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Packaged & Processed Food Brands
Sauces, snacks, canned and dry goods costed by recipe and pack size, with margin reported for every SKU and retail customer.
The Challenge
Why Food Manufacturing Costs Are So Hard to Pin Down
Volatile inputsIngredient and packaging prices shift often
Yield lossTrim, moisture loss and rejected batches
Short shelf lifeExpiry and write-offs on finished goods
DeductionsRetailers short-pay for promos and fees
Every product starts as a recipe of ingredients, packaging, labour and machine time. But flour, oil, dairy, meat and cartons change price from one purchase to the next, and no two production runs yield exactly the same output. A cost per case set last year can be badly out of date today.
On the sales side, retailers and distributors rarely pay the full invoice. Promotions, slotting fees, spoilage allowances and compliance fines are deducted from payments, often without clear backup. Unless each deduction is matched and disputed, real margin quietly slips away.
When inventory is valued at a rough average and deductions sit unexplained in receivables, owners cannot tell which products, customers or plants actually make money.
There is a better option. Instead of stretching your plant manager or hiring a full costing team, work with a trained, dedicated team that already understands bills of materials, batch yields and retailer deductions.
Who We Work With
Built Around the Way Your Products Are Made
A bakery running daily batches and a beverage plant running long production lines face very different numbers, so we set up your books around your process — not a generic template.
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Co-Packers & Contract Manufacturers
Customer-supplied and purchased materials tracked separately, with tolling fees, run costs and changeovers billed accurately to each brand.
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Bakeries & Confectionery Producers
Daily batch output, ingredient usage and unsold product returns recorded, so you see true cost per unit across short shelf-life lines.
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Beverage Producers
Juices, soft drinks, coffee and functional drinks costed per bottle or can, with packaging, co-packing and excise records kept where they apply.
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Frozen, Chilled & Ready Meals
Cold-chain storage, freight and spoilage tracked against each product line, so high handling costs show up in your margins.
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Meat, Dairy & Specialty Processors
Yield from raw input to finished cuts or products measured carefully, with by-products and trim valued so cost is shared fairly.
Full Scope
How We Support Food Manufacturers
Our core services, tuned for production, inventory and retail-driven food businesses.
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Manufacturing Bookkeeping
- Purchases, receipts and supplier bills recorded daily
- Bank, credit card and loan reconciliations
- Accruals for freight, utilities and co-packing
- Clean-up and catch-up of past months or years
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Product & Batch Costing
- Bill of materials and recipe costing per SKU
- Labour and overhead absorption per batch
- Standard vs. actual cost variance analysis
- Yield, scrap and rework reporting
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Inventory Accounting
- Raw materials, WIP and finished goods valuation
- Landed cost for imported ingredients and packaging
- Expiry, damage and obsolete stock write-offs
- Physical count reconciliation and adjustments
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Receivables & Trade Spend
- Retailer and distributor deductions matched to backup
- Promotions, slotting and spoilage allowances tracked
- Invalid deductions flagged for dispute
- Customer-level profitability after trade spend
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Virtual CFO for Food Producers
- Cash flow forecasts around ingredient buys
- Pricing reviews as input costs change
- Capex planning for lines and equipment
- Lender, investor and buyer-ready reporting
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Tax & Compliance Support
- Fixed asset and depreciation registers for plant
- Sales and use tax on equipment and supplies
- R&D credit records for new product work
- Year-round, tax-ready books handed to your CPA
Our Process
How We Onboard Your Manufacturing Business
A practical, low-disruption start that works around your production schedule and existing systems.
Plant & Systems Review
We map your products, plants, suppliers, customers and current ERP or accounting software in one discovery call.
Costing Framework Setup
Recipes, pack sizes, labour rates and overheads are structured so every SKU has a reliable standard cost.
Team Allocation
A dedicated accountant and a backup reviewer are assigned and trained on your production workflow.
Inventory & Opening Balances
Stock counts and past records are reconciled so reporting starts from numbers you can trust.
Monthly Close & Variance Reporting
Books closed on a fixed date, with cost, yield, deduction and margin reports delivered.
Scale With New Lines & Plants
New products, customers and sites join the same structure as your business grows.
The Difference
From Rough Estimates to Cost-Per-Case Confidence
Before Centflow
- Product costs based on last year's prices
- Yield loss and waste never measured
- Inventory valued at a rough average
- Retailer deductions written off unchecked
- No view of profit by customer
- Price increases decided by gut feel
After Centflow
- Standard costs updated as inputs change
- Yield and variance reported every month
- Raw, WIP and finished goods valued accurately
- Invalid deductions identified and disputed
- Margin by SKU, customer and channel
- Pricing backed by real cost data
