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There are two steps to getting countable ingredients, and both matter:
  1. Create the ingredient in the business catalog.
  2. Track it at a branch with an opening stock balance.
Creating an ingredient is not enough on its own. A stocktake only shows ingredients that are tracked at that branch (have a stock level). This is the most common “my stocktake is empty” cause — the catalog has ingredients, but the branch has none tracked yet.

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Step 1 — Create ingredients

In the dashboard, open Inventory → Inputs and add an ingredient. You’ll set:

Name & category

A clear name (e.g. “Almonds”) and a category to keep the catalog organized and to group reports.

Unit

The unit the ingredient is measured in (e.g. kg, g, L, ml, piece). This is the unit staff will count in, and it appears on every count line.

Purchase cost

What a unit costs. This is what powers food cost and stock valuation reporting later — set it if you want those numbers to be meaningful.

Supplier (optional)

Who you buy it from. Useful later for procurement and for the “Supplier Short Delivery” variance reason.
The catalog is business-level — an ingredient you create is available to every branch of that business, but is only tracked where you choose in Step 2.

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Step 2 — Track ingredients at a branch (opening stock)

Tracking an ingredient at a branch creates its stock level. Pick whichever method fits your situation.
In Inventory → Stock Levels, select the branch, then add the ingredient and set:
  • Opening stock — how much you physically have right now.
  • Reorder point (optional) — the threshold for a low-stock signal.
Repeat for each ingredient you want counted at that branch. This is the quickest path for a handful of items or for a smoke test.
Always set an opening stock balance. With no opening balance, “expected” quantity drifts negative and every variance figure becomes noise. Make setting opening stock a required step when onboarding a branch.

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You’re set up when…

The branch shows its tracked ingredients under Stock Levels, each with a quantity.
Once a branch has active stock levels, a newly created stocktake will list those ingredients as count lines.
Tracking ingredients does not backfill a stocktake that was already open — a stocktake snapshots its lines at creation time. If you tracked ingredients after starting a count, start a fresh stocktake.
Next: Run a stocktake.