When Gerardo Lopez, co-founder of La Tortilleria, first arrived in Melbourne, he struggled to find good, authentic Mexican food. La Tortilleria sprang up in 2013 to set the standard on authentic Mexican cuisine; the business involves a restaurant, manufacturing and wholesaling. To Gerardo, real Mexican food retains its indigenous roots from Aztec times, that is why they only use corn and sea salt for their tortillas.
For Gerardo and his team, the challenge was to change Australia’s perspective of Mexican cuisine; they were used to highly processed food and franchised brands that could not even compare to the real thing. To overcome this, they educate their consumers by engaging directly with people through restaurants and markets. Their products are now widely sought after by top Mexican restaurants, hotels and bars across Australia.
Consumers have become more aware of what they eat. This change in the marketplace meant supermarkets and farmer markets have also jumped on the bandwagon. Keeping true to its Aztec roots, their tortillas are locally produced, without any additives; it is the real Mexican deal.
Spreadsheets create holes in your inventory
Before Unleashed, managing the inventory at La Tortilleria was an ad hoc business. They used multiple spreadsheets to keep an eye on their inventory but found it difficult to capture information about production or customers.
As the business grew and they established a new manufacturing facility, it was imminent that they needed an inventory management solution to automate their processes and capture more information. In selecting an inventory management, they needed one that was cloud-based. “I want to access technology that large businesses have within our small manufacturing facility,” explains Gerardo.
Inventory management at the heart of their business
Since selecting Unleashed as their inventory management solution, they have experienced benefits across their business. “We’re running Unleashed as a core system of our business. It goes all the way from order management, inventory management, manufacturing to dispatching of our products. For a manufacturing company, we’re using Unleashed for everything that is key to our business,” states Gerardo.
The batch tracking feature allows Gerardo and his team to track products from raw materials all the way to dispatch. This added visibility is key to their food manufacturing business as it allows them to know where their products are at any given time, keeping them ahead of any compliance regulations. As a food manufacturing business, it is essential to maintain visibility on your goods, especially in case of a product recall.
“Being able to access information anywhere you are from any device allows us to have on time information of the business and make decisions on the spot”
With the mobility Unleashed provides, Gerardo and his team can access inventory information from anywhere. Their sales rep can enter orders into the system instead of calling the head office to do it on their behalf. Time saved on staff translates to the team spending more time with their customers, or enhancing the business as a whole. This is also good news for customers as their order is placed in the system right away.
“As a business owner, one of the main benefits is the mobility,” explains Gerardo. Perpetual data allows him to make important business decisions early on, reducing stress on everyone across the business.
Automating business operations at La Tortilleria, from inventory management to manufacturing, has significantly decreased the stress involved in running a business. As Gerardo says, less stress in work life means more time to enjoy personal life!
