Cropster
by Cropster
Coffee roasting platform that connects to the roaster and tracks green coffee as it is roasted. Higher packages add roasted and packaged stock, net requirements that turn orders and minimum stock into roast and packaging plans, roast-to-order traceability, webstore orders and, as add-ons, green contract costs, an API and packaging bills of materials.
Why it is classified this way
We call this a Batch / process manufacturing product. Built around recipes or formulas, batch runs, and lot genealogy. May or may not include full time-phased planning.
It is not labeled Full MRP because we have not verified that it accepts dated demand, sales orders, a forecast, or a master production schedule; nets that demand against stock on hand and orders already incoming; explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials; uses lead times or required dates; and produces dated buy, make, transfer, release, or reschedule recommendations. That is a statement about the evidence we found, not a claim that the product is weak, see the capability table and the sources below.
The six Full MRP tests, and how Cropster does on each (1 of 6)
- YesIt represents a bill of materials, recipe, or formula.Evidence: help.cropster.com › Bills of materials(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › Resource planning add on(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › How to create a post roast blend(opens in a new tab)
- PartialIt accepts dated demand, sales orders, a forecast, or a master production schedule.Not established. Only partly shown: the evidence covers some of this but not all of it, so the test is not established.
- PartialIt nets that demand against stock on hand and orders already incoming.Not established. Only partly shown: the evidence covers some of this but not all of it, so the test is not established.
- PartialIt explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials.Not established. Only partly shown: the evidence covers some of this but not all of it, so the test is not established.Net requirements roll packaging plans down into blending and roasting needs: "Please note that finalizing these Packaging plans will automatically trigger roasting and blending demand across associated inventory categories." Packaging materials are deducted by BOM only in the Resource Planning add-on. help.cropster.com › How to plan production using net requirements(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › Resource planning add on(opens in a new tab)
- PartialIt uses lead times or required dates.Not established. Only partly shown: the evidence covers some of this but not all of it, so the test is not established.
- PartialIt produces dated buy, make, transfer, release, or reschedule recommendations.Not established. Only partly shown: the evidence covers some of this but not all of it, so the test is not established.
These rules are applied identically to every product and enforced at build time, a record cannot be published as Full MRP unless all six pass with a source attached. Read the methodology.
Best for
- Coffee roasters who want roast profiling, AI roast guidance and quality control tied to green inventory
- Roasteries on Scale or above that want orders and minimum stock levels to drive roast and packaging plans
- Multi-site roasters, since Core and up include unlimited locations and users
Not a fit when
- Makers outside coffee roasting
- Small roasters who want roasted-stock planning on a budget: it starts at Scale, $319 a month before the volume charge
- Buyers who want one all-inclusive price: contracts, costs, the API and materials planning are add-ons below Advanced
Pricing facts
What it costs to do manufacturing in this product.
Free plan
10 roasts a month on the Starter feature set (roast logging and basic green inventory). It is a roasting app, not production planning.
Free plan
$0/month
Advertised from
$35/month
Useful entry price
$319/month
Billing basis
Mixed
Why the useful price is higher
Core ($109) tracks green inventory only. Roasted-stock reporting, "Automated production plans", order management and "End-to-end traceability, contract to café" start at Scale ($319 from), before the volume charge.
Plans
| Plan | Price | Add-ons and setup |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | — |
| 10 roasts a month. Roast logging only. | ||
| StarterBilled monthly | from $35/mo | — |
| Up to 200 roasts a month and 6 kg machine capacity; volume charge above 250 kg roasted a month. Small roasters who mainly need roast profiling and basic green stock. | ||
| CoreBilled monthly | from $109/mo | Green Contracts & Costs Management (unpriced); Business Systems Connectivity (API) (unpriced) |
| Volume charge above 250 kg roasted a month. Live green inventory, roast profiles and sensory analysis; no roasted-stock planning. Add-on prices are in euros only (€500 and €100 a month). Roasters who need green inventory and roast quality, not production planning. | ||
| ScaleBilled monthly | from $319/mo | Green Contracts & Costs Management (unpriced); Business Systems Connectivity (API) (unpriced) |
| Volume charge above 250 kg roasted a month. Adds roasted inventory reporting, traceability, order management and automated production plans. Add-on prices are in euros only. The first package that covers green-to-packaged planning. | ||
| AdvancedBilled monthly | from $1,159/mo | — |
| Volume charge above 250 kg roasted a month. Larger roasteries that want contracts, costs, materials planning and the API included. | ||
Cheapest paid plan that manufactures, by paid users
- 1 user: Starter, at least $35 a month (billed monthly); first year at least $420.
- 5 users: Starter, at least $35 a month (billed monthly); first year at least $420.
- 10 users: Starter, at least $35 a month (billed monthly); first year at least $420.
Pricing detail
"All Roast plans include a static monthly price plus a volume-based price." Volume charges begin after 250 kg roasted a month; the page's calculator shows the per-kg rate but we could not read it without entering a volume. Starting prices in the USD view: Starter $35, Core $109, Scale $319, Advanced $1,159 a month. In euros: €26, €95, €275, €999. "Final amount will be calculated according to current FX at billing." Annual plans get 10% off. Add-ons are priced in euros only: Sample Management €199, Green Contracts & Costs Management €500, Business Systems Connectivity (API) €100 and Resource Planning €500 a month (the Resource Planning page says €250 during early access). Starter allows up to 200 roasts a month on machines up to 6 kg.
Checked on October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com(opens in a new tab). Prices change. Check before you buy.
Manufacturing capability
20 of 25 fields resolved. "Unknown" means we have not found first-party evidence. It is not a No.
Planning
Working out what to buy or make, and when.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts dated demandYou can tell it what is due and when, sales orders with dates, a forecast, or a production schedule. | Partial | Net requirements start from orders and stock targets: "Total demand: The sum of all customer orders plus your Minimum stock levels." Orders can come from webstores or the API. The help pages do not say whether order due dates set when production is planned.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to plan production using net requirements(opens in a new tab); cropster.com › Order fulfillment(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Nets against stock on handIt subtracts what you already have before telling you to buy more. | Yes | "Current supply: On-hand inventory plus any production already on your schedule." For packaged stock: "(Ordered+Minimum stock level) - (On hand+Scheduled packaging) = Net requirement".Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to plan production using net requirements(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › Managing roasted inventory(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Counts incoming ordersIt knows about purchase orders and production orders already placed, so it does not tell you to order twice. | Partial | Scheduled roasting and packaging count as supply in the net requirement. For incoming green coffee, the Resource Planning page only says it can "Forecast incoming green coffee supply and see how it shapes your whole plan."Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to plan production using net requirements(opens in a new tab); cropster.com › Resource planning(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Uses lead timesIt works backwards from when you need something to when you must order or start it, using supplier and production lead times. | Partial | The Resource Planning add-on lets you "set reorder points and lead times so that you always know when it's time to place a new order" for non-coffee materials. No page says lead times offset the coffee production plan.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › Resource planning add on(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date. | Partial | Packaging plans are pre-filled from the net requirement for a date you choose: "the To be packaged fields are pre-filled based on the Net requirements." Dated buy suggestions appear only in Resource Planning marketing ("Runout reports built on your real production data tell you what to buy and when").Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to plan production using net requirements(opens in a new tab); cropster.com › Resource planning(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of work-center or resource capacity being compared against load.Know the answer? |
Production
Recipes, bills of materials, and running the work.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of materialsA list of the parts and quantities needed to make one of something. | Yes | "A bill of materials (BOM) defines the raw materials needed to produce one unit of a finished good." BOMs are part of the Resource Planning add-on, and the article notes that "Some BOM functionality may be unavailable currently."Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › Bills of materials(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › Resource planning add on(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Multi-level BOMSub-assemblies inside assemblies, a part that is itself made from other parts, nested as deep as you need. | Partial | Requirements cascade through coffee stages: "Blending: If bags contain a blend, the system calculates the “gap” in your bins and tells you exactly how much more mix (Blending requirement) is needed for the Packaging plan." That is packaging to blend to roast, not a general nested BOM.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to plan production using net requirements(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Recipes & formulasBatch-style production by weight, volume, or percentage, including scaling a batch up or down. | Yes | Post-roast blends use reusable recipes: "To define a reusable recipe, simplify production planning, and maintain blend consistency, you can create a Post-roast blend Profile". Roast profiles hold the roast itself.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to create a post roast blend(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Work / manufacturing ordersA record authorising and tracking the making of a specific quantity. | Yes | Packaging plans and roast schedules are the production orders: "Click Create packaging plan. The plan appears on the Packaging plans overview page with a unique PPL prefix."Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to create stock using packaging plans and execution(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Routings & operationsThe ordered steps a product goes through, and which machine or station does each one. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of operation sequences or routings attached to production.Know the answer? |
| Shop-floor trackingOperators report progress, time, and completions as the work happens. | Yes | Executing a plan gives staff instructions and updates stock: "Use the execution feature to provide staff with preparation instructions and to update available inventory records." Green coffee is deducted live while roasting with Roasting Intelligence.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to create stock using packaging plans and execution(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › Managing green inventory(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Quality controlsChecks, tests, holds, and non-conformance records tied to production or receiving. | Yes | Roast goals and grading: "Confidently delegate to your team by defining success parameters that ensure consistent quality across thousands of roasts". Core includes "Sensory & Physical Analysis".Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com › Roasting qc(opens in a new tab); cropster.com › Packages(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Inventory & traceability
