Bakery supply
Bakery suppliers: ingredients, shelf life and cake-shop credit
Bakery supply businesses sell flour improvers, chocolate, creams, fillings, colours, packaging and tools to bakeries, cake shops, hotels and a fast-growing group of home bakers. Short shelf life and festive peaks shape the whole year.
- Catalogue for home bakers
- Trade and retail rates
- Bakery dues on WhatsApp
- Stays in your Tally
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Built for bakery suppliers
Who it’s for
- Bakery ingredient distributorsPremixes, fats and creams to bakeries by the carton
- Chocolate and compound dealersSlabs for bakeries, small packs for home bakers
- Cake decoration shopsColours, sprinkles, toppers and tools, many small SKUs
- Bakery packaging suppliersCake boxes, boards, bases and pastry trays
- Home-baker supply storesSmall packs, upfront payment, WhatsApp enquiries
- Hotel and caterer suppliersLarger orders, GST invoices and longer payment cycles
- RepackersBulk items broken into retail packs under their own label
Pain → fix
The problems we fix
The everyday headaches of bakery suppliers, and what changes when the books are on every phone.
- The problemHome bakers ask 'rate kya hai?' all day on WhatsApp
Answering price questions one by one eats the time you need for bakery orders.
With Cashflow OSA catalogue link with photos they can browseShare one link built from your Tally items; enquiries come back on WhatsApp.
See how it works - The problemSmall orders that need payment before dispatch
Chasing ₹850 from a new home baker costs more than the margin on the order.
With Cashflow OSAn online store with your own payment gatewayA hosted shop at shop.cashflowos.in with guest checkout, paid through your gateway or cash on delivery.
See how it works - The problemBakery rate and home-baker rate mixed up
A trade rate given to a retail buyer, or the reverse, and nobody notices.
With Cashflow OSPrice lists by customer type fill the rateBakeries on one list, home bakers on another; the right rate fills itself on orders and documents.
See how it works - The problemCake shops paying late, a little at a time
Weekly buying on short credit drifts into months unless someone sends a statement.
With Cashflow OSBill-wise dues and statements on WhatsAppSee every cake shop's pending bills with ageing and send the statement before the next order.
See how it works - The problemHundreds of SKUs that look alike in the godown
Ten shades of gel colour and four sizes of board are easy to mix up when packing.
With Cashflow OSItem photos and your own display namesAdd photos and a name staff recognise beside the Tally item name.
See how it works - The problemChristmas rush orders typed in late at night
In peak week orders come by call, WhatsApp and visit, and some never reach the bill.
With Cashflow OSSales orders posted straight to TallyOrders taken on the phone or web go into Tally as sales orders with lines and GST.
See how it works
Features
How Cashflow OS works for bakery suppliers
Products with photos, for staff and buyers
How it works. Items sync from Tally. Add photos and display names, and use Tally stock groups such as creams, chocolates and packaging as categories.
- Photos and your own names beside Tally names
- Tally stock groups used as categories
- Same item list for catalogue, store and orders
In practiceA home baker sends a photo of a gold lustre dust; staff find the matching item, with its 10 g and 50 g packs, in seconds.
Catalogue and shop for home bakers
How it works. Share a catalogue link customers browse without an app, or run a hosted shop with guest checkout. Items can be hidden or shown as price on request.
- Catalogue link with enquiries on WhatsApp
- Shop at shop.cashflowos.in with guest checkout
- Your own payment gateway or cash on delivery
In practiceBefore Christmas, Neha's Bakes orders ₹2,340 of cream, cocoa and cake boxes from the shop link at 11 pm and collects next morning.
Bakery orders at trade rates
How it works. Orders taken on the phone or web pick the bakery's price list and post to Tally as sales orders.
- Trade rate filled from the customer's price list
- GST worked out from item and party state
- Optional approval for staff orders
In practiceAnnapurna Bakers orders 12 cartons of whipping cream and 20 kg of dark compound worth ₹38,900; the order is in Tally before the van is loaded.
Cake-shop dues, week by week
How it works. Bill-wise outstanding and ageing come from Tally. Share a party statement on WhatsApp as a PDF in Tally's format.
- Pending bills with ageing per customer
- Statement on WhatsApp before the next order
- Same figure in the office and on the van
In practiceSweet Corner Cakes has ₹14,600 pending across five bills. The fortnightly statement goes out on Monday, before their Diwali order.
Which items sell in which season
How it works. Sales and stock reports from Tally for any date range, exported to Excel or PDF, help you plan festive buying.
- Sales by item and period, from Tally
- Custom date ranges across financial years
- Excel export to build next season's list
In practiceComparing December with the same weeks last year shows cake boxes ran out on 21 December, so the owner orders more boxes earlier.
Know your trade
A guide for bakery suppliers
How the business works, where money gets stuck, and the GST points to watch.
What bakery suppliers sell
The range is wide: maida and premixes, sugar and icing sugar, fats and margarines, whipping creams and non-dairy toppings, chocolate compounds and couverture, cocoa, fillings and glazes, essences and colours, sprinkles and decorations, cake boards and boxes, moulds, nozzles and small equipment. Brands sell through distributors; imported items come through importers; some suppliers repack bulk items into smaller packs for home bakers.
