Why Inventory Management Matters
If you have ever discovered that your shea butter expired, or that you ran out of coconut oil mid-batch, you know the pain of poor inventory management. For a small crafting business, inventory is money sitting on a shelf — too much means wasted capital and spoiled ingredients, too little means missed production deadlines.
The Lot System
Apothecary Wizard tracks inventory by lot, not just by ingredient. Each time you purchase an ingredient, you create a new lot entry that records:
- Supplier name and purchase date
- Lot or batch number from the supplier
- Quantity and unit cost
- Expiration date
- Brand and UPC
- Specific gravity (from the MSDS/SDS)
- Melt point
This detailed tracking serves two purposes: it helps you manage costs and it creates a traceability record required for GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliance.
FIFO: First In, First Out
The golden rule of ingredient inventory is FIFO — always use your oldest lot first. Apothecary Wizard sorts your lots by expiration date so you can see at a glance which ingredients need to be used before they spoil.
Cost Tracking
When you log the unit cost of each lot, Apothecary Wizard can calculate the true cost of your recipes based on the actual prices you paid. This is essential for pricing your products profitably. The system will also alert you when ingredient costs increase, so you can adjust your retail prices accordingly.
Expiry Alerts
Check your inventory regularly for expiring lots. Ingredients past their expiration date may not perform correctly and could introduce bacteria or rancidity into your products. When you see an ingredient approaching its expiry date, prioritize using it in your next batch.
Connecting Inventory to Batches
When you create a batch in Apothecary Wizard, you allocate specific lots to that batch. This means you always know exactly which lot of each ingredient went into which batch — essential for quality control and recall management. If a supplier reports a problem with a specific lot number, you can instantly identify which of your batches are affected.