27 problems farm shops bring us, each with the cause, what it costs and what we build to fix it.
Farm shops take veg, eggs and meat from their own farm with no delivery record, so neither set of accounts is right. We build a farm-to-shop supply log.
Loose veg and counter meat at farm shops get priced by guesswork at the till and scales. We build one price list that feeds the scales, till and shelf labels.
Farm shops watch gluts of courgettes, strawberries or plums go soft while offers go out late. We build a glut plan linking field, shop, cafe and customers.
Farm shop butchers cut from memory and end up short of steaks and heavy on mince. We build a cutting list and yield record from each carcass to the counter.
Farm shop deli counters lose cheese, pies and cold meats to missed dates and guesswork. We build a counter log that tracks opened dates, rotation and waste.
Farm shop veg box schemes run on emails, spreadsheets and texts for skips and swaps. We build a box system with a customer page and a weekly packing plan.
Farm shop veg box drivers follow rounds planned from memory while the customer list changes weekly. We build a round planner with drop notes and delivery texts.
Farm shop cafes take milk, eggs, bread and meat from the shop floor with no record, so both margins are wrong. We build a simple transfer log for shop and cafe.
Farm shops book abattoir slots from habit, then run short of beef or drown in lamb. We build a kill plan that ties animals ready on the farm to counter demand.
Farm shop Christmas pre-orders for turkeys, beef and gammon live in a paper book, and collection day is chaos. We build an order system with weights and slots.
Farm shop kitchens change recipes and suppliers while labels and allergen sheets lag behind. We build a recipe record that keeps ingredients and labels in step.
Pick your own days bring crowds to picked-out fields and queues at the weighing hut. We build timed booking tied to the field estimate and a quicker weigh-out.
Farm shops order from dozens of small suppliers by phone, text and email on different days. We build an ordering sheet that suggests quantities from sales.
Farm shop websites sell meat, eggs and produce the shop floor sold hours ago. We build stock sync between till and online shop, with a click and collect list.
Farm shops struggle to trace which field, animal or supplier batch a product came from. We build batch records that follow produce and meat from source to till.
Farm shop takings from the till, cafe, card machines, cash and honesty box never quite agree. We build a daily takings check that feeds your accounts.
Farm shop hamper orders arrive by phone and email, shelves get raided and gift notes go missing. We build a hamper system with stock and packing lists.
Farm shops know their regulars by face but cannot tell them when asparagus or lamb arrives. We build an opt-in customer list at the till and seasonal messages.
Farm shops supply pubs and restaurants on texts and handshakes, then invoice from memory. We build trade ordering with standing orders and proper invoicing.
Farm shop fridge, chiller and freezer temperatures are written on clipboards, or forgotten. We build sensors with alerts and records for your own procedures.
Farm milk and egg vending machines run dry, miss cleaning logs and leave takings unclear. We build machine alerts, cleaning records and sales for your accounts.
Schools and groups book farm visits by email, then numbers, allergies and forms change weekly. We build a visit booking page with forms, reminders and invoices.
Farm shop field teams pick each morning from a shouted list and a glance at the shelves. We build a picking list from overnight stock, sales and pre-orders.
Farm shop bakeries bake the same every day, then sell out by noon or bin loaves at close. We build a bake plan from till history, weather, orders and events.
Farm shops selling their own eggs lose track of daily collections, packing dates and who got what. We build an egg log from collection to shop, cafe and trade.
Farm shop meat boxes get packed from whatever is left, then customers complain or cuts run out. We build box ordering linked to carcass and freezer stock.
Farm shops take on new local makers with a chat, then chase labels, insurance, prices and barcodes for weeks. We build a producer sign-up page and checklist.