Artisanal Solutions / Inventory & Lot Tracking
Inventory and lot tracking
Inventory and lot tracking for food makers and farms
Know which wheels are at month four, which jars came from the July batch, and how many dozen are left for Saturday. We set it up on the tools you already use and keep every sales channel on the same count.
Built for farmers and makers. Set up for you, on the tools you already use.
| Lot | Product | Made | Age | On hand | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L-0714 | Clothbound cheddar | Jul 14 | 4 mo | 38 wheels | Ready Dec 1 |
| L-0802 | Tomme | Aug 2 | 3 mo | 52 wheels | Aging |
| L-0911 | Washed rind | Sep 11 | 8 wk | 64 wheels | Ready |
| L-1003 | Fresh chevre | Oct 3 | 5 d | 120 logs | Sell by Oct 17 |
Batches and lots
Every jar traces back to the day it was made
Lot numbers follow a product from make date to the customer. If a supplier recalls an ingredient, you pull the list of affected orders in a minute.
- Lot and batch numbers on every label
- Make date, best-by date and age on every lot
- Recall list by lot: who bought it, where it shipped
- IngredientsStrawberries, lot F-118, Jul 21
- Made240 jars, 8 oz, Jul 22
- SoldStore 96, Faire 72, market 60
- On hand12 jarsBest by Jul 2027
Materials
Reorder before you run out of lids
Ingredients, packaging and finished goods sit in one count, with reorder points set from how fast you go through them.
- Raw materials, packaging and finished goods together
- Reorder points and a weekly low-stock email
- Batch cost from what went into it
| Item | On hand | Reorder at | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jars, 8 oz | 1,440 | 600 | OK |
| Lids, gold | 310 | 500 | Reorder |
| Cane sugar | 220 lb | 100 lb | OK |
| Pectin | 6 lb | 5 lb | Low |
Every channel
Sell the last dozen once
Your store, Madeline's, Faire, Square and the Saturday market draw from the same count, so what sold at the stand is gone online too.
- One count across online, wholesale and in person
- Stock held back per channel when you want it
- Sold-out items come off sale on their own
Works with what you already run
Already on one of these? We work with what you have before suggesting a switch.
- Shopify inventory
- Craftybase
- Katana
- inFlow
- Sortly
- Zoho Inventory
- Cin7
- Fishbowl
- Square for Retail
- Google Sheets
What is included
A system sized to you
From a shared sheet with barcodes to a full lot-tracked system. We pick the smallest one that does the job.
Your counts moved over
Products, materials, suppliers and opening counts loaded from your spreadsheets, notebooks or old system.
Lot numbers and labels
A lot numbering scheme, label templates and a barcode scanner setup that works in a make room.
Channel sync
Your store, marketplaces, wholesale and point of sale connected to one count.
Batch costing
What each batch cost to make, so you can answer how much did that batch cost.
Training and handoff
A one-page routine for receiving, making and counting, and a walkthrough with whoever does it.
See what this looks like for your business
Tell us what you make. We send back a short plan and a price.
How it works
Tell us what you make
What you make and what you count with now. A spreadsheet is a fine answer.
Get a short plan
Keep this, replace that, connect these, and the cost.
We set it up
Setup and migration done for you. You approve before anything goes live.
Run it or hand it off
Take it from there yourself or keep us on for the monthly upkeep.
A good fit if
- You oversold something online that was already gone at the market
- You cannot answer how much did that batch cost
- You age, cure, ferment or hold product and need to see what is ready
Questions
What inventory software is best for a small food business?
It depends on how you make and where you sell. A shared sheet with barcodes is enough for a few products at one market. Makers who need material and batch costs usually land on a maker-focused tool like Craftybase. Once there are several locations or wholesale accounts, a system like Katana, inFlow or Cin7 fits better. We recommend the smallest one that does the job.
Do I have to stop using my spreadsheet?
No. If the sheet works, we tighten it up, add barcodes and connect it to your store. We suggest a switch only when the sheet is costing you sales or time.
Can I trace a lot if there is a recall?
Yes. Each lot carries its make date, ingredients and the orders it went into, so you can pull every affected customer and wholesale account from one screen.
Does it sync with Shopify, Square and Faire?
Yes. Where a tool connects directly we use that. Where it does not, we build the connection so every channel draws from one count.
What does it cost?
It depends on the system and how many products and channels you have. We send the price with the plan, before any work starts.
Get a plan and a price
Tell us what you make and what you use today. A spreadsheet and a Square account is a fine answer. We reply by email with what we would keep, what we would change and what it costs.
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