Food & Beverage Distribution Software
From