Case Study: Small chocolate manufacturer thrives during busy season thanks to ERP

York Cocoa Works’ manual planning tools could not keep pace with its ambitions, so the team decided to implement an ERP designed for small manufacturers. “It has enabled us to become much more efficient in our use of resources and deliver in a more timely manner,” says Sophie Jewett, Founder.

Preserving York’s chocolate legacy

York Cocoa Works is a bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer in the historic centre of York, a city once synonymous with confectionery giants like Rowntree’s and Terry’s. The business was born from founder Sophie Jewett’s passion for chocolate and her desire to preserve York’s manufacturing legacy through education, craft production, and transparent processes. After beginning with Belgian chocolates in her kitchen in 2009, Jewett expanded her vision into a fully operational chocolate factory in 2018, now supported by a team of 18 employees and a visitor centre where guests can see the entire chocolate-making process from cocoa beans to finished bars.

The company’s growth, however, brought increasing operational strain. Planning production, forecasting demand, and managing resources became progressively difficult, particularly during the COVID-19 period when demand fluctuated unpredictably. York Cocoa Works relied heavily on paper and Excel spreadsheets to model capacity and organise workflow. As the business scaled, these manual tools could no longer keep pace with its ambitions.

“We had significant challenges around anticipating demand and resourcing,” Jewett recalls. “We were building our modelling on paper and Excel spreadsheets. We needed something that could help us visualise our resources and unlock capacity.”

A minimal-risk system for a small food manufacturer

The search for a digital solution began with a simple requirement: the system needed to integrate with Shopify, which the company already depended on. MRPeasy surfaced during this search, and unlike other solutions, it presented clear pricing, minimal risk, and an affordable subscription model that suited the realities of a small but growing food manufacturer.

“I spoke to other regional producers who shared similar frustrations in finding an MRP system suitable for artisan-scale manufacturing,” Jewett remembers. “MRPeasy stood out as the only tool that met our needs without requiring a massive investment.”

Implementation finally began in earnest in April 2025 and was deliberately planned as a phased rollout. This approach allowed the team to adopt the system without overwhelming ongoing operations, particularly during peak periods. One department took the lead, using MRPeasy to manage inventory, schedule production, and maintain digital records. That team now operates fully paperless and according to lean principles while propagating the benefits of the new system within the wider business.

“We are a dynamic business, continually changing and evolving,” Jewett explains. “We need tools that are robust and that enable us to proactively manage change, and MRPeasy is just that.”

Accessible data helps the business thrive during busy periods

With barely eight months into the rollout, York Cocoa Works has already gathered accurate data that is now informing business planning for the next year. According to Jewett, the most valuable benefit of the new system is the clarity it has brought to their operations.

“MRPeasy is our central communications hub for sharing information on what’s going on with the business and the supply chain,” she says. “This is vital as we are now in the busiest period of our year.”

Crucially, the York Cocoa Works team now has a clear understanding of its ingredient and product inventory. They know exactly what they have in stock and what they need to purchase to fulfill orders. In addition, the new system enables them to keep an eye on material and production costs, facilitating better control over unit costs and profitability.

“As a small business, we need to be agile, responsive, and lean,” Jewett says. “MRPeasy has enabled us to become much more efficient in our use of resources and deliver in a more timely manner. Even with only partial implementation, it has already provided valuable information to show us how we can improve and better align our processes.”

A solid foundation for realising future ambitions

Looking ahead, York Cocoa Works plans to deepen its use of MRPeasy by leveraging the system’s modelling capabilities to evaluate future opportunities, optimise workflows, and understand how costs and overheads are distributed across the business. Jewett sees this as critical for unlocking the next stage of growth.

“MRPeasy is a great tool for enabling a business to map out its potential ambitions,” she concludes. “Its modelling allows you to visualise the impacts of growth and opportunities, and to understand how to allocate costs and resources across the business.”

York Cocoa Works set out to revive York’s chocolate manufacturing tradition with artisan skill and local pride. With MRPeasy now underpinning its production processes, the company has the digital foundation to scale that vision without losing the craft that defines it.