The back shelf
On the racking behind the packing bench are bags of pre packed retail coffee from last week, a few from the week before, and a tub of espresso that was over roasted for a café order that changed. This morning's roast is still cooling on the bench, and the packer, sensibly wanting the freshest coffee to go out, uses that.
By the end of the month there is a box of bags approaching the date you would rather not sell past, and a decision to make about what to do with them.
Nobody can see roasted stock by date
Roasted stock is not really tracked. Green coffee might be counted, and orders are in the shop system, but the bags and tubs on the racking have no record. Without one, the packer cannot know what should go first, and whoever plans the roast cannot see that there is already enough of a coffee on the shelf.
- Pre packed retail bags are not counted by roast date.
- Leftover coffee from over rounded batches is not recorded.
- Packers pick whatever is nearest, often the newest roast.
- The roast plan does not know what is already on the shelf.
- Your freshness limit is a feeling rather than a rule.
What ageing stock costs you
Coffee that sits too long ends up discounted, given away or thrown out, and every bag of it paid for its green, its roasting time and its packaging. Customers who receive an older bag while the shop feed talks about freshness notice the roast date. Over rounding batches because you cannot see what is left makes the problem worse week after week.
Roasted stock tracking we set up
- Every roasted batch that goes onto the shelf, whether in bags or bulk tubs, is recorded with its coffee, roast date and quantity, straight from the roast log and packing screen.
- Your freshness rules are set per product, for example how many days a retail bag can sit before it goes to the shop only, and when it should no longer be sold.
- When an order is packed, the packing screen tells the packer which stock to use, oldest first within your rules.
- The roast planner subtracts suitable shelf stock before proposing batches, so you do not roast what you already have.
- A daily list shows stock approaching each of your limits, with suggested uses: shop shelf, a café that takes the same coffee, a promotion, or the staff brew bar.
- Write offs are recorded with a reason, so you can see which coffees and which habits create waste.
| Decision | Made on instinct now | Made from the record |
|---|---|---|
| Which bags to pack | Nearest or newest | Oldest suitable first |
| How much to roast | Orders plus a margin | Orders minus shelf stock |
| What is ageing | Found at the back of the rack | Daily list against your limits |
| What is wasted | Not recorded | Write offs with reasons |
A shelf that turns over
The shelf becomes stock that moves rather than stock that hides. Packers follow a prompt rather than a guess, the roast plan stops over producing, and older coffee is used while it is still good. You also have a record of how much you write off and why, which shows whether the fix is in the roast plan, the batch sizes or the shop.
Does your racking look like this?
- There are pre packed bags from previous weeks on the shelf.
- Packers use the newest roast because it is nearest.
- Your roast plan does not account for coffee already roasted.
- You regularly give away or bin roasted coffee.
- You do not have a written freshness limit per product.