Reorder Point and Safety Stock for Matcha

A reorder point is the stock level at which you place your next order, so the new matcha arrives before you run out. Reorder point = daily use × lead time (days) + safety stock. Use your own figures for all three: daily use from your till, lead time from your own past orders, and a safety stock that covers the variation you actually see.

The three inputs

1. Daily use

Daily use (g) = drinks per day × grams per drink

Take a typical week of till data, count matcha drinks per size, multiply by the dose and divide by trading days. If you serve both milk drinks and pure matcha, calculate each product separately.

2. Lead time

Lead time is the number of days from placing an order to having the matcha on your shelf, ready to use. Measure it yourself: note the order date and the date you put stock away for your last few orders, and count the days. Include weekends and your own receiving routine if they add time.

This article does not give a lead time for Yumi orders. Use your own observed figure, and check the B2B FAQ or ask Yumi if you need information about delivery.

3. Safety stock

Safety stock covers the days when you sell more than usual or the delivery takes longer than usual. A simple method that works for most cafés:

Safety stock (g) = daily use × buffer days

Choose buffer days from your own experience. If your lead times have varied by two or three days, or your busiest day sells much more than your average, use more buffer.

Worked example: busy café

The figures in these examples are illustrative; replace them with your own.

• 100 lattes a day at 2 g → daily use = 100 × 2 = 200 g
• Lead time you observed on recent orders: 6 days
• Buffer: 3 days → safety stock = 200 × 3 = 600 g

Reorder point = 200 × 6 + 600 = 1,200 + 600 = 1,800 g

When your total stock (unopened bags plus what is left in the opened bag) falls to about 1.8 kg, place the order. In practice: once you are down to one unopened 1 kg bag and the opened bag holds less than about 800 g, it is time.

Worked example: smaller café

• 30 lattes a day at 2 g → daily use = 30 × 2 = 60 g
• Observed lead time: 5 days
• Buffer: 4 days → safety stock = 60 × 4 = 240 g

Reorder point = 60 × 5 + 240 = 300 + 240 = 540 g

With 1 kg bags, this café reorders when the open bag is down to just over half and no unopened bag is left.

Worked example: slow-moving pure matcha

• 5 usucha serves a day at 2 g → daily use = 5 × 2 = 10 g
• Observed lead time: 5 days
• Buffer: 5 days → safety stock = 10 × 5 = 50 g

Reorder point = 10 × 5 + 50 = 50 + 50 = 100 g

Here the bigger question is freshness, not running out. One 1 kg bag lasts a long time at 10 g a day, so check how long an opened bag takes to finish and whether that fits your "use within" rule. Matcha shelf life after opening explains how to set one.

How much to order

The reorder point tells you when. How much depends on how long you want each order to last:

Order quantity ≈ daily use × days of cover you want

For the busy café, 200 g × 30 days = 6,000 g, so about six 1 kg bags. Round to whole bags and check the result against storage space and freshness. How much matcha to order the first time covers the first order specifically, and the monthly matcha budget turns daily use into kilos per month.

Worksheet

Item	Ceremonial Barista Matcha	Ceremonial Matcha
Drinks per day
Grams per drink
Daily use (g)
Observed lead time (days)
Buffer days
Safety stock (g)
Reorder point (g)
Days of cover per order
Order quantity (g, rounded to kg)

Keep it current

• Recalculate when your menu, dose or volume changes, and before seasonal peaks; planning stock for seasonal peaks goes further.
• Re-measure lead time every few orders. If it changes, update the figure.
• Make it visible. Write the reorder point on the stockroom shelf or in your stock sheet, as "reorder at X kg", so whoever does the count knows.
• Count regularly. A reorder point only works if someone checks stock against it, for example at every weekly count.

Next step

Pull a week of till data, record your lead time on the next order, fill in the worksheet, and set a reorder point for Ceremonial Barista Matcha in 1 kg bags and, if you serve pure matcha, Ceremonial Matcha.