Just a thought.
I work in the wine & spirits industry, and every year we have to present our retailers and restaurants with "pre-sells" for products that are limited (think Grand/Premier Cru Burgundy or Italian Super-Tuscans).
The accounts tell us how much they want, and we relay that information to the supplier/winery. Depending on how much is available, they send us what we requested and we, in turn, send the orders to the accounts that requested them.
What if Laudisi did something similar? What if they put out a "pre-sell" to their customers (both individuals and B&M stores) two or three times a year asking them what they would like?
Of course certain limits would need to apply for certain products (no 50# orders of FVF allowed, LOL), and customers would probably have to enter a CC number to hold the order, but it would at least give GH&Co. an idea as to how much they would need to manufacture in order to satisfy some of the demand in the US.
GH&Co. could take the pre-sells, fulfill them to the best of their ability and then ship the orders to the distributor/online retailers when they were ready. Customers and accounts would be alerted that their order has arrived and given 48-72 hours to confirm and their CC would be charged. If the order is declined, then it can be offered to another interested party.
This gives GH&Co. a better indication of what is needed to satisfy the current demand in the US, as well as give customers some piece of mind that they can obtain the blends that they want (to a degree).
There would have to be the clear message that no requests are guaranteed, but it could at least be a start.
It's not a perfect system, but online retailers already have most of our information on file, so I don't see where it would be difficult for them to put something like this in place.
What say you
@shaneireland &
@swilford ?
Now I'm going to fill out my reviews for SG St James Flake, SG FVF and G&H Best Brown #2!