Q&A: The Value of Handcrafted Branded Merch

May 30, 2018

Q&A: The Value of Handcrafted Branded Merch

Chelsea van der Meer is the founder, creative director and “head hustler” at Batch, a specialty branded merch company first launched in October 2017 that offers items, such as coffee, leather goods, candles, pottery, chocolates and more, all completely handmade by artisans in the Indianapolis area. Its parent company is Print Resources Inc. (asi/299441), a distributor located in Indianapolis for almost 20 years.

Q: What is the company’s mission?

CV: Our mission is to help grow the maker community through handcrafted goods that elevate a company’s brand and become an enriching part of their story. I’ve watched the maker movement grow over the past few years and I love seeing how excited people get about handmade goods. Knowing the story of where something was made, and by who, makes it special.

Q: What is your role at the company?

CV: I move between branding, marketing, scouting and working with artisans and coordinating orders with customers. I have a great support team through Print Resources’ 28 employees that specialize in different areas. They’ve helped me create a process that is efficient and scalable.

Q: What kinds of markets does Batch serve?

CV: Batch packages make great creative campaigns for marketing and gifting in many different industries. Tech companies love using Batch’s trendy approach for promoting their services to prospective or current clients because it gives sales reps a great conversation-starter during follow-up calls. Real estate agencies use Batch as a way to leave a lasting impression at closings. We also see Batch products being given as gestures of appreciation to interns and employees as a way to elevate company culture.

Q: How do you choose the artisans you’ll work with?

CV: Working with our team of artisans is always exciting, fun and creative; they’re nimble, industrious, and tenacious. I choose to work with those who have established themselves in Indianapolis as leaders in the maker movement through their dedication to standards in craft, brand, and involvement in the community.

Q: What kind of criteria must their product meet?

CV: Our artisans must have the capacity to create their products consistently within each batch, and within a 21-day turnaround. Because each item is individually crafted, small variations can occur and we celebrate these as marks of handmade authenticity. Many of our artisans imprint their own items using special tools like wood laser engravers, leather and clay stampers, or airbrushing. Others are customized with labels that we print and attach after the item is made.

Q: Can these items be bought in larger quantities, if necessary?

CV: Our artisans all have the experience and capacity to scale up their production process to meet large orders of hundreds or thousands of pieces.

Q: Are custom products available by special order?

CV: Variation is a fun and welcome part of being an artisan and I’m always excited by what we come up with when a customer wants to customize an existing product, or come up with something new!

Q: What kinds of customized packaging do you offer?

CV: We offer completely customizable, variable-data print and packaging options through our in-house digital press department. A customer can use our existing design templates or supply their own. We also provide drop-shipping and tracking of each package to a customer’s mailing list with our in-house shipping department.

Q: What makes Batch different than other branded merch companies?

CV: All of the merch in the Batch collection is completely handmade by artisans in Indianapolis. Each item is crafted one at a time and tells a unique story that will resonate with the recipients in a memorable way while directly supporting the artisan community. Because Batch has an artistic edge, it tends to naturally invite a creative approach to marketing as well. For example, one of our customers created a fold-out map and used our custom macarons as interactive (and edible) “map-markers.” I love seeing how our unique items spark inspiration for a company’s concepting.

For more information, visit www.batchindy.com.