Available in: Agile | Aware | Analyzer | Multi-Outlet
Why it's important
- reciProfity uses Pack Size to calculate the cost of an ingredient in a recipe.
- Whether you upload an order guide or enter an ingredient manually, reciProfity needs the product pack information and cost
We need to know the following
- How many units are in the case/bag/drum/etc?
- Is it purchased by weight, volume, or each?
- What is it all packed in; case/bag/drum/etc?
- What does the purchasing package cost; case/bag/drum/etc?
How to use it
The PACK SIZE refers to the smallest unit of a product, such as a single 12 oz can that is part of a case. For example, if a vendor ships a case containing multiple 12 oz cans, the Pack Size would indicate one individual 12 oz can. Once reciProfity identifies the Pack Size of the purchased product, it can accurately calculate other weights or volumes related to that unit.
Ingredients are used in recipes, while products are sourced from vendors. A single ingredient can have multiple associated products. For example, "large eggs" is an ingredient, and there may be several vendors that supply eggs. From the recipe's perspective, the specific source of the eggs is irrelevant; it simply requires large eggs. It's important to avoid duplicating ingredients, as this would require consistently updating the recipe to reflect the current egg vendor.
To simplify this, reciProfity allows you to create a single ingredient called "large egg" and associate all the vendors with this ingredient. Each item from the vendor is referred to as a "product." These products do not need to be packaged the same way. For instance, one egg product might arrive in a carton of 15 dozen, while another could contain 30 dozen.
The instructions below describe how to set up the Pack Size. reciProfity uses the Pack Size data to calculate the cost of each egg, which may vary from vendor to vendor.
When you purchase a product by weight, reciProfity automatically converts and calculates all weighted variables between imperial and metric systems. For example, if the purchasing unit of an ingredient is 5 pounds but the recipe calls for 500 grams, reciProfity automatically converts the cost from pounds to kilograms and gallons to liters.
Ingredient Conversions are not necessary when the purchase unit and recipe measurements are consistent—either weight to weight (pounds to kilograms) or volume to volume (gallons to liters). However, conversions are required when an ingredient is purchased by weight but used by volume or vice versa.
There are seven fields in the vendor's Packing and Cost section. It's important to understand their relationship with each other.
Example #1: 12 X 12oz cans
- Template: this dropdown is simply a guide or suggestion on how to enter the Packing data. For the example below, I will use a case of 12 x 12oz cans, costing $12.00 for the case
- There are this many: 12 (represents the number of cans in the case)
- Pack Size: 12 oz (represents the size of each can)
- Unit description: Can (this description is used in inventory reports, for example, on-hand reports, count sheets, etc.)
- All of this packed in a: Case (this is the unit of measure shipped by the vendor; case, bag, drum, each, etc.)
After entering the packaging data, the final step is to enter the product cost.
- As Purchased Price: $12.00 (this represents the vendor's package cost, as per this example, one case)
- Unit Price: $0.083/oz (reciProfity does the calculations for you. $12.00/12 cans/12oz) Because the unit of measure in the Pack Size is ounce (12oz), the Unit Price, which is the same as the purchasing Unit Cost, is displayed in ounces.
Example #2: 12 x #10 Can
- This example looks at a common Pack Size, the #10 can
- The case contains 12 x #10 cans.
- Since a #10 can is volume, reciProfity can price it accurately regardless of the quantity used in the recipe, whether it be 0.5, 1, 2, 3 cans, etc.
- All recipes must use equivalent volume units; otherwise, ingredient conversions are required to switch from volume to weight.
- The image below provides two Pack Size options: #10 can and 117oz, which is the weight of the #10 can. The #10 can display a Unit Price per can, whereas the 117oz option displays a Unit Price per ounce. Both options work so long as ingredient conversions are also used when the Pack Size and recipe units of measure are mismatched.
The Unit Description field can be the same as the Pack Size, however, it's important to note that this field is use in the Count Sheet and various inventory reports to display the quantlity of Pack Size units. For example, during a physical count, if 3 #10 cans counted, the report will show either 3 / #10 can or 3 / 117 oz, depending on which unit of measure is assigned to the Unit Description field.
Example #3: 1 X 50 lbs
- How should you handle a 50-pound bag of flour? Below are three examples of how to manage this, all of which are correct. However, depending on your production size and recipes, one option may be more suitable from an inventory counting perspective. When I say "more suitable," I mean based on whether you prefer to track your inventory by bags or by pounds.
The fields "There are this many" and "Pack Size" are both used for recipe costing, while "Unit Description" and "all of it packed in a" are utilized for inventory counts.
- Pound denotes weight, while bag refers to volume. Both options are valid; it depends on your operation. If you require weight and volume, just ensure you set up ingredient conversions.
Example #4: 24 Apples or 24 EACH
- If you purchase 24 apples , ea is the Pack Size
-
You can conduct inventory counts either by each item or by the case.
Use Conversions to manage the trimming, slicing, and dicing of fruit and vegetables. This enables you to use apples in recipes in various ways.
Example #5: 6 Lettuce heads
6 heads of lettuce packed in a box. This approach also works for cauliflower or any other item sold as a head. The concept is similar to the example with Apples. In reciProfity, using a unit of measure like "6 heads" or "6 each" is interchangeable. As long as consistency is between the ingredient and the recipe, the unit of measure can vary—such as each, head, bucket, scoop, etc. All of these are considered units of volume. However, if the ingredient is received by "head," but the recipe calls for ounces (a weight measurement), reciProfity requires an ingredient conversion that specifies how many ounces are equivalent to one "head."
Please read this article for more information on Conversions.
Catchweight
Catchweight, refers to the general classification of chicken, meat, fish, cheese wheels, etc. The vendor supplies boxes of fish, but the weight can vary from box to box. For instance, the vendor's catalog states the box weighs 50 lbs; however, the actual weight may be slightly under or over. The invoice will reflect the exact weight of the product delivered. These items must be set up with their smallest weight unit, such as pounds (lbs) or kilograms (kg).
The big picture
How does reciProfity use the pack size in your recipes?
When you view the ingredients in View mode, you can see the case cost and the number of units within that case, such as "2 50 lb bags." reciProfity can now calculate the price per pound. Once we determine the unit price, reciProfity can also calculate the price for any other recipe unit weight, such as oz, gm, kg, etc.
If you want to use the flour by volume (cup, scoop, etc.), create a weight-to-volume Conversions.
Video
Watch the video to see how pack size is entered in an actual ingredient.
Still not sure how to enter your pack size?