Food and specialist retail: Inventory software for preserve makers
Inventory software for preserve makers that tracks jars, lids, labels and ingredients by lot and shows what is already reserved for a scheduled cooking batch.
Where stock drifts for preserve makers.
A preserve maker holds two kinds of stock that keep affecting each other: packaging and ingredients for cooking, and filled jars ready to sell. Lids only fit certain jars, labels are printed per customer or flavour, and sugar or vinegar arrives in lots. Often nobody knows exactly how many lids of a given size are left until the filling line stops. Filled jars sit on the racking with no clear sign of which are already earmarked for a wholesaler. And a load of fruit in the freezer gets forgotten until it has been there too long.
Inventory software for preserve makers
Example- 1
Record items and lots
DoneEach packaging component becomes an item with its size, and the system knows which jars and lids belong together.
- 2
Reserve for batches and orders
In progressAs soon as a cooking batch is scheduled, the jars, lids and ingredients it needs are reserved.
- 3
Update counts after production
NextAfter filling, the production sheet books off actual use, including broken jars, misprinted labels and leftover fruit.
From receipt to use.
Record items and lots
Each packaging component becomes an item with its size, and the system knows which jars and lids belong together. Ingredients are registered per incoming lot with supplier and date. Filled jars go into stock under their batch code, so any jar on the shelf can be traced to its batch and ingredients.
Reserve for batches and orders
As soon as a cooking batch is scheduled, the jars, lids and ingredients it needs are reserved. A shop order reserves filled jars of a specific flavour. The overview shows per item what is there, what is reserved and what is truly free. A shortage shows up when the batch enters the schedule, not on the day itself.
Update counts after production
After filling, the production sheet books off actual use, including broken jars, misprinted labels and leftover fruit. During a periodic count the system compares counted quantities with what should be there. Differences are recorded with a reason, so you can see where losses arise.
Alongside your purchasing and suppliers.
Stock is now often kept in a spreadsheet or on a whiteboard, with orders emailed to the packaging supplier. The webshop keeps its own count of filled jars. The software becomes the one place for stock, and the webshop reads available quantities from it. Purchasing owns suppliers and prices, production owns usage and rejects. The accounting package receives the stock value at the moments your accountant wants.
Filled jars by batch or by flavour
Counting by flavour is simple, but then you do not know which best before date you are shipping. Tracking by batch lets you sell the oldest first and trace complaints, though it adds a little work when picking orders. Makers supplying wholesalers usually need batch level; a small farm shop can manage by flavour.
Automatic reorder point or judgement
A minimum stock level per item lets the system warn of a shortage. But packaging often has long lead times and minimum orders, and seasonal fruit is not bought on a reorder point. A warning works well for jars and lids, while ingredients are better ordered from the schedule.
Separate or shared stock for the online shop
A separate allocation for the online shop stops consumers buying jars set aside for a wholesaler. Shared stock is more flexible, but reservations then have to work properly. A common middle route is a fixed share per flavour for the shop, with the rest kept free for trade orders.
Which stock we record.
Packaging, ingredient batches and filled jars per batch, reservations from the planning and booking out after filling are set up at the start. We do the first count together, so the opening balance per item and per batch is right. Then we run an ordinary production week, and a delivery of lids that turn out not to fit the jars on arrival. The link with the webshop and order suggestions for packaging can be switched on once stock is reliable.
View pricingSupport and updatesGood to know.
Explore pricing and optionsCan we track how long frozen fruit has been stored?
Yes. Each lot in the freezer has an arrival date and, if you want, a latest processing date you set yourselves. The overview shows which lots are due first, and the planner sees that when scheduling batches.
What if broken jars are not reported?
Then stock is off until the next count. That is why counting rejects is part of the production sheet, as a fixed step in closing a batch. It is one number, not a separate form, so the barrier stays low.
Does this work with labels that differ per customer?
Every customer label is its own item, linked to the customer and the label version. When a new version is approved, the system marks the old roll as no longer usable. That way nobody sticks an outdated label on a new batch by mistake.
Can we see which stock belongs to a particular customer?
Filled jars made for a private label customer are allocated to that customer and do not count as free stock for anyone else. Under a framework agreement you see per customer what is ready and what still has to be produced.
Add-ons for your industry.
What often connects to this.
- Digital job cards for preserve makersDigital job cards for preserve makers: a production sheet per batch with recipe version, weighed ingredients, cooking checks and filling details, tied to the batch code on the jar.
- Website for preserve makersA website for preserve makers that shows which preserves come in which jar sizes, what private label involves and what a retailer or wholesaler needs to send along with an enquiry.
- Enquiry form for preserve makersAn enquiry form for preserve makers that asks about flavour, jar size, label, volume and delivery timing as soon as someone is interested in private label or an adapted recipe.
Know what is really there.
Start with a short intake. Then we schedule a call to show the software with your services, team and way of working.
WhatsAppinfo@vorlyo.com Inventory software for preserve makers: track jars, lids, ingredients and filled jars per batch, with reservations for scheduled cooking batches.
- Record items and lots
- Reserve for batches and orders
- Update counts after production