The latest issue of BeanScene magazine, Australia's leading coffee industry publication, showcases two Upstock customers Market Lane Coffee and Sixpence Coffee. You can read the full magazine here and below is a reprint of the Stocking Up story. You can also check this page for more insights on managing wholesale orders for coffee roasters.
Stocking Up
As the team at Market Lane Coffee saw the number of wholesale orders increase over time, they knew they needed a system in place to keep track of everything.
To solve the issue, Market Lane Coffee turned to Upstock, a software website and app designed to simplify wholesale orders.
"Upstock has helped us simplify the ordering process," says Market Lane Coffee Co-founder Jason Scheltus. "Now our wholesale clients can focus on their customers and making coffee rather than spending time with inefficient ordering systems."
Through the app, Market Lane's wholesale customers can select any blend or single origin the roaster has on offer. They then submit orders using the saved payment information before real-time notifications are sent to the Market Lane team to prepare orders as quickly as possible.
Tyson Stagg, who oversees partnerships and wholesale at Market Lane, believes the switch has helped put the spotlight back where it belongs.
"Our coffee is the hero, and we want to be able to share that story," he says.
According to Tyson, Market Lane's customers have also preached about the new system and seamless transition process.
"We wanted a platform that could connect with our wholesale customers, and we've found a reliable system that they don't have to think about too much," he says.
"Upstock is built to a really high quality, and our processing time has been cut in half."
"When things are implemented on Upstock, they work from day one. We don't want to be testing out new features on our customers and causing them frustration." For Market Lane Coffee, the order scheduling system, which is created by the supplier and sent as a notification to the buyer, has been especially helpful.
With payment details already saved to the system, the customer just has to confirm the transaction.
Tyson says he no longer needs to review customer orders to check for mistakes.
Instead, most wholesale accounts pay upfront using credit card, which has helped remove security risks.
"Having a really easy method for customers to pay their orders upfront has been a great system for minimising outstanding debt," Tyson says.
With each café's information in one place, Tyson says Upstock has helped the roaster learn more about each customer, which helps develop stronger relationships.
"Our vision has always been 'good coffee, good for everyone, so we want to make sure our coffee not only tastes great, but that everyone across the supply chain is looked after," he says.
"Upstock has been a great help. It allows us to stick to our values and take care of our people."
Upstock's management system has not only benefitted Market Lane. For Victorian coffee roaster Sixpence, it has helped run the part of the wholesale business the team enjoys least.
"It's never nice to receive an overdue invoice, and it's not fun sending them out either," says Sixpence Production Manager Tim Dickens.
Roasters and cafés can create accounts to sell and buy anything they require through Upstock. Orders placed through the app are traceable, eliminating much of the laborious administration involved in running a business. For Tim and the Sixpence team, Upstock has been a game-changer.
"Every month, the number of statements we are issuing seems to be going down," he says.
"What used to take 10 to 15 hours a week is now just 15 minutes at the end of the month thanks to Upstock."
Tim says Upstock has helped Sixpence monitor revenue streams to detect which parts of the business are more profitable.
"Upstock pre-payments let us see exactly how the wholesale side of the business is doing compared to our retail and online figures," he says. "Now everything is so much easier in terms of reporting our numbers.
"Before signing up to Upstock, we would receive orders in any number of methods, including emails, text messages, phone calls, and so on. Now, there are no more 3am emails."
Sixpence uses Upstock as both a buyer and a supplier. While roasting takes place at its HQ in Bright in Victoria's High Country, its café in Albury, New South Wales, can submit coffee orders through the app.
Tim says organising manual invoices between each location was stressful and time-consuming
"It wasn't very traceable," he says.
"Having stock transfers as part of the same process has allowed us to streamline our physical processes in the roastery, like packing and sending orders."
To acquire baked goods, cafés can even search Upstock for nearby bakeries, and then place orders through the app.
The platform also gives Sixpence the opportunity to organise and display its prices, while also including price tiers for its customers.
"We have price lists for the cafés we consider a part of the Sixpence family, and Upstock helps us adjust each bundle easily," Tim says.
Tim says Sixpence's wholesale customers that have switched to Upstock have also come to appreciate the management system.
"They love that there's minimal errors in invoicing, and that they can always double-check everything from the app," he says.
"I can't stress how much this has made life easier for everyone."
See all the benefits of Upstock for coffee roasters
See all the benefits of Upstock for cafes
