Last Updated on February 15, 2025 by Sam Gupta
Food and beverage companies require a distinct ERP strategy due to their unique product development, quality standards, and production processes. This diverse industry includes manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, each needing a customized ERP approach aligned with their specific operations. Even within this sector, product categories such as dairy and frozen foods differ significantly in ERP requirements. Understanding these differences requires analyzing transactions and their interactions with cross-functional datasets.
Food and Beverage Companies’ Business Processes: Unlike other retail segments, planning in this industry presents unique challenges, such as managing expiry dates and tracking lot/serial numbers. Additional complexities stem from constraints like weight serving as the primary Unit of Measure (UoM) and the necessity of catchweight processes. Compliance and quality control also have distinct requirements, with a strong emphasis on adhering to HACCP standards.
Food and Beverage ERP Requirements: Manufacturers in this sector depend on ERP systems that integrate seamlessly with PLM for product development and shop floor management. Many also operate under DTC and DSD business models, requiring an in-house fleet to accommodate unique storage and delivery needs. Scheduling complexities arise from bottlenecks like specialized furnace designs or recipe-driven processes, necessitating batching strategies. For retailers, ERP alignment with product management, merchandising, and planning is essential—similar to other retail sectors but with added complexity due to food and beverage compliance regulations. These industry-specific challenges play a crucial role in shaping ERP functionalities. Looking for the best food and beverage ERP systems in 2025? Check out this list for a great starting point!
ERP Selection: The Ultimate Guide
This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision.
10. ECI Deacom
ECI Deacom targets small food and beverage companies, particularly those heavily involved in eCommerce and DTC. Its processes are tailored to food and beverage or chemical-centric industries. Thus, making it less scalable for diverse food and beverage operations. Despite its strengths, the core ERP layers and data model are not scalable for companies seeking mature ERP capabilities. However, it suits smaller companies transitioning from QuickBooks with constrained implementation budgets. While not universally applicable, its relevance to specific smaller companies in the food and beverage sector earns it the #10 spot on our list of top food and beverage ERP systems.
What makes this ERP system a top choice for food and beverage companies in 2025? How does it excel in e-commerce, DTC, and last-mile delivery? Is it the right fit for your business, and does it support diversified business models? How does its financial backing and technical architecture compare to others? Can it handle supply chain complexities, pricing structures, and formulation management? Discover the answers and see how this ERP stacks up against the competition—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
9. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
MS Dynamics 365 BC targets SMB food and beverage distributors. And it’s especially suitable for food and beverage companies that require depth in supply chain and distribution processes, along with the platform’s flexibility to build last-mile functionality. While it might not have food and beverage capabilities out of the box, the underlying data model is friendlier for food and beverage companies. Because of this reason, the marketplace offers several options for food and beverage companies, including leading solutions such as Aptean Food and Beverage, securing its rank at #9 on our list.
How does this ERP system leverage its extensive ecosystem and add-ons to enhance food and beverage capabilities? What advantages does its native support for packaging serial numbers and lot tracking offer? How well does it handle supply chain complexities, bin allocation, and warehouse management? Can it meet the needs of food and beverage manufacturers despite lacking native formulation management and advanced production features? Are its add-ons as reliable and well-documented as those from OEMs? Get the full breakdown of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other leading solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
ERP System Scorecard Matrix
This resource provides a framework for quantifying the ERP selection process and how to make heterogeneous solutions comparable.
8. SYSPRO
SYSPRO targets small food and beverage companies, both manufacturers and distributors. It can support both discrete and process manufacturing capabilities for food manufacturers owning a packaging line, requiring both of these business processes in one database. It also has a very strong alignment with eCommerce players prevalent in the food and beverage space, increasing the available integration options. While great for smaller operations, it is not suitable for large food and beverage companies with multiple entities. Despite these considerations, it still maintains the rank at #8 on our list of top food and beverage ERP systems.
