FIFO for Matcha: Stock Rotation That Protects Freshness

FIFO (first in, first out) means the matcha that arrived first is used first. For matcha it needs one extra rule, because opened and unopened stock age differently. Open bags in order of best-before date, finish one opened bag before opening the next, and track the date of opening as closely as the date on the pack. With clear labels and a fixed shelf layout, rotation runs itself.

Why rotation matters for matcha

Matcha loses colour and flavour gradually, faster once opened and when kept warm. A bag pushed to the back of the shelf can sit there while newer stock is used, and by the time someone finds it, it may be close to or past its date. Rotation protects quality and avoids throwing stock away; reducing matcha waste behind the bar covers the other common causes of loss.

Step 1: Label on arrival

When a delivery comes in, label every bag before it goes on the shelf. The delivery inspection checklist covers what to check at the same moment.

Product:      [Ceremonial Barista Matcha / Ceremonial Matcha]
Received:     [DD-MM-YYYY]
Best before:  [from the pack]
Batch/lot:    [from the pack]
Opened:       [__-__-____]   Use by: [__-__-____]

Leave "Opened" and "Use by" blank until the bag is opened. Use a large, clear label on the front so dates can be read without moving the bag.

Step 2: Arrange the shelf

• One shelf position per product, clearly marked.
• Earliest best-before date at the front or on the left, later dates behind or to the right.
• New deliveries go behind existing stock, never in front. If the new delivery has an earlier best-before date than what is on the shelf (it can happen), the date decides, not the arrival order.
• Opened bag kept apart from unopened stock, in its own marked spot, so nobody opens a second one by mistake.

Step 3: Decide which bag to open next

Use this order of rules:

1. Is there an opened bag of this product? Finish it first.
2. If not, open the unopened bag with the earliest best-before date.
3. If two bags share a date, open the one received first.

Only one opened bag per product at a time. Two opened bags means twice the air exposure and a bag that will be forgotten.

Step 4: Date-of-opening logic

Once a bag is opened, it has two dates that matter:

• The best-before date printed on the pack, which applies to the unopened product.
• Your use-by date after opening, which you calculate from your own rule.

The earlier of the two is the date that counts.

Worked example. A bag with a best-before date in eight months is opened on 2 November. Your house rule says "use within six weeks of opening". Use-by = 2 November + 6 weeks = 14 December. That is earlier than the printed date, so 14 December goes on the label.

How to set the "use within" period for your own bar is explained in matcha shelf life: best-before date vs freshness after opening. For the best-before period of a specific Yumi product, check the pack or the B2B FAQ.

Step 5: Working containers follow the same rule

Working tins at the bar are filled from the opened bag. Never top up old powder with new; empty, clean and dry the tin, then refill. Label the tin with the fill date and the opened bag's use-by date, so the bar knows which date applies.

Weekly rotation check

Add this to your weekly stock count.

• [ ] Every bag labelled with received date, best-before date and batch
• [ ] Shelf in date order, earliest at the front
• [ ] Only one opened bag per product
• [ ] Opened bag has an opened date and use-by date
• [ ] No bag within [your chosen number] weeks of its date without a plan to use it
• [ ] Working tins labelled and not topped up
• [ ] Anything past its use-by date removed and recorded as waste

If stock is moving too slowly

If you regularly find bags approaching their date, the problem is usually order size, not rotation. Compare your order quantity with how fast you actually use matcha. For slow-moving Ceremonial Matcha used for pure serves, consider smaller working portions and ordering less at a time.

Next step

Print the label template, set up the shelf in date order for your Ceremonial Barista Matcha and Ceremonial Matcha, and add the weekly check to your stock count from the next delivery onwards.