Many businesses still rely on manual or outdated inventory systems. Fishbowl Inventory’s APAC MD urges a shift specifically for the food and beverage industry.
“No product in the world is perfect.”
This is a phrase that Simon Jupe, managing director of Fishbowl Inventory Asia Pacific, uses regularly when referring to all businesses. The illusion of a product’s perfection stems from external sources that magnify its characteristics through social presence, marketing, and other strategic embellishments.
However, Jupe focuses on the invisible – inventory management.
Inventory management may not be the most visible part of a business, but it is crucial. Behind every well-timed delivery, consistent product line, or compliant packaging record lies a system that keeps the business running smoothly. But are inventory needs for the food and beverage sector similar to those of other industries?
Inventory management in food and beverage
“When it comes to the food and beverage sector, you’re dealing with more complex inventory needs,” said Jupe.
Managing stock in the industry is rarely straightforward. Compared with other sectors, food and beverage operations must contend with short shelf life, traceability requirements, and strict vendor and regulatory standards. Producers often face tighter timeframes and compliance obligations than other industries, and that pressure makes visibility across every part of the supply chain critical.
Yet many of these businesses still rely on manual or outdated systems, particularly during their early growth stages.
“Many other businesses, industries or verticals can get away with having poor inventory for a longer period of time, but the food and beverage industry does not have that luxury,” Jupe said.
Short lead times, perishable materials, and the need for traceability all mesh together, leaving little room for error. A single lapse in compliance can lead to costly recalls or even government interventions, especially when working with large distribution partners that require stringent batch control and documentation.
Beyond compliance, there are also commercial pressures. The growing complexity of vendor order requirements, coupled with tighter margins since the pandemic, has increased the need for accurate cost management and forecasting. Each of these factors adds layers of complexity that make accurate, real-time inventory management essential.
For many manufacturers and distributors, that system is a platform that combines deep operational control with flexibility and data insight – like Fishbowl’s software.
From raw material to finished goods, Fishbowl provides inventory management software to help manufacturers at every stage of the production process. Founded in 2001, the company expanded its solution to the Asia-Pacific in 2011 and now supports around 600 companies with more than 5,000 employees across Australia, New Zealand, and South-East Asia.
As the company works across most industries, it is no stranger to the food and beverage sector. Having partnered with companies from dairy to meat, such as Pic’s Peanut Butter, Coyo, and Jimba Lamb, Fishbowl aims to address business challenges and fulfil their needs.
Lick Ice Cream
Owned by chief executive Simon West, Lick Ice Cream is a family-owned company supplying gourmet ice creams and sorbets in Australia, known for being the makers of the Ekka sundae.
Chief executive Simon West, Lick Ice Cream.
“We have three retail stores here in Brisbane through to supermarket chains, independent supermarkets, fruit and veg retailers, restaurants, hotels, and convention centres,” said West.
With a diverse distribution network, the company found itself struggling to juggle its channel mix and complex operations. The ice cream industry is one of the most complex, with many raw ingredients such as dairy and sugar. While these businesses must meet strict HACCP requirements, they must also be able to conduct recalls and trace any batch of product back to its original ingredients quickly and accurately.
As a food business where a single measurement can make or break a product, consistency is a must. This means improving manufacturing accuracy with precise tracking of ingredient weights. In addition to this, a large range of flavours in a brand’s portfolio presents an extra step. In Lick Ice Cream’s case, West needed visibility into margins by SKU to identify which products were performing well and which needed adjustment.
Embracing innovation
While industry giants push large-scale automation, Lick Ice Cream has taken a strategic approach, focusing on efficiency and traceability through Fishbowl Inventory Management software. By connecting every stage of its operation through an integrated system, West said the company was able to achieve complete inventory visibility and control across its workflow.
“What Fishbowl gives us is full control over our inventory system, from raw materials to finished products, ensuring accuracy and reducing waste throughout the process,” he said.
Fishbowl streamlined the team’s manufacturing orders, tracked batch numbers for traceability, and generated accurate picking lists that staff could trust. By ensuring quality data input from the start, particularly around ingredient receiving and batch tracking, the company has built a robust foundation for food safety compliance and operational efficiency.
This level of control has given the team confidence not only in compliance but also in margin analysis and inventory reporting.
“Fishbowl has saved us time and made us confident in our numbers, inventory control, traceability, and margins,” West added. “Now we are reporting accurately and have a robust system in place that will benefit us as we move into export markets.”
Being too late
When asked if it was ever too late for businesses to adopt inventory management software, Jupe said that it is still possible; however, he urged the industry to make the shift quickly.
“Companies that adapt early and build their business around the process grow efficiently and can scale on those systems over time,” he said.
While this is ideal, he highlighted that most under-adopt systemisation of their processes, allowing issues to accumulate until they reach a breaking point that triggers the need for an upgraded system.
Often, the warning signs are clear, such as spreadsheets that can no longer track batch numbers or production dates accurately, or staff spending excessive time reconciling data across departments. These inefficiencies can quickly compound, and by the time businesses decide to implement a system, the process is usually more complicated than it needs to be, requiring both a technology upgrade and substantial change management across the team.
The help is there
For businesses looking to improve their systems, Jupe advised on the first step.
“Understand what your business growth model looks like,” he said. “You need a platform that’s going to cater to the business needs not just today, but many years down the track.”
While adopting new systems and facing changes in processes can appear daunting, Fishbowl’s approach is built around improving efficiencies. As mentioned, Jupe said that the phrase “no product in the world is perfect” also applies to Fishbowl. While technology is central to the company’s offering, he notes that its service is the real differentiator.
“A bill is a bill, and an invoice is an invoice,” he said. “What makes or breaks long-term success is the service delivery that complements that product.”
A solution that works today may not be suitable for tomorrow. As technology continues to advance, inventory management in the food and beverage industry is likely to evolve. Yet even as these innovations emerge, the fundamentals remain the same: businesses need accurate, accessible data and systems that support their people.
Understanding this, the company focuses on collaborating with its customers and assessing their growth journey, identifying gaps in skills or data visibility, and designing a rollout that aligns with their operations. Rather than just offering a product, Fishbowl also provides ongoing training through videos, resources, or on-site sessions.
Training and integration are not just about learning software but about optimising the way a business runs. The company views its relationships as long-term collaborations, helping customers adopt smarter processes without losing the flexibility and creativity that define the food and beverage sector.
“Inventory is unique in every business,” Jupe said. “Fishbowl partners with and understands a company’s goals to enable a unique business approach.”
https://www.fishbowlinventory.com.au/case-studies/lick-ice-cream/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XivvLsRtCc0