Why did Gubi need a custom admin backend instead of using Shopify?

Gubi was processing all orders manually - taking phone calls, writing down addresses, and creating Econt shipping labels by hand for every single order. No off-the-shelf platform could automate their specific workflow: generating Econt courier labels with one click, managing a blog with inline product linking, running an events system for workshops and foraging trips, and handling wholesale inquiries - all from a single admin dashboard. A custom backend was the only way to eliminate the manual bottleneck.

How does the blog system drive e-commerce sales?

Blog posts can directly link to related products using an inline product card component. For example, an article about the health benefits of Lion Mane mushroom includes a product card linking to the Lion Mane tincture page. This creates a natural path from educational content to purchase, and the SEO-optimised blog structure drives organic traffic from people searching for mushroom health information.

Does the platform support both Bulgarian and English?

Yes. We implemented full internationalisation using i18next, covering all product descriptions, navigation, checkout flow, blog content, and transactional emails. The admin dashboard allows managing translations side by side. This was important because Gubi sells to both Bulgarian customers and international buyers interested in Eastern European medicinal mushroom traditions.

From Phone Orders to One-Click Shipping: Custom Admin Backend for a Mushroom Farm

Gubi.bg was running their mushroom farm business entirely offline - taking orders over the phone, writing down delivery addresses by hand, and manually creating Econt shipping labels for every order. As the business grew, this manual process became a bottleneck. They needed a custom platform with an admin backend that automates order processing, generates shipping labels with one click, and manages their blog, events, and wholesale inquiries from one dashboard.

The farm produces medicinal tinctures from Reishi, Chaga, Cordyceps, Shiitake, and Lion Mane, alongside fresh, dried, and pickled mushroom products. The product range is complex, but the real problem was operational: every order meant a phone call, a handwritten note, and a trip to Econt portal to manually create a shipping label. With growing demand, this workflow was unsustainable.

Project: gubi.bg

The Challenge

Gubi had no website, no online ordering system, and no way to manage their growing business without adding more manual hours. Every part of the operation depended on the owner personally handling each order from start to finish.

The core problems:

All orders taken over the phone - no online ordering, no self-service checkout for customers
Manual Econt shipping label creation for every order - copying addresses by hand into Econt portal, eating hours out of every day
No blog or content marketing - zero organic traffic, no way to educate customers about medicinal mushroom benefits
No event management system - workshops and foraging trips coordinated through phone calls and social media messages
No analytics whatsoever - no visibility into which products sell best, where customers come from, or what marketing works
No promo codes, no wholesale inquiry system, no way to scale without hiring more staff

The business was growing, but the manual operations were not scalable. Gubi needed a custom admin backend that could automate the repetitive work and free up time to focus on what matters - growing mushrooms and building the brand.

Our Solution

We built a fully custom e-commerce platform with a powerful admin backend using React, TypeScript, and Supabase. The entire system was designed around one goal: replace manual processes with automation and give Gubi complete control from a single dashboard.

1. Custom Admin Dashboard

The admin dashboard is the nerve centre of the entire operation. From one interface, Gubi manages products (with tincture-specific fields for extraction method, dosage, and bioactive compounds), processes orders, views customer history, publishes blog posts, manages events and gallery images, creates promo codes, and monitors analytics. Every aspect of the business that used to require a phone call, a spreadsheet, or a separate tool now lives in one place.

2. Econt Shipping Automation

This was the single biggest time saver. We integrated directly with Econt API so that when an order comes in, the admin can generate a shipping label with one click. The system automatically pulls the customer delivery address, calculates shipping costs based on package weight and destination, and creates the courier waybill. What used to take 10-15 minutes per order - manually copying addresses, selecting options, printing labels - now takes seconds. For a business processing dozens of orders daily, this automation alone saved hours every week.

3. Blog and Content Management

We built an integrated blog with a visual editor so Gubi can publish articles about mushroom health benefits, recipes, and farming practices without any technical knowledge. Each blog post can embed product cards that link directly to the shop - an article about the immune-boosting properties of Chaga includes a card for the Chaga tincture with pricing and an add-to-cart button. Posts are automatically optimised for SEO, turning the blog into an organic traffic engine that drives sales without paid ads.

4. Events Management System

Gubi runs mushroom foraging excursions, farm workshops, and community gatherings. Previously these were coordinated through social media and phone calls. Now the admin can create events with descriptions, dates, capacity limits, and registration forms - all managed from the dashboard. The events page on the site displays upcoming activities with real-time availability, building community around the brand and bringing customers back repeatedly.

5. Analytics Dashboard

For the first time, Gubi has visibility into their business performance. The admin dashboard surfaces real-time metrics: revenue trends, top-selling products, conversion rates, traffic sources, and which blog posts are driving the most purchases. We also integrated Facebook Pixel and Google Tag Manager for ad attribution, and built a promo code system with usage tracking and expiration controls. Data-driven decisions replaced guesswork.

The Results

Gubi went from running their entire business through phone calls and handwritten notes to a fully automated platform. The time savings were immediate and dramatic.

Order processing from 15+ minutes to under 2 minutes - customers order online, admin fulfils with one click
Shipping label creation fully automated - one-click Econt labels saving hours every week
Blog drives organic traffic without paid ads - educational content converts readers into buyers through inline product cards
Events managed from the dashboard - workshops and foraging trips with registration and capacity tracking replaced phone coordination
Full analytics and attribution - real-time revenue, conversion, and content performance metrics replaced guesswork
Wholesale inquiry system opened a B2B revenue channel with structured lead management from the admin panel

Technology Stack

Technology	Purpose
React + TypeScript	Type-safe frontend with custom product components
Supabase	Database, auth, and storage for products, orders, and media
Econt API	One-click courier label generation and shipping cost calculation
i18next	Full internationalisation for Bulgarian and English
PostHog	Product analytics and user behaviour tracking
Facebook Pixel + GTM	Ad attribution, conversion tracking, and flexible event management

By building a custom admin backend instead of adapting a generic platform, we gave Gubi a system that automates their specific workflows. The Econt shipping automation, blog-to-commerce pipeline, and unified dashboard are capabilities that would be impossible to achieve on Shopify or WooCommerce. The result is a platform that scales with the business rather than requiring more staff to handle more orders.