Case Study: Teaming Up with "Urban Feast Co." – A Modern Catering Enterprise
Buyer Profile
“Urban Feast Co.” is a dynamic catering company based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, known for serving trendy, upscale events like corporate galas, weddings, and pop-up dinners. Founded in 2016, they’ve grown to cater over 300 events annually, prioritizing sleek, practical tableware that enhances their food presentation while streamlining cleanup for their fast-paced operations.
Product Purchased
4,000 units of gold-foil stamped PVC placemats (rectangular, 48 cm x 34 cm, with a brushed gold finish and micro-textured surface).
Collaboration Details
Our collaboration with “Urban Feast Co.” kicked off in July 2024 when their operations manager, Liam Carter, emailed us after spotting our gold-foil PVC placemats in a hospitality supplier’s newsletter. Liam was on a mission to upgrade their event inventory with a standout piece that could handle the chaos of catering—think spilled cocktails, hot serving trays, and quick turnarounds—while adding a touch of glamour to their setups. He asked for a product rundown and samples to test under real-world conditions.
We jumped on a Zoom call with Liam on July 10, 2024, to dig into their needs. He described their typical gigs: 50 to 200 guests, often outdoors or in rented venues, requiring placemats that were lightweight, heat-resistant (up to 90°C), and easy to wipe down between courses. Our gold-foil stamped PVC placemats caught his eye for their metallic sheen, and he liked that they were reusable yet low-maintenance. On July 12, we sent eight samples via FedEx to their Chicago office—four with a solid gold finish and four with a faint geometric overlay—along with a spec sheet highlighting the 2.5 mm thickness, waterproof coating, and foil adhesion process.
Liam’s crew put the samples through the wringer over two weeks, using them at a 120-person rooftop wedding on July 20. They tested for heat (hot plates straight from warming trays), spills (red wine and olive oil), and wear (stacking and wiping with damp cloths). On July 26, Liam called with his verdict: the placemats’ gold finish elevated their tablescapes, and they held up beautifully—no peeling foil or warping. His only tweak? A micro-textured surface to reduce slipperiness when stacking wet mats. We adjusted the mold to add a fine, sandpaper-like texture, sending four revised samples on August 2. Liam approved them on August 7, saying the texture “nailed it” for their workflow.
The order came through on August 10: 4,000 gold-foil stamped PVC placemats, all in the brushed gold finish with the new texture. They needed delivery by October 2024 to gear up for the holiday event season. Production started August 15 at our facility. We used a high-precision hot-stamping machine to apply the gold foil, running it at 120°C to ensure a flawless bond, followed by a texturing roller that took an extra 30 seconds per mat but delivered the grip Liam wanted. Each batch of 1,000 was cooled for 2 hours to set the finish, with our quality team inspecting every 50th mat under LED lights for uniformity.
By September 20, the full run was complete. We emailed Liam a video of the mats being cut, stamped, and packed—each stack of 100 wrapped in protective film to prevent scratches. The shipment left via sea freight to the Port of Chicago on September 23, arriving October 8 after we handled customs with a detailed material declaration and NAFTA compliance docs. Liam’s team unpacked and spot-checked 400 units on October 10, finding just 1 placemats with faint foil smudges, which they kept as spares rather than requesting swaps.
“Urban Feast Co.” rolled out the placemats at a corporate gala on October 15, 2024, and Liam texted us a photo: gold mats gleaming under string lights, paired with black plates. He said clients raved about the “luxe vibe,” and staff loved how they wiped clean in seconds. By December, the mats had been used at 25 events, with no signs of wear, earning a spot in their core inventory.
Outcome
Liam’s team has since hinted at a 2025 order for a silver-foil version to diversify their look, and their Instagram posts featuring our placemats tagged us, sparking inquiries from two Midwest event planners. This partnership has cemented our foothold in the U.S. catering scene.
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