About Donkey Long Tong
Donkey Long Tong was founded by three friends, Marcel, Nic, and Simoné. What started as a playful joke around a braai fire turned into a real product idea: longer tongs to prevent burned hands while cooking.
The founders built their first prototype in an Airbnb kitchen, and the product quickly caught on with friends and family. From these humble beginnings, Donkey Long Tong has grown into a thriving ecommerce brand based in Cape Town, with a team of 12 full-time staff and a network of local partners.
Their goal has always been simple: create quality products, make customers happy, and maintain the adventurous lifestyle that inspired their brand. But turning a prototype into a growing business came with challenges.
The struggle with logistics
In the early days, Donkey Long Tong was run entirely by the three founders. They made every product by hand and handled every order themselves. This hands-on approach led to several challenges:
- Time-consuming logistics: Managing deliveries with multiple courier companies was slow and complicated. Each order required research, paperwork, and coordination.
- Administrative burden: Printing waybills and tracking shipments manually took valuable time away from product development and customer engagement.
- Customer expectations: Ecommerce customers expect quick and reliable delivery. Failing to meet these expectations risked losing repeat business.
As orders increased, these issues became more pressing. The team realised they needed a better system to manage logistics, reduce manual work, and scale the business without compromising quality or customer satisfaction.
The solution
Bob Go offered a simple and effective solution to Donkey Long Tong’s shipping challenges. By centralising courier services on one platform, the founders could focus on growing the business rather than managing logistics.
With Bob Go, they were able to:
- Access multiple courier companies in one place: No more juggling between different accounts or comparing rates manually.
- Print waybills in a single click: This streamlined the fulfilment process and reduced errors.
- Benefit from competitive courier rates: Lower costs helped improve margins while maintaining fast delivery for customers.
- Simplify administration: Centralised tracking saved time and made operations smoother.
Nic, one of the founders, said:
“Bob Go really makes our jobs a lot easier. With just a click of a button, we can print a waybill and make the customer happy as soon as they place an order.”
The platform allowed the team to keep their hands-on approach to product creation while streamlining the parts of the business that used to slow them down.
The results
With Bob Go supporting their logistics, Donkey Long Tong was able to grow efficiently and scale their operations.
- Team growth: From just three founders to a full-time team of 12.
- Time savings: With all shipping and courier tasks managed from one platform, the founders could focus more on product development, building partnerships, and improving the customer experience.
- Improved customer satisfaction: Fast, reliable deliveries built trust and loyalty with customers.
Today, Donkey Long Tong continues to expand, backed by a streamlined logistics system that allows them to focus on innovation and delivering quality products.
Conclusion
Donkey Long Tong’s journey shows how the right tools can make a big difference for small businesses. By giving the founders an easy way to manage shipping and courier processes, Bob Go allowed them to spend more time on the creative and growth-focused parts of their business.
From a kitchen prototype to a thriving ecommerce brand, Donkey Long Tong is proof that with smart solutions, great ideas can become lasting success stories. Hear directly from the founders about their experience and growth in our video with Donkey Long Tong below.