Coffee Roastery Spreadsheet vs. Roastery Software
Most roasteries start in a spreadsheet, and for a while it works. This comparison covers where spreadsheets hold up, where they start to cost you time, and what to look for when you move to dedicated roastery software.
Updated
Where spreadsheets work well
A spreadsheet is free, flexible, and familiar. For a handful of green coffee lots and a few roast days a week, one sheet can hold purchases, roast weights, and a simple cost per pound.
Where spreadsheets start to break down
As purchases, roasts, and wholesale orders accumulate, quantities drift away from what is on the shelf and one formula edit can silently change every cost. Tracing a bag cost back to a specific lot or batch usually means searching several tabs.
What dedicated roastery software adds
Dedicated software keeps green lots, roast batches, finished coffee, and costs linked in one record. In RoastBase, green weight used and finished weight produce roast loss and yield, and landed green cost flows into cost per bag and wholesale margin.
How to move over without starting from scratch
Begin with your current green coffee on hand and record new purchases and roasts from that day forward. You do not need to rebuild your whole history. RoastBase costs $29 per month with a free 30-day trial and no per-pound fees, so you can run it beside your spreadsheet before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
When should a roastery move off spreadsheets?
Usually when quantities stop matching the shelf, costs are hard to trace to a lot or batch, or reconciling takes more time than roasting.
Can I try RoastBase alongside my spreadsheet?
Yes. RoastBase has a free 30-day trial, so you can record new purchases and roasts in it while you keep the spreadsheet.