How does this ERP system natively support formulation management, setting it apart from primarily discrete-focused solutions? How well can it accommodate diverse business models for smaller food and beverage manufacturers and distributors? What advantages does it offer in supply chain and finance, including unit of measure support, bin number capabilities, inventory valuation, and costing layers? Is it the right choice for larger companies with multi-entity operations, or does it have limitations in data sharing and suite capabilities? Are there any technical challenges users should be aware of? Get the full analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
7. SAP S/4 HANA
SAP S/4 HANA caters to larger food and beverage enterprises, excelling in the large enterprise segment or adopting a best-of-breed approach for diversified capabilities. Its key strength is accommodating various global food and beverage business models within one database, but it may lack deep last-mile capabilities, relying on ISV solutions or elongating implementation times. While this reliance can be cost-prohibitive for SMB food and beverage companies, it aligns with the best-of-breed architecture needs required by large food and beverage companies, essential for transactional decoupling and accommodating diverse departmental needs. Despite these considerations, it maintains its position at #7 on our list of the top food and beverage ERP systems.
How does this ERP system provide superior financial control, traceability, and SOX compliance for large food and beverage companies? How well does it support diversified business models across manufacturing and retail? What advantages do its best-of-breed solutions, like SAP EWM for warehouse management, SAP TMS for transportation, and SAP Hybris for e-commerce, offer to larger enterprises? Does its lack of native last-mile functionality and required add-ons for route accounting and scale integration present challenges? Are its financial control processes overly complex for smaller businesses, making it a better fit for large organizations? Get the full breakdown of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
ERP Selection Requirements Template
This resource provides the template that you need to capture the requirements of different functional areas, processes, and teams.
6. Oracle Cloud ERP
Oracle Cloud ERP, much like SAP S/4 HANA, targets larger food and beverage enterprises, excelling in the large enterprise segment or adopting a best-of-breed approach for diversified capabilities. Its strength lies in accommodating global food and beverage business models within one database, though it may lack deep last-mile capabilities, often relying on ISV solutions or extending implementation times. Unlike SAP S/4 HANA, Oracle Cloud ERP boasts higher penetration in the food and beverage verticals due to its existing install base with JD Edwards. The friendly data model and higher win rate make it a preferred choice. Aligned with the best-of-breed architecture, crucial for transactional decoupling, it secures its position at #6 on our list of the top food and beverage ERP systems.
How does this ERP system provide deep capabilities for large food and beverage companies, including international trade management and supply chain planning? What advantages does its vast talent ecosystem and widespread adoption offer for building custom food and beverage-specific functionality? How well does it support diversified business models across distribution and manufacturing? Does its limited last-mile functionality and industry-specific integrations require costly add-ons or custom development? Are its extensive financial control processes a benefit for large enterprises but a challenge for smaller companies? Get the full breakdown of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
5. Infor CloudSuite M3
Infor CloudSuite M3 caters to food and beverage companies in the upper mid-market. Its key strength is that it is a complete pre-integrated suite containing several components, including specialized PLM and a tailored supply chain suite. It’s a great fit for focused food and beverage companies with limited IT budgets but might not be the best fit for companies growing through M&A or with diverse business models. Despite these considerations, it maintains its position at #5 on our list.
How does this ERP system support global operations with robust financial hierarchies and built-in global trade compliance? What advantages does it offer for last-mile capabilities and diversified manufacturing business models, including deep PLM and vendor portal integration? How do its best-of-breed integrations, covering HCM, PLM, WMS, TMS, and advanced supply chain planning, streamline operations for food and beverage companies? Is it a suitable choice for holding or private equity companies with diverse business models, or does it fall short in multi-entity management? Does its legacy UI and weak consulting ecosystem limit its usability and scalability? Get the full breakdown of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
4. QAD
QAD focuses on upper mid-large food and beverage manufacturing companies seeking robust operational functionality beyond larger products like SAP S/4 HANA or Oracle Cloud ERP. However, it may overwhelm smaller companies in the sector. Historically, QAD faced limitations due to its technology, but an upcoming upgrade aims to address this issue. Despite the anticipated improvements, immediate availability remains uncertain, retaining its position at #4 on our list of top food and beverage ERP systems.
