ERP case study for Food - Kestrel Foods (Forest Feast)

Kestrel Foods Forest Feast Ltd EDP ERP and E-Commerce business solutions

ERP for Premium Snack Manufacturing

About

Born in 1996, Kestrel Foods is a leading manufacturer of premium healthy snacks, sourcing the finest global ingredients such as dried fruit, nuts and seeds, and granola. They operate through four brands, Acti-Snack, Just Live A Little, Indie Bay and their flagship brand, Forest Feast. Forest Feast is renowned for its high-quality, designer packaging and commitment to organic, Fair Trade and additive-free ingredients.

Challenge

In a fast-paced industry such as Food, efficient stock control, quick turnaround times and streamlined distribution management are essential to meeting demand. To stay ahead, Kestrel Foods needed a solution to handle their supply chain, whilst maintaining their high-quality standards.

As a manufacturer of perishable goods, Kestrel Foods faced several operational challenges:

  • Stock Visibility, Picking & Distribution: Ensuring accurate inventory levels to prevent stock shortages and over-ordering. They also needed help with managing high-volume orders with multiple product variations, while ensuring timely dispatch.
  • Outdated Processes: Kestrel Foods previously relied on an accounting system that wasn’t fit for purpose. As a result, the team had to handwrite purchase orders and fax them to suppliers - a process that was time-consuming and prone to errors.
  • Regulatory & Compliance Requirements: Meeting industry standards for food safety, traceability, packaging and shipping.
  • Rapid Company Growth: To support their growing operations, and the complexity of their operations, they needed a fully integrated system to handle all aspects of the business.
  • Multi-Currency: Buying and selling in three currencies led to manual work, errors, and exchange rate confusion.

ERP software for Food

"I'd recommend De Facto Software for anyone who is considering an ERP system; it has offered us the system capability to support us as we've expanded."

Lorraine McCafee - Finance Director

Kestrel Foods

Solution

To support Kestrel Foods’ growing operations, we implemented tailored solutions through De Facto ERP, designed to improve stock management, production planning and order fulfilment. Built on a scalable and adaptable platform, the software evolves effortlessly alongside your business. We implemented:

  • Advanced Stock Tracking: Real-time insights into stock levels, SKUs, commitments, and replenishments — ensuring product availability and accurate inventory management.
  • Optimised Order Processing: Seamlessly integrated with your CMS to handle large-scale orders efficiently, reducing manual errors and speeding up turnaround times.
  • Seamless Supply Chain Management: Integrating purchasing, inventory, and dispatch into a single, fully integrated system — with the flexibility to configure De Facto ERP to meet their exact business needs. For example, defining the unique structure of their Bill of Materials for production.
  • Scalability: The ERP system adapts to business expansion, seasonal demand shifts and new product lines.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Customised shipping documents, invoicing layouts and international trade support to meet global distribution requirements.
  • Automated Multi-Currency Processes: De Facto’s multi-currency support automates conversions and simplifies cross-border transactions — for faster, error-free finance.

Incorporating De Facto ERP, Kestrel Foods benefitted from enhanced efficiency, reduced waste and optimised resource planning whilst supporting the company’s future growth.

ERP software for Food

"We have a very good working relationship with De Facto, we have done for many years and they provide a strong support base."

Lorraine McCafee - Finance Director

Kestrel Foods

 
Kestrel Foods (Forest Feast) Case Study
 
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