Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
What inventory management software should small drinks brands use for batch/serial numbers, stock tracking, and ingredient management?
Members recommend several options depending on budget and complexity. **Unleashed** is praised for accuracy, especially with multiple ingredients and component parts, and integrates with Xero and Sage, though it's expensive. **Breww** (£175/month average) is a popular cost-effective alternative—volume-based pricing, includes basic CRM, 1% trade store commission, integrates with Xero, has a deliveries system, and strong support. Members use it successfully beyond brewing (e.g., for syrup production) without needing additional staff. **Workhorse** and **Brewman** are also mentioned as cheaper options. For larger operations, **SAP B1** (cloud-based) and **Oracle NetSuite** integrate well with other systems. Members strongly advise against using Xero alone for stock control—it becomes painful beyond small production runs with few SKUs. The consensus is to commit to one system, as they take time to learn but become reliable once embedded.
What CRM and accounting software do beverage founders recommend?
Members use a mix of CRM and accounting tools depending on team size and specific needs. For CRM, **HubSpot** is frequently recommended for its free tier and ease of use, particularly for smaller teams. **Capsule** is favoured by some, though members note **Salesforce** becomes more suitable at scale (100+ sales team). **Bowimi** is also used and appreciated by the community. For accounting, **Xero** is the clear consensus choice—described as easy to use and well-integrated with other tools. Some members previously used **Sage** for its multi-tier pricing capability (allowing 5 different pricing structures per SKU), but have since migrated to Xero. **Breww** is recommended as manufacturing software that links directly into Xero, making it useful for production-focused beverage businesses. Key recommendations: - **HubSpot** — free CRM option; excellent for smaller teams - **Capsule** — solid mid-market CRM - **Salesforce** — preferred for larger sales teams (100+) - **Bowimi** — used successfully by members; complements HubSpot - **Xero** — strong consensus for accounting; easy to use and integrates well - **Breww** — manufacturing software that integrates with Xero - **Sage** — legacy option; supports complex multi-tier pricing if needed Members report using Xero and Breww together works well for manufacturing-focused beverage businesses.
What ERP or inventory management software do small drinks producers recommend, and how well do they integrate with Xero?
Members consistently recommend **Unleashed** as a powerful, scalable solution for inventory, production, costing and SKU-level tracking—but emphasize it requires significant setup and ongoing commitment. It syncs with Xero, Shopify, Vend, Zettle, and Wise, and produces strong reports. However, implementation typically takes 6–9 months and benefits from specialist support; members used **Outserve** (philip.oakley@outserveweb.co.uk) for implementation, though noted the cost is high. Success depends on dedicated team buy-in or a single person owning the system day-to-day. For smaller teams without heavy resources, members highlighted lighter alternatives: - **Breww** — £90/month all-in with unlimited users, focused on breweries but adaptable to other drinks production; integrates easily with Xero; includes batch/date tracking, warehouse floor app, built-in CRM and tank cleaning scheduler; requires no full-time operator. - **BrewMan** — £50 per user per month, noted for costing and production focus. - **Workhorse** — Simpler alternative recommended by members using third-party production models; handles POs, stock, production and tracking but less suitable for complex direct/bonded/duty-paid sales scenarios. - **Excel spreadsheets** — Several members running effective operations on well-built spreadsheets with bookkeeper support; members offered to share templates. **Caveats:** Unleashed can cause integration issues with Xero (phantom duty calculations reported); it's a blank canvas requiring API configuration and carries risk of problems if not carefully set up. Members cautioned that Zoho is primarily CRM, not true ERP. The choice depends on operational complexity—Unleashed scales to handle multiple SKUs, hundreds of ingredients and multiple warehouses, but simpler systems suit leaner operations.
Should we use Slack or Microsoft Teams for internal team communication?
Members are split, but several have moved from Slack to Microsoft Teams and report it works well long-term, especially for cost savings and integration with other tools. **Slack** — praised for user experience and fun features (e.g. party parrots), but less ideal if your team uploads lots of pictures on the go. **Microsoft Teams** — initially unpopular with some, but members who've switched from Slack/Zoom/Dropbox report it's "a dream" once set up. Seamless integration with OneDrive and other Microsoft 365 apps (Excel, SharePoint, etc.). Members note it will "save us some quids ultimately" compared to juggling separate tools. Good pairing with Google Drive if you're already using Google Workspace. **Google Chat** — one member's current platform, but described as "utter s***" and generally not recommended by the group. **Avoid:** Using WhatsApp for internal team communication—members flagged this as "a nightmare" for proper business comms, even if sales teams prefer it. The consensus leans toward Teams for drinks businesses because of cost consolidation and strong integration with productivity suites, especially if you're already paying for Microsoft 365.
What CRM or sales platform integrates well with inventory management for small drinks businesses?
Members recommend a mix of approaches depending on whether inventory integration is critical. **Salesforce** integrates with both Unleashed and NetSuite, making it a strong choice if you need tight inventory links, though some found it not very user-friendly. **HubSpot** is praised by members as handling everything needed for small operations. **Bowimi** works as a pure sales CRM but doesn't integrate with inventory systems, so it's better if you're managing stock separately. One member cautioned that after two years on Salesforce with Unleashed integration, they switched to Bowimi because their team didn't engage well with Salesforce's interface—so ease of adoption matters as much as feature depth.
Which booking systems work best for managing distillery and visitor centre tours?
For small operations running just a couple of tours on weekends, a simple product page on Shopify paired with a spreadsheet for manual tracking is sufficient. For venues running multiple tours daily with specific requirements like group size limits and recurring events, members recommend a dedicated booking plugin. - **Evey** — The go-to recommendation for active tour operations. The upgraded package costs around £50/month plus 50p per ticket sold. Members praise its seamless Shopify integration, easy setup of recurring events, and optional scan-in functionality for guest check-in. Works well for venues needing to manage group sizes and capacity constraints.
What CRM systems do drinks businesses use and recommend?
Members recommend a lightweight CRM that integrates with accounting software. **Capsule** is the main recommendation from the community—praised for ease of use and strong integration with major accounting platforms (Sage, Xero, QuickBooks). This makes it particularly useful for drinks businesses that need to sync customer data with financial records.
What payroll and accounting software do members recommend for small drinks businesses?
Members recommend a few proven combinations for small teams. **Sage** is praised for being very good and easy to run in-house. The most commonly cited pairing is **Xero** combined with **Telleroo** for payments—members report these two integrate seamlessly and work well together for managing payroll files. This setup appears to be the preferred route among the community.
What inventory management software integrates well with Xero for small-scale beverage brands with few SKUs?
For small operations with minimal SKUs, members recommend purpose-built tools that integrate cleanly with Xero and shipping platforms rather than enterprise-grade systems. **Key recommendations:** - **Mintsoft** — described as "pricey but accurate" with clean integrations to Xero, Royal Mail, DHL, and Palletways. Works as a workhorse for members using Xero. - **NetSuite** — mentioned as an option, though less detail provided on use case fit. **What to avoid:** - **Unleashed** — members characterised it as "a sledgehammer for a walnut" for smaller-scale operations, suggesting overkill for brands with only 2–10 SKUs. - **Breww** — one member flagged it as not suitable for their needs despite prior use. **Integration priorities for small brands:** Members integrating with Xero and shipping platforms (Ship Theory mentioned) should verify before purchase that your chosen system has native connectors to your shipping partner and accounting software. Mintsoft's documented integrations with Royal Mail, DHL, and Palletways suggest it's a safer bet for UK-based small beverage brands, though cost should be weighed against the scale of operation.
What EDI integration solutions do members recommend for connecting with retail and wholesale platforms?
Members report that most traditional EDI solution suppliers charge premium rates with high upfront costs. However, a recent recommendation has emerged as significantly better value: - **Supplylens** — described as an "excellent and cheap solution" with no large upfront costs, only a modest monthly rate. Works with Unleashed and Xero for order processing and stock management, and handles "seemingly any related integration." Contact: steve@supplylens.co.uk. Members note the speed and ease of implementation were impressive. Caveat: The broader EDI solutions market has historically been expensive, so comparing quotes across providers is worthwhile before committing.
What software and strategies should we use for managing inventory and pricing, particularly for stock held under excise duty bond?
Members recommend a practical approach to inventory management that balances regulatory compliance with cost-effective tooling. **Inventory software:** - **Xero native inventory system** — members have raised serious concerns about whether the built-in Xero inventory module can properly handle wine and spirits stored under excise duty bond, so validate this thoroughly before relying on it as your sole solution. - **Unleashed** — commonly used by members but flagged as expensive for smaller operations, so evaluate against your budget and complexity needs. **Pricing and margin calculation:** - **thinkMargin app** — recommended as a useful, accessible tool for calculating margin, cost and price conversions; particularly helpful given the distinction between markup (cost-based) and margin (sell-price-based) that retailers typically prioritise. - Retail margins typically run 30% in the spirits and wine sector, though this varies: premium retailers demand larger margins, convenience stores work on smaller margins for faster-moving products, and margin % is generally higher on wine than spirits. Importantly, retailers focus on cash margin (absolute pounds/pence), not just percentage—so a high-value product like Louis XIII may carry lower percentage margin but higher cash margin than lower-priced stock. **Stock management around regulatory changes:** - Pre-buy stock before duty increases or regulatory changes take effect (monitor news for lobbying outcomes, as these can affect timing). - Coordinate with your warehouse team in advance, as many businesses will be doing the same and capacity/timelines will be tight. - Expect wholesalers and big producers to post new price lists on the effective date, with across-the-board increases of a few pounds per bottle likely. **Caveats:** If you hold stock under excise duty bond, standard inventory software may not be fit-for-purpose—test any system thoroughly before committing. Margin calculations depend heavily on your product category and rate of sale, so use thinkMargin or similar tools to model your specific scenario rather than assuming the 30% benchmark applies uniformly.