We build the systems growing businesses run on.
Software for growing businesses: online stores, ERP, workflow automation, custom web apps and AI-search visibility — designed around how you work, built by senior engineers, owned by you.
Dé Lime Tree is an engineering-led commerce studio working with brands worldwide, with its team in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We build Shopify stores, apps and integrations; a Shopify-native ERP and POS called Canopy; custom websites and web applications; SEO and GEO (AI search) programmes; and business process automation. We also build platforms for restaurant QR ordering (FoodOS), delivery optimisation (Zest Route) and hiring (Grove Talent Engine). In development: Yield (invoicing), Graft (job management for contractors), Splitz (bill splitting), Getitforless (price comparison) and Lanka Feed (news aggregator).
One team for the storefront, the systems and the growth
Most businesses hire one agency for the website, another for SEO and a third for “systems”. Then nothing talks to anything. We design the storefront, the operations behind it and the growth engine in front of it together.
Shopify Development
Custom Shopify themes, apps, integrations and migrations — engineered for speed, conversion and clean operations behind the storefront.
Learn moreSEO, GEO & AI Search Optimization
Rank on Google and get recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews — technical SEO, content and entity building.
Learn moreShopify ERP & POS
Canopy runs purchasing, multi-location stock, POS, finance and payroll behind your Shopify store — Shopify stays the source of truth.
Explore CanopyWorkflow Systems & Automation
We learn how your business really works, then build the systems that remove manual data entry, duplicate effort and chasing — so your team gets hours back every week.
Learn moreCustom Website & Web App Development
Fast, secure custom websites, portals and web apps — from marketing sites to multi-tenant SaaS, PWAs and internal tools.
Learn moreYour offshore Shopify team
Senior engineers, fixed quotes in USD, weekly demos and a shared day with the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific — remote work without the usual offshore headaches.
Offshore Shopify developmentWe built a retailer’s entire operating system — and it runs every day.
A Sri Lankan baby and kids retailer with a showroom, warehouses and a Shopify store needed stock that matched the shelf, purchasing that didn’t live in spreadsheets, and one view of the business. We built a Shopify-native platform covering POS, inventory, procurement, finance, payroll and BI; it has run in production since July 2026 and became the Canopy ERP product.
See it in action behind Nesh Kids Store — baby items and kids toys in Sri Lanka.
Products grown from real operations
Every platform we build starts as a problem we had to solve ourselves. Some are in production, some are in beta — all of them welcome early partners.
Canopy ERP
Shopify ERP, POS & back office
A Shopify-native ERP: POS, multi-location inventory, procurement, finance, payroll and BI — with Shopify as the source of truth.
ExploreFoodOS
Restaurant QR ordering & kitchen system
QR table ordering, kitchen display and live order status for restaurants, cafés, hotels and cloud kitchens.
Join the betaZest Route
Delivery process optimization engine
Courier selection, route and batch optimisation, COD reconciliation and delivery-exception control for e-commerce and distribution.
Join early accessGrove Talent Engine
Talent engine — hiring, matching & onboarding
Structured hiring with AI-assisted screening, skills-based matching, interview scheduling and onboarding in one place.
Join early accessYield
Invoicing software for small businesses
Simple invoicing for small businesses: quotes, invoices, payment tracking and polite reminders, built as an alternative to Zoho Invoice.
Join early accessGraft
Job management for contractors & trades
Scheduling, route planning, quotes and invoices for AC technicians, carpenters and other trades, run from the phone they already use.
Join early accessSplitz
Bill & expense split calculator
A lightweight but advanced split calculator for trips, housemates and dinners — uneven splits, multiple currencies and one-tap settle-up.
Join early accessGetitforless
Price comparison website
A price comparison site: search a product once and see every store’s price, delivery cost and stock side by side — with price history and drop alerts.
Join early accessLanka Feed
News aggregator
A news aggregator that gathers headlines from many publishers, groups them into single stories and lets you follow the topics you care about.
Join early accessAn engineering partner that thinks like an operator
We run what we build
Our ERP and POS operate a multi-location retail business every day. We know what breaks at month-end, at the till and in the warehouse.
Built for AI-era search
Every site we ship is fast, server-rendered and structured so Google ranks it and AI assistants can understand and cite it.
No lock-in, ever
Your code, your repository, your hosting account, your data. Documented so any competent team could take over.
Fixed-scope quotes
A free discovery call, then a written scope and price. Changes are agreed before they’re billed.
Global delivery, senior team
Async-first with real overlap: shared mornings with the UK and Europe, a full day with the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, scheduled calls for North America. All in English.
Small team, senior hands
You work directly with the people designing and writing your system — not a relay of account managers.
From first call to launch — and beyond
Discovery call
Free, 45 minutes. We listen, look at what you have, and ask the awkward questions.
Written proposal
Scope, timeline, fixed price and the options — in plain language.
Build in the open
Weekly demos on a staging site. You see real progress, not status reports.
Launch safely
Testing, data migration dry-runs, redirects and a rollback plan.
Grow together
Optional retainer for improvements, SEO/GEO and support.
Guides from the workbench
Off-the-shelf ERP or custom-built? How growing businesses should decide
The real trade-offs between buying an ERP, extending one, or building a custom operations system — and the questions that point to the right answer for your business.
Read · 7 min read SEO & GEOWhat is llms.txt — and does your website need one?
A plain-English explanation of llms.txt, what it does for AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude, how to write one, and what it will not do for your rankings.
Read · 5 min read OperationsAI invoice capture: what it can and can’t do for your finance team
How AI reads supplier invoices from photos and PDFs, where it saves real time, where it still needs a human, and how to roll it out safely.
Read · 6 min read ShopifyThe hidden cost of Shopify apps — and how to audit yours
Apps make Shopify powerful, but each one adds monthly fees and page weight. How to audit your app stack, cut overlap and speed up your store.
Read · 6 min readNot ready for a quote? Start with a free check.
Free Shopify store audit
A written review of your store’s speed, apps, SEO and checkout — with the three fixes that matter most.
Get my free reportFree AI visibility check
We ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your buyers ask, and show you whether you’re mentioned — and how to fix it.
Get my free reportFree workflow review
A 45-minute call about the process that eats the most time, then a written summary: where hours leak, what to automate first, and the time you’d get back.
Get my free reportFrequently asked questions
What does Dé Lime Tree do?
Where is Dé Lime Tree based, and do you work with international clients?
Why work with a studio based in Sri Lanka?
How do I get a quotation?
What makes you different from other Shopify agencies?
Let’s build something that lasts.
Tell us what you’re trying to fix or build. Free discovery call, a written fixed-scope quote, and a reply within one business day.