Customers include bakeries, cake shops and patisseries, sweet shops, hotels and restaurants, caterers, cloud kitchens and home bakers. Bakeries buy in cartons and on credit; home bakers buy small packs, pay upfront and want to see products first.
Serving home bakers
Home bakers are a distinct and growing customer group. They buy small quantities of many items, follow trends they see online, and often ask for products by a brand name or a photo. They want to know prices before visiting, appreciate advice on which cream or compound suits a recipe, and come back every week if they are served well. Many suppliers now run a separate counter or delivery service for them, with small packs, a fixed retail price list and payment upfront. Workshops and demonstrations, run by the supplier or a brand, bring new home bakers in and build loyalty. Keep their contact numbers and purchase history, because a home baker who grows into a small cake business becomes a regular trade account.
Shelf life and cold storage
Whipping creams, some fillings and chocolates need chilled or frozen storage and have limited shelf life; premixes and decorations last longer but still expire. Sell the oldest stock first, check dates every month, and do not overstock chilled items before a peak you are not sure about. Record spoilage and expired stock as a stock adjustment the same week. Tally can keep batch and expiry details for items where you enable them.
Temperature-sensitive deliveries
Chocolate and cream products can be damaged in summer heat during delivery. Use insulated boxes, deliver early in the day, and note the condition at handover so that complaints can be settled fairly.
Packs, repacking and pricing
The same chocolate compound may be sold as a 5 kg slab to a bakery and a 500 g pack to a home baker. If you repack, record a stock journal that consumes the bulk item and packing material and produces the small packs, so stock and cost stay right.
| Item | Bakery pack | Home-baker pack |
|---|---|---|
| Dark compound | 5 kg slab | 500 g repacked |
| Whipping cream | 1 L carton, case of 12 | 1 L carton |
| Gel colour | Box of 12 | Single bottle |
Price lists by customer type keep rates consistent: bakeries on a trade rate, home bakers on a retail rate. See price list management.
Festive peaks
Christmas and New Year are the biggest cake season; Diwali brings gift hampers and chocolates; Valentine's week, Mother's Day, Raksha Bandhan and wedding seasons add peaks. Bakeries order more and want credit; home bakers order in bulk in the week before. Plan purchases, especially of imported and chilled items with long lead times, and keep a list of last year's top sellers by season. See festive season stock planning.
Credit and collections
Bakeries and cake shops typically buy weekly on short credit. Many are small businesses with daily cash income, and they pay irregularly unless reminded. A fortnightly statement and a polite reminder before the next order work better than chasing at month end. Hotels and caterers pay on longer cycles and need correct GST invoices. Keep home bakers on advance payment or cash on delivery.
GST points
Bakery ingredients, chocolates, creams, colours, packaging and equipment fall under many HSN codes and rates, and rates for several food items have been revised. Check the current rate for each on the GST portal and keep item masters updated. Repacked goods sold under your own label may have labelling and food-safety requirements as well. This is general information, not tax advice.
Cashflow OS for bakery suppliers
Cashflow OS syncs your TallyPrime books. Item photos and an online catalogue let bakeries and home bakers browse products and send enquiries on WhatsApp, and a hosted online store at shop.cashflowos.in can take orders from home bakers with payment through your own gateway or cash on delivery. Price lists by customer type fill rates automatically. Bakery outstanding is on the phone, with statements on WhatsApp. See online store.
This page is general information for Indian businesses, not tax, legal or financial advice. Rules and rates change — check the official portals or your CA before acting.
Set-up
Up and running in 4 steps
No new software to learn for your accountant — Tally stays as it is.
- 1
Install the Tally Connector on the PC where TallyPrime runs
- 2
Sign in with your mobile number and scan the connector's QR
- 3
Add photos to best sellers and set trade and retail price lists
- 4
Share the catalogue or shop link and invite staff with a link
Buyer’s checklist
What to look for in software for bakery suppliers
Whatever you choose, check these before you commit.
- Keeps Tally as the books, with items and stock synced rather than re-entered
- Photos and readable names for hundreds of small SKUs
- Separate rates for bakeries, caterers and home bakers, applied automatically
- A way for home bakers to browse and order without calling
- Payment to your own gateway, or cash on delivery, for small online orders
- Bill-wise outstanding and WhatsApp statements for trade customers
- Sales reports by period to plan festive buying
- Batch and expiry left in Tally where you already keep them
Plans
Simple yearly plans
- 14-day free trial on your own books
- 3-year term saves up to 25%
- Premium modules (catalogue, field force, price lists, store…) priced extra
Start free trialGet the price for your business
Compare all plans- Growth₹3,000/year + GSTBooks, reports, outstanding and sharing
- Pro₹5,000/year + GSTEverything in Growth, plus entries into Tally
- Pro+₹7,000/year + GSTEverything in Pro, plus e-invoice and e-way bill
Why Cashflow OS
Why bakery suppliers choose Cashflow OS
- One item list everywhereCatalogue, shop, orders and stock all come from your Tally items.
- Trade and retail in one placePrice lists keep bakery and home-baker rates apart without a second system.
- Your money, your gatewayStore payments go through your own payment gateway, or cash on delivery.
- Orders into TallySales orders post through the connector, and Tally validates each one.
- Hindi and EnglishStaff can use the app in Hindi or English.
- 14-day free trialTry it on your own Tally data; support on call or WhatsApp from Jaipur.