How does QAD support diversified business models by combining discrete and process manufacturing for food and beverage and packaging manufacturers? What advantages do its process manufacturing capabilities provide compared to similar products? How well does QAD serve mid- to large-sized food and beverage companies with its international trade management and supply chain capabilities? Does its technical architecture need modernization, and how might that impact its functionality? Is it truly suited for food and beverage manufacturers, given its focus on discrete manufacturing? How does its talent ecosystem compare to larger ERP systems like SAP S/4 HANA or Oracle ERP Cloud, and how might this affect implementation success? Get the full analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations
Like Oracle ERP Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations targets food and beverage manufacturers and distributors in the upper-mid market and lower-enterprise range. It is not suitable for smaller to medium-sized manufacturers and distributors. The biggest plus of MS Dynamics 365 F&O would be its marketplace, allowing augmenting core capabilities with third-party add-ons and supporting many diverse business models, retaining its rank at #3 among the top food and beverage ERP systems.
How does this ERP system provide deep capabilities for upper mid-market and lower enterprise food and beverage companies, especially in global operations with talent constraints? How well does it support diversified business models like food processing and packaging line manufacturing? What advantages do its pre-integrated best-of-breed options, such as CRM and field service, offer for streamlining business processes and improving operational efficiency? Does its limited last-mile functionality pose challenges for food and beverage companies managing their own fleets, requiring additional integrations? Are its extensive financial control processes more suited for large organizations, potentially overwhelming smaller companies? Get the full breakdown of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
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2. Aptean Food & Beverage ERP
Aptean food and beverage ERP is a fully flavored pre-integrated suite for food and beverage manufacturers, including all the essential components as part of the suite, such as ERP, WMS, TMS, etc. One of the unique advantages of Aptean Food & Beverage ERP is that it’s built on top of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, therefore overcoming the challenges with the MS Dynamics 365 BC product. The food and beverage-specific IP and integrations created on top of MS 365 BC, along with the support from Aptean would be a huge plus for companies with limited budgets seeking a full suite. Thus, ranking at #2 on our list among the top food and beverage ERP systems.
How does this ERP system excel in food and beverage manufacturing, particularly in formulation management and batch manufacturing? How does its financial backing from a large private equity firm enhance its stability and long-term viability? What advantages does it offer over smaller ERP systems like Deacom or SYSPRO, with its deeper manufacturing and supply chain capabilities? Is it the right fit for businesses with diverse models, or might its customizations and process flows struggle to scale? How well does it integrate with other business models, and could its limited integrations pose a challenge? Does its smaller ecosystem hinder support and scalability compared to larger ERP providers? Get the full analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
1. Sage X3
Sage X3 targets upper-mid to large food and beverage companies with less than $1B in revenue that seeks a replacement for other larger products due to their weaker operational support and overwhelming workflows. It is not as suitable for the smaller food and beverage companies that will have revenue under $50 million or the larger companies with a presence in more than 10-15 countries. While Sage X3 still maintains a large marketshare among food and beverage companies, it’s not receiving as much attention in Sage’s portfolio, which is primarily focused on the smaller segment and serving the accounting community as it is their primary distribution channel.
How does this ERP system serve large food and beverage companies with deep functionality for process manufacturing and distribution? What makes it particularly suitable for process manufacturing companies, and how does it support features like product families? How does its ecosystem of consultants with deep expertise in food and beverage validation enhance its implementation? Is it the right choice for smaller food and beverage companies, or might its complexity and integration requirements be overwhelming? How does its limited pre-integrated best-of-breed options compare to larger ERP systems like SAP S/4 HANA or Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O? Does its smaller ecosystem of consultants and marketplace options hinder its scalability and support? Get the full breakdown of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other top solutions—download the full Top 10 Food and Beverage ERP Systems in 2025 report today!
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