Protect batch and cup costs
See unit-cost increases on dairy, flour, and disposables while you can still adjust recipes or prices.
IndustriesCafés & bakeries
CostBeacon for cafés and bakeries
Track flour, dairy, and packaging vendors without manual spreadsheets
Small pack-size and unit changes make it hard to compare last week’s invoice to this week’s—especially when dairy and flour move every delivery.
30-day free trial · No credit card required
Common suppliersDairy and eggs · Flour and ingredients · Cups, lids, and labels
The problem
Batch costs drift when dairy and flour invoices change quietly
Café and bakery buying is frequent and fragmented. A dairy case up a few cents, a flour bag that changed pack weight, or cup lids that quietly rose will not show if you only glance at invoice totals between rushes.
Try a sample
Watch the unit-cost spike on a sample invoice
Upload supplier PDFs and CostBeacon matches recurring dairy, flour, and packaging lines to history—so you review movers before you bake, brew, or reprint labels.
Interactive sample
Invoice spike chart
Advance three deliveries. Dairy and flour moves show up as a rising trail.
Whole milk 4gal$4.95 → $5.35 · +8.1%
On this delivery: +$0.40 per jug · Adjust batch cost before the weekend rush.
What changes for your team
Invoice evidence your team can act on
Bring the invoice to the vendor call
Every alert links back to the PDF line—so the conversation starts with evidence, not memory.
How it works
From supplier PDF to a buying decision
Upload this week’s invoices, extract every line, then review alerts before the next wholesale order or recipe cost update.
- Upload invoicesDrop PDFs, email attachments, or scans from your usual suppliers.
- Extract line itemsCostBeacon reads unit costs, quantities, vendors, and product names.
- Review what movedOpen alerts with the source invoice attached—then reprice, renegotiate, or accept on purpose.
Signals to watch
What good review looks like
Operators usually check a short alert queue after each buying cycle—not a full re-type of every invoice.
| Signal | Typical range | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy per unit | +5–10% week to week | Watch before weekend prep |
| Flour / bulk ingredients | +2–7% across invoices | Normalize per batch |
| Cups, lids, labels | +1–4% often missed on totals | Track lines, not invoice total |
FAQ
Common questions
Accounting records payments; CostBeacon tracks product-level unit costs from supplier invoices and alerts when they move.
No. CostBeacon works from uploaded supplier invoices. QuickBooks Online sync is optional when you want it.
Upload a few weeks of recurring supplier PDFs for your top dairy, flour, and packaging vendors. That is usually enough history to flag the next move.
Browse industries
Same product. Different buying rhythm.
Catch supplier cost moves before they become your new normal
CostBeacon turns supplier invoices into line-item history and price-change alerts for cafés and bakeries.