Knowing what you hold and being able to trace it.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Batch & lot traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went. | Yes | The Roast Traceability Report lets you "Trace your roasts (PR) and any post-roast blends (PB) included in your Orders" and "Easily initiate a product recall if needed." The help article says it is "exclusive to Commerce users"; the packages page places traceability in Scale.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › Using the roast traceability report(opens in a new tab); cropster.com › Packages(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Expiry & shelf lifeBest-before dates on materials and finished goods, with warnings before they lapse. | Partial | Order fulfillment uses "“first-in-first-out” (FIFO) logic to ensure product freshness". No page describes expiry or best-before dates.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com › Order fulfillment(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Serial numbersUnique identifiers on individual units, for warranty or field service. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of serial number tracking on individual units.Know the answer? |
Commerce & accounting
Costs, purchasing, storefronts, and the books.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Product costing & COGSWhat it costs you to make one, and the cost of the goods you sold. | Partial | Green Contracts & Costs records landed cost: "Aggregation of all costs for clarity on total landed cost of green." It is an add-on to Core and Scale. No page describes a cost per roasted or packaged unit.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com › Green contracts costs(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › Track costs on green contracts(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| PurchasingRaising and tracking purchase orders to suppliers from inside the system. | Partial | Green contracts are tracked from creation to arrival (an add-on below Advanced), and the Resource Planning page promises to "Plan and place purchases automatically from your real run rates." No help article describes supplier purchase orders.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com › Green contracts costs(opens in a new tab); cropster.com › Resource planning(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger. | Partial | No named accounting connector. The API page says it supplies "your entire tech stack with specialized coffee intelligence, ensuring accuracy from your ERP to your financial tools"; the API is an add-on below Advanced.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com › Api(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace. | Yes | "Aggregate webstore orders or use our Business Systems Connectivity (API) to sync demand from any source into a consolidated view". Help articles cover Shopify, WooCommerce/Beans and ShipStation.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com › Order fulfillment(opens in a new tab); help.cropster.com › Setting up the shopify integration for commerce(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Openness & your data
Getting data in, out, and away if you leave.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| APIA documented programming interface so other software can read and write your data. | Yes | "Whether you use a global enterprise system or a custom setup, the Cropster API integrates with your existing tech stack as is." Included in Advanced; an add-on (€100 a month) for Core and Scale.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: cropster.com › Api(opens in a new tab); cropster.com › Packages(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| WebhooksThe system can notify other software the moment something changes. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of outbound webhooks or event subscriptions.Know the answer? |
| MCP supportA Model Context Protocol server, letting an AI assistant read or act on this data. Useful, but it has nothing to do with whether the product plans materials. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: a first-party mcp server, or documentation of one.Know the answer? |
| CSV exportYou can get your lists out as spreadsheet files. | Partial | "All data in Cropster is exportable." The export options listed are Excel (.xls) and PDF, not CSV.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to export cropster data(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Full data exportYou can take everything, including history and relationships, not just a few screens' worth of rows. | Partial | Account settings export lots, samples, physical and sensorial results for up to one year at a time, one data set at a time. That is not a single full export.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: help.cropster.com › How to export cropster data(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Deployment, licensing and your data
- Deployment
- Cloud (hosted for you), Desktop app
- Licensing
- Proprietary SaaS
- Team sizes
- Just me, 2–5 people, 6–20 people, 21–50 people, 51+ people
- Manufacturing styles
- Batch & recipe products
Integrations
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Beans
- ShipStation
- Roast machines (over 1,000 models)
Industries
Jobs this product qualifies for
Derived from the capability table above, not hand-assigned.
Editorial notes and cautions
Things we would want a friend to know before buying.
- This is a coffee-roasting specialist. The directory has no coffee industry value yet, so it is filed under food and beverage.
- Every package adds a volume charge on top of the starting price once you roast more than 250 kg a month, and the US price is converted from euros at the exchange rate on the billing date.
- Add-ons are priced only in euros, so a US buyer's total depends on the exchange rate.
- Some features are new: the bills of materials help article says some BOM functions are not yet available, and automatic packaging deduction is marked coming soon.
Alternatives to Cropster
An alternative is always an alternative for a reason. There is no universal replacement.
Kerno is a general formula-and-batch tool for small makers and costs far less than Cropster's Scale package; a roaster who mainly needs recipes, batches and stock, not roast profiling, could start there.
Evidence and verification
Why this record is not Verified. Held at partially verified: the per-kg volume rates from the pricing calculator were not captured, so every package price here is a lower bound, and several planning claims rest on add-on marketing pages.
Researched 2026-10-09 from the packages page (USD figures read from the rendered page after switching the currency), the solution pages and the Cropster help center articles on roasted inventory, net requirements, packaging plans, BOMs, traceability, green costs and exports. Cropster is a coffee-roasting specialist; we file it under food and beverage until the taxonomy has a coffee value.
Sources we checked (7)
help.cropster.com
What we still want to confirm
We publish our gaps rather than hiding them. If you can point us at a first-party page for any of these, we will update the record and credit the correction.
- Read the per-kg volume rates for each package from the pricing calculator.
- Confirm whether order due dates and green coffee arrivals feed the net requirement.
- Confirm product costing for roasted and packaged coffee, and any accounting connector.
- Confirm capacity planning, serial numbers, webhooks and expiry handling.
Still unknown: capacity planning, routings & operations, serial numbers, webhooks, mcp support.