Brushing Away Complexity: Fièra Simplifies Packaging Drawback
Caspian Team
3 mins read
Fiera Cosmetics creates premium beauty products for a global market, manufacturing and packaging finished goods in the US using imported components. Caspian simplified the intricate process of packaging-based drawback, managing the heavy lifting so Fiera could unlock significant duty refunds without overburdening their team
THE PROBLEM
For Fiera Cosmetics, the initiative to explore duty drawback wasn't handed down from the executive boardroom, it was born out of operational necessity. Over the last year, tariffs went from an afterthought to a serious burden, forcing the supply chain and operations team to scrutinize every dollar spent on importing, manufacturing, and shipping.
Amy H., Operations Director at Fiera, realized the company needed to recover costs to navigate the volatile tariff environment without completely restructuring their supply chain. However, their initial search for a drawback partner revealed a frustrating landscape.
Traditional brokers offered rigid, punitive fee structures. They demanded data in specific, complex spreadsheet formats and threatened to raise fees if Fiera’s lean team couldn't comply.
"Three different brokerages gave the same answer: rigid, detailed spreadsheet templates... and a caveat that if the template changed and Fiera didn’t comply, the brokerage would increase fees."
Worse, the process felt archaic, with Amy noting that for many brokers, the process "might as well be happening in the 1980s." Fiera needed a partner, not just a claim processor.
CASPIAN’S SOLUTION
Caspian stood out immediately by offering education along with results. Instead of the transactional "send in your docs" attitude of some brokers, Caspian offered a partnership and worked through the complexity of Fiera’s supply chain, which includes importing packaging, manufacturing finished products in the US, and selling globally.
Tackling the Backlog: Fiera came to Caspian with a backlog of older products containing "messy" documentation along with their ongoing shipment data. Caspian’s platform took the heavy lifting off Fiera’s plate, automatically checking documentation and identifying gaps to submit claims across each product line at Fiera.
"Caspian was really thorough in checking documentation... The questions from Caspian were clear and actionable, not confusing or vague," mentioned Amy.
THE OUTCOME
The shift to Caspian transformed duty drawback from a black box into a transparent financial asset.
Total Financial Visibility: Without Caspian, drawback would have been a guessing game for the finance department. With Caspian’s portal, Fiera’s accounting team gained immediate insight into what was submitted, what was expected, and when refunds would come in. This allowed for accurate bookkeeping and duty accruals—a massive upgrade from booking estimated percentages.
"When I handed the portal to accounting recently, they said 'Wow. Thank you.' It’s a massive improvement."
Workload Reduction: The ongoing claim process has become seamless. Caspian manages the complexity of the packaging-based claims and the submission process, allowing Fiera’s team to focus on operations rather than spreadsheets.
"Once claims are being submitted and tracked, that part feels very easy... very straightforward."
By choosing Caspian, Fiera Cosmetics didn't just recover duties, they modernized their trade compliance and gained a transparent view of their finances. “In Caspian we feel we have secured a partner flexible enough to grow with our rapidly evolving business,” stated Dan Carnat, Co-Founder and CEO of Fiera.
