentSourcingQuality Control

Headline result

<2%

Defective units in the pilot run — industry norm is around 3%

Sketches translated into a manufacturable tech pack in week 2

Matched to a low-MOQ kiln with no minimum-order penalty for a pilot

Defect-rate inspection across the full run before launch shipment

The challenge

A first-time DTC founder had product sketches and a moodboard but no specs, no factory, and limited capital. They needed a low-risk pilot run to validate demand before committing to volume.

What we did

01Feasibility research

Assessed which glazes, clay bodies, and finishes were manufacturable at pilot scale, and modelled per-unit cost at 1,500 vs. 5,000 units.

02Spec & prototyping

Translated sketches into a technical pack and ran two prototype rounds to dial in dimensions, weight, and glaze consistency.

03Pilot production

Matched the project to a kiln with low-MOQ flexibility and oversaw a controlled 1,500-unit run across three designs.

04Inspection & launch prep

Ran a defect-rate inspection on the full run and packed for safe e-commerce shipping into North America.

Engagement timeline

How the project moved from brief to delivery, phase by phase.

1Week 1–2
Feasibility & tech pack
Mapped manufacturable glazes and clay bodies; sketches translated into dimensioned spec.
2Week 3–5
Prototype rounds
Two prototype rounds to dial in weight, glaze consistency, and finish.
3Week 6
Factory match
Paired the project with a kiln offering low-MOQ flexibility for the pilot.
4Week 7–10
Pilot production
Controlled 1,500-unit run across 3 designs with inline monitoring.
5Week 11
Inspection & ship prep
Defect-rate AQL inspection; pack-out optimised for e-commerce single-item shipping.

What you receive

Concrete artefacts produced and handed over during the engagement.

Manufacturable technical pack (3 designs)

Two prototype rounds, decisions logged

Pilot-run defect-rate report

E-commerce-safe pack-out spec

Results

1,500

units in validated pilot run

designs from sketch to product

11 weeks

sketch to launch-ready stock

<2%

of units had any defect — better than industry standard

“I came in with sketches and a Pinterest board. They turned that into a shippable product and a factory relationship I can scale into.”

Founder, DTC home goods startup

Have a similar project?

Send us a quick brief — we'll map suppliers, pricing, and a realistic timeline for your category within 24 hours.

Send inquiry — get free quote

More case studies

View all

Private label

9 weeks

European skincare brand

Beauty & Personal Care

Built a private-label skincare line from packaging concept to EU-delivered stock — 12,000 units in nine weeks.

Cut landed cost by 23% versus the brand's previous white-label supplier
Two sampling rounds caught labelling and stability issues before mass production

Market ResearchSourcingPrivate Label

9 weeks, concept to deliveryRead case study