Discover how TRUE STORY, a Latvian sportswear brand, uses Swotzy’s multi-carrier shipping platform to reduce manual work and accelerate growth in the custom team apparel market.
TRUE STORY is a Latvian sportswear brand that specializes in custom, on-demand apparel for endurance sports teams, including orienteering, running, cycling, skiing, and triathlon. Committed to sustainable production and high-quality craftsmanship, TRUE STORY serves over 300 teams across more than 15 countries.
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Sportswear & custom team apparel
December, 2023
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Founded in 2018 by professional athlete Edgars Bertuks during Latvia’s first-ever Orienteering World Championship, TRUE STORY has grown from a passion project into a thriving business serving over 300 teams, clubs, and companies across more than 15 countries.
The brand specializes in creating custom, personalized sportswear for orienteering, running, cycling, skiing, and triathlon teams. Their approach is built on on-demand production—manufacturing only what’s needed, when it’s needed, reducing waste and respecting both the environment and resource efficiency.
Managing hundreds of custom orders can become quite complex as the volume increases. It consumed valuable time for the brand that could be better spent on sales, customer communication, and product development, and that is exactly why they chose Swotzy.
While e-commerce currently represents a small portion of their revenue (approximately 2.5%), the majority of their business comes from creating personalized team stores built on Shopify—a hybrid model that combines custom manufacturing with e-commerce fulfillment.
“We primarily focus on developing and producing personalized design apparel for teams and clubs,” explains Edgars Bertuks, founder. “Direct online sales are currently the smallest part of our business. We’re actively working on this so we can seriously launch in this area in spring 2026.”
Before Swotzy, TRUE STORY worked with multiple courier partners, managing each shipment manually. The process was fragmented, time-consuming, and inefficient.
It created several critical problems:
“It’s hard to say exactly how many hours, but my estimate is that Swotzy has allowed me to divide this time by 2 or 3.” — Edgars Bertuks, brand founder
The value proposition from Swotzy was clear: consolidate all shipping operations into one platform without the need to negotiate separate agreements with each carrier. It would instantly help them overcome their time-drain problems and support long-term growth.
Here are the Swotzy capabilities and tools that TRUE STORY is actively using:
The real test, however, was how these changes played out in practice. That’s where the results began to show.
The impact was measurable in day-to-day operations. TRUE STORY’s logistics workflow became significantly more efficient. Their Shopify orders now sync automatically with the shipping platform, pre-filling customer and order details. This reduces each shipment to a few simple steps: selecting a carrier, generating a label, and scheduling a courier.
“While I can’t pinpoint the exact hours saved, Swotzy has easily cut our logistics workload by half or even two-thirds." Edgars shares.
For a founder balancing product, marketing, and operations, this time savings translated into something just as valuable: mental space and focus. With a reliable, repeatable shipping process in place, TRUE STORY was better positioned to scale without adding complexity to their working hours.
"Creating a new shipment with any of the most popular carriers is very simple, fast, and mostly automated. I no longer have to sign separate contracts with each carrier, negotiate better prices, or spend time reviewing different platforms. It saves time, money, and resources." — Edgars Bertuks, brand founder
50–70% time reduction in logistics operations by consolidating multi-carrier shipping into one automated platform
Eliminated contract negotiations with individual carriers, saving time and administrative burden
Improved order fulfillment through Shopify integration and automated label generation
Greater flexibility to choose the best carrier for each shipment based on real-time price and delivery comparisons
With their shipping in order, TRUE STORY can confidently serve endurance sports teams and clubs that value quality and exceptional service, even during periods of strong seasonality, such as the busy spring peak season.
In 2024, TRUE STORY expanded by acquiring the cycling brand 4Cyclists and refreshing its apparel collection, positioning themselves to serve the cycling community with the same quality and customization they offer in orienteering and running.
They also secured a prestigious partnership with Finland’s top cycling team, UN Cycling Team—a testament to their product quality and performance.
For 2026, TRUE STORY has set concrete goals: “We aim to reach 400k in revenue, focusing on cycling and triathlon clubs. We plan to successfully launch our cycling collection in e-commerce and hit our first 30k in this channel.” Edgars shares.
When asked about the key to their success, Edgars’s answer is simple yet powerful: “Persistence.” This value has carried TRUE STORY through tough times, including the unsupported COVID-19 period, fueling continuous improvement, strategic growth, and dedication to their community.
To fellow entrepreneurs, Edgars advises:
“Motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what will take you really far.”
Founded in 2018 by professional athlete Edgars Bertuks during Latvia’s first-ever Orienteering World Championship, TRUE STORY has grown from a passion project into a thriving business serving over 300 teams, clubs, and companies across more than 15 countries.
The brand specializes in creating custom, personalized sportswear for orienteering, running, cycling, skiing, and triathlon teams. Their approach is built on on-demand production—manufacturing only what’s needed, when it’s needed, reducing waste and respecting both the environment and resource efficiency.
Managing hundreds of custom orders can become quite complex as the volume increases. It consumed valuable time for the brand that could be better spent on sales, customer communication, and product development, and that is exactly why they chose Swotzy.
While e-commerce currently represents a small portion of their revenue (approximately 2.5%), the majority of their business comes from creating personalized team stores built on Shopify—a hybrid model that combines custom manufacturing with e-commerce fulfillment.
“We primarily focus on developing and producing personalized design apparel for teams and clubs,” explains Edgars Bertuks, founder. “Direct online sales are currently the smallest part of our business. We’re actively working on this so we can seriously launch in this area in spring 2026.”
Before Swotzy, TRUE STORY worked with multiple courier partners, managing each shipment manually. The process was fragmented, time-consuming, and inefficient.
It created several critical problems:
“It’s hard to say exactly how many hours, but my estimate is that Swotzy has allowed me to divide this time by 2 or 3.” — Edgars Bertuks, brand founder
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