Looking for a simple way to take your food and beverage business to the next level? You may consider investing in recipe management technology to help you grow and scale effectively. While it can take time and resources to fully implement, we consider this to be a worthwhile investment in your business. Ultimately, customers want to purchase what they can trust — and standardizing your food production and manufacturing process is a tremendous step forward to doing just that. 

Below, we’re exploring what recipe management technology is, the benefits of using such a tool and what you should look for as you assess your options. We’ll also cover the value that a centralized ERP that includes recipe management functionality can bring to your business. 

What Is Recipe Management Tech? 

Food recipe management is a technology type that supports team members in creating a consistent environment for the creation of your brand’s products. It can support businesses with both edible (such as food and beverage) and non-edible products (such as slime or other novelty-based items). With recipe management tools in place, your team has a consistent reference point as they continue to fulfill orders and manage your operations — limiting your risk of less-than-satisfactory products getting to your consumers. 

Is Recipe Management Tech Worth It? 

There are plenty of benefits to using recipe management technology in your business. We’ve covered a few of them below: 

Cost savings 

While having recipe management as a part of your tech stack does require an upfront cost to purchase the software or service, you can actually end up saving a significant amount of cost. This can look like: 

• Less customer returns: By avoiding the pitfall of customer returns for poor quality products, you can save hundreds to thousands per month. You can also save on any sort of costs that lasting brand damage can bring to your wallet, such as rebranding, fees and marketing costs. 

• Tech compilation opportunities: Before investing in a separate system for recipe management, consider reviewing your ERP software to see if it has a related component included. This can save you upfront cost and long-term cost with less overall customer product returns and fees. 
• Better use of employee time and resources: Recipe management software can provide employees an in-the-moment glance at the proper proportions and recipe elements — keeping them as effective and accurate as possible. 

Accessibility 

Recipe management for food and beverage businesses is an integral element in helping a brand to grow and scale. Cloud-based recipe management technology can span business locations across the world, seamlessly connecting employees to a single source of truth. Employees can also reference recipes with their native unit(s) of measurement, keeping your products correctly made without confusion. 

Automation potential 

By not having to rely on human aid to manage your processes, you open your operations up to a higher degree of automation potential. This means that you effectively mitigate risk while saving on time and cost, which can create exponential growth and opportunity in your business or location. Managers are freed to do higher-level tasks, and the team operates at a greater level of automated efficiency. It’s a win-win for all parties and stakeholders. 

What To Look For In Recipe Management Software? 

Now that you see the benefits that you can gain simply by using a recipe management software, we’re here to help you pick the best one. Ideally, you’ll want a software solution that’s: 

Cloud-based 

Having this data and framework laid out in a sleek cloud-based system enhances accessibility and reliability. Hundreds of team members can reference this information in real-time, no matter where they are in the world. Frequent backups and inherent protective properties also aid in data loss prevention, which is less common in more antiquated systems. Plus, you won’t have to rely on manual processes and tracking — leaving you vulnerable to brand-damaging mistakes. 

Integration-friendly 

Any software that you choose for your tech stack should be as “friendly” or “open” to automation and integration as possible. Any degree of automation allows you to redirect your teams to higher-level tasks, which can help you to more efficiently grow and scale. 

User-friendly 

Any solution that you bring to your business ought to be as user-friendly as possible to encourage proper use and adaptation across your organization. Elements you might look for as you demo certain software include: 

• Presence and helpfulness of customer service and team members 
• Available tutorials 
• Community support (i.e. help forums, etc)

As you trial different options, you might consider involving your stakeholders for a more comprehensive view of the overall utility of a given tool. 

Centralized ERP Support Contributes To Food Business Growth 

Quality food business ERP solutions often include certain features to support business growth, such as recipe management and traceability support. Investing in these types of solutions give you a higher degree of quality assurance and control over your final product, while organizing every area of your business in a single, sleek, centralized system. 

Ready to experience the difference? 

Inecta has led the industry for decades, offering twenty years of experience and expertise as a Microsoft Gold Partner to every software user. If you’re looking for a comprehensive and effective food and beverage ERP solution, connect with the team at Inecta today. We’re here to help! Give us a call at 800.632.0573, or visit our website for more information.