Food Production Kitchen Desk
Small packaged-food makers and commercial kitchens
Plan batches, trace lots, track allergens, cost each jar, and ship wholesale orders.
Manufacturing & logisticsManufacturingfood productionpackaged foodco-packerbatcheslot tracingcommissary
Use this templateFood Production Kitchen Desk
Start Monday on the Dashboard: kettles planned this week, anything on QA hold, ingredients to order and orders to ship. Each batch moves Planned, In production, QA hold, Released; Release lot stamps the day once pH, labels and metal checks pass. Orders record the lot codes shipped so any jar can be traced.
Start here: how this workspace runs
Dashboard
Lot tracing and a mock recall
Costing a jar and setting wholesale price
Batches
Every production run: lot code, units made, cost per unit, pH and the checks that release it.
| Batch | Status | Product | Production lead | Lot code | Production day | Released on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky tomato salsa, morning kettle | Released | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | SAL-2417 | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Peach habanero jam, small run | Released | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | JAM-2418 | Oct 13, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Maple pecan granola, bake day | Released | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | Hana Sorensen | GRA-2419 | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Green chile salsa verde | Released | Green chile salsa verde, 16 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | VER-2420 | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 |
| Smoky tomato salsa, afternoon kettle | Rejected | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | Ezekiel Brandt | SAL-2421 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Sesame ginger dressing, first production | QA hold | Sesame ginger dressing, 12 oz bottle | Hana Sorensen | DRS-2422 | Oct 19, 2026 | — |
| Maple pecan granola, double bake | In production | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | Hana Sorensen | GRA-2423 | Oct 21, 2026 | — |
| Peach habanero jam, holiday run | Planned | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | JAM-2424 | Oct 23, 2026 | — |
Products
Every product and size you sell, its process, allergens, prices and the real cost from released lots.
| Product | Status | Process | Contains | Wholesale price (USD) | Suggested retail (USD) | Units per case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | $4.25 | $7.49 | 12 | |||
| Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | $4.60 | $8.99 | 12 | |||
| Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | $5.40 | $9.49 | 8 | |||
| Green chile salsa verde, 16 oz jar | $4.25 | $7.49 | 12 | |||
| Sesame ginger dressing, 12 oz bottle | $4.90 | $8.49 | 12 | |||
| Roasted garlic pasta sauce, 24 oz jar | $4.75 | $8.99 | 12 |
Ingredients and packaging
Raw ingredients, jars, lids and labels on hand, with supplier approval, allergen and reorder point.
| Ingredient or packaging | Stock | Kind | Allergen | Supplier | Supplier approved | Supplier certificate expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roma tomatoes, fire-roasted | In stock | — | Delta Row Farms | Yes | May 21, 2027 | |
| Tomatillos | Low | — | Delta Row Farms | Yes | May 21, 2027 | |
| Frozen peach slices | In stock | — | Orchard Gate Packers | Yes | Feb 21, 2027 | |
| Cider vinegar, 5 percent | In stock | — | Prairie Pantry Wholesale | Yes | Aug 21, 2027 | |
| Rolled oats | In stock | Prairie Pantry Wholesale | Yes | Aug 21, 2027 | ||
| Pecan pieces | On order | Southfork Nut Co | Yes | Mar 21, 2027 | ||
| Pure maple syrup | In stock | — | Ridgeback Sugarhouse | Yes | Jun 21, 2027 | |
| Toasted sesame oil | Low | Prairie Pantry Wholesale | Yes | Aug 21, 2027 |
Wholesale orders
Grocery, distributor, market and online orders, with value, ship-by date and the lots shipped.
| Order | Status | Buyer | Channel | Product | Cases | Ship by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Basket Grocers, weekly salsa | Paid | Green Basket Grocers | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | 20 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| Hearthside Distributing, jam pallet | Shipped | Hearthside Distributing | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | 24 | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Larkfield Co-op, granola | Shipped | Larkfield Food Co-op | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | 30 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Saturday market stock, salsa verde | Packed | Riverside Saturday Market | Green chile salsa verde, 16 oz jar | 8 | Oct 20, 2026 | |
| Green Basket Grocers, salsa verde trial | Confirmed | Green Basket Grocers | Green chile salsa verde, 16 oz jar | 12 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Pinecone Gift Shop, holiday jam | New | Pinecone Gift Shop | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | 10 | Oct 24, 2026 | |
| Online store restock, granola | Confirmed | Our online store | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | 15 | Oct 23, 2026 | |
| Hearthside Distributing, pasta sauce | Cancelled | Hearthside Distributing | Roasted garlic pasta sauce, 24 oz jar | 20 | Oct 13, 2026 |
A small food maker answers to three people: the customer who wants the order on time, the inspector who wants every lot traceable, and the owner who wants to know what a jar really costs. This workspace keeps all three in one place.
The four tables
Batches: one row per production run with its lot code, units made, ingredient, packaging and labor cost, finished pH and the release checks. Status runs Planned, In production, QA hold, Released or Rejected. Release lot stamps the day.
Products: each product and size, its process (acidified hot fill, high-sugar preserve, bake, refrigerated), allergens, wholesale and retail price. It averages the cost per unit of released lots into a real Wholesale margin.
Ingredients and packaging: produce, dry goods, oils, sweeteners, jars, lids and labels, with supplier approval, certificate expiry, allergen and reorder point.
Wholesale orders: grocery, distributor, market, gift shop and online orders with value, ship-by date and the lot codes shipped.
A normal week
Monday: plan the week's batches from open orders and stock. Work the Order this week list.
Each production day: the kitchen lead opens the batch, presses Assign to me, and fills the batch record as they go.
Acidified products: pH is read on a cooled sample. Above 4.6 the lot is Rejected; never re-labelled.
The next morning QA checks labels, allergen statement and retained samples, then presses Release lot.
Orders are packed oldest lot first, the lot codes written in, and Mark shipped pressed at the dock.
Who owns what
Allergens
Granola carries tree nuts and wheat; the dressing carries sesame, soy and wheat. Allergen products run last in the day, followed by a full clean before any other product.
| Batch | Status | Product | Production lead | Lot code | Production day | Released on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky tomato salsa, morning kettle | Released | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | SAL-2417 | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Peach habanero jam, small run | Released | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | JAM-2418 | Oct 13, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Maple pecan granola, bake day | Released | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | Hana Sorensen | GRA-2419 | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Batch | Status | Product | Production lead | Lot code | Production day | Released on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky tomato salsa, morning kettle | Released | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | SAL-2417 | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Peach habanero jam, small run | Released | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | JAM-2418 | Oct 13, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Maple pecan granola, bake day | Released | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | Hana Sorensen | GRA-2419 | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Order | Status | Buyer | Channel | Product | Cases | Ship by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Basket Grocers, weekly salsa | Paid | Green Basket Grocers | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | 20 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| Hearthside Distributing, jam pallet | Shipped | Hearthside Distributing | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | 24 | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Larkfield Co-op, granola | Shipped | Larkfield Food Co-op | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | 30 | Oct 18, 2026 |
| Ingredient or packaging | Stock | Kind | Allergen | Supplier | Supplier approved | Supplier certificate expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roma tomatoes, fire-roasted | In stock | — | Delta Row Farms | Yes | May 21, 2027 | |
| Tomatillos | Low | — | Delta Row Farms | Yes | May 21, 2027 | |
| Frozen peach slices | In stock | — | Orchard Gate Packers | Yes | Feb 21, 2027 |
| Product | Status | Process | Contains | Wholesale price (USD) | Suggested retail (USD) | Units per case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | $4.25 | $7.49 | 12 | |||
| Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | $4.60 | $8.99 | 12 | |||
| Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | $5.40 | $9.49 | 8 |
| Order | Status | Buyer | Channel | Product | Cases | Ship by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Basket Grocers, weekly salsa | Paid | Green Basket Grocers | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | 20 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| Hearthside Distributing, jam pallet | Shipped | Hearthside Distributing | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | 24 | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Larkfield Co-op, granola | Shipped | Larkfield Food Co-op | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | 30 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Lots on QA hold
| Batch | Status | Product | Production lead | Lot code | Production day | Released on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky tomato salsa, morning kettle | Released | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | SAL-2417 | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Peach habanero jam, small run | Released | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | Mateus Oliveira | JAM-2418 | Oct 13, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Maple pecan granola, bake day | Released | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | Hana Sorensen | GRA-2419 | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 |
Order this week
| Ingredient or packaging | Stock | Kind | Allergen | Supplier | Supplier approved | Supplier certificate expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roma tomatoes, fire-roasted | In stock | — | Delta Row Farms | Yes | May 21, 2027 | |
| Tomatillos | Low | — | Delta Row Farms | Yes | May 21, 2027 | |
| Frozen peach slices | In stock | — | Orchard Gate Packers | Yes | Feb 21, 2027 |
Orders to ship
| Order | Status | Buyer | Channel | Product | Cases | Ship by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Basket Grocers, weekly salsa | Paid | Green Basket Grocers | Smoky tomato salsa, 16 oz jar | 20 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| Hearthside Distributing, jam pallet | Shipped | Hearthside Distributing | Peach habanero jam, 10 oz jar | 24 | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Larkfield Co-op, granola | Shipped | Larkfield Food Co-op | Maple pecan granola, 12 oz bag | 30 | Oct 18, 2026 |
How to read the numbers
If a supplier calls about a bad ingredient, or a customer reports a problem, you must say within hours which lots used it and where every jar went. This page is how the kitchen keeps that chain whole, and the twice-yearly mock recall that proves it.
The chain
Lot codes
Our code is product prefix plus a running number: SAL for tomato salsa, VER for salsa verde, JAM, GRA, DRS. The number comes from the production calendar, so codes never repeat.
Running a mock recall (90 minutes, twice a year)
Pick one ingredient lot at random, for example a case of pecans.
From its batch records, list every batch that used it.
Open Wholesale orders and find every order whose Lot codes shipped includes those lots.
Count the units: made, shipped, still in the warehouse, retained samples. They must add up.
Write the time it took and anything missing in this page. Two hours is our ceiling; anything slower means a gap in the records to fix this week.
When it is real
Stop shipping the affected lots at once: move any open order holding them back to Confirmed.
Call each buyer the same day with lot codes and units.
Keep a log of every call, time and person.
Rejected or recalled product is held and destroyed with a witness, never reworked into another lot.
Checklist after each batch
Every ingredient's supplier lot written in the batch record
Lot code printed and readable on the first and last jar
Retained samples labelled and shelved
Units made entered so traceback totals add up
Small food makers lose money quietly: a label price creeps up, a batch yields fewer jars, a distributor asks for 25 percent off. This page shows how the workspace turns real batches into a true cost per unit and how to use it when pricing.
What goes into cost per unit
Ingredients at what you paid, including spoilage and trim.
Packaging: jar, lid, label, shrink band and the case.
Labor: hours on the line, including set-up and clean-down, at a loaded hourly rate.
Each batch divides the three by Units made. Products then average the cost of released lots only, so a rejected kettle does not hide inside a good average; it shows as a loss on the Batches chart instead.
Worked example: smoky tomato salsa
A distributor usually takes about 25 percent from the store's price, and the store needs its own margin. That is why we want at least 50 percent at wholesale for anything sold through a distributor.
Monthly price check
Open Products and read Average unit cost and Wholesale margin.
Any product under 45 percent: check the last three batches for yield (units made) and supplier prices on Ingredients and packaging.
Fix yield first: a kettle that fills 560 jars instead of 600 costs more than a five-cent price rise. Weigh the kettle before filling and note the fill weight of the first jar.
Only then raise the wholesale price, with 60 days' notice to buyers.
Rules
Never price from a recipe spreadsheet; price from released batches
Re-check margin when any packaging item changes supplier
Rejected lots are reviewed every month for their cause
Labor hours include set-up and clean-down, not only kettle time
What's inside
5 tables · 18 views · 1 form · 6 row actions · 1 agent5 pages
- Food Production Kitchen Desk
- Start here: how this workspace runs
- Dashboard
- Lot tracing and a mock recall
- Costing a jar and setting wholesale price
4 tables
- Batches7 views · 10 sample rows
- Products2 views · 6 sample rows
- Ingredients and packaging2 views · 10 sample rows
- Wholesale orders7 views · 8 sample rows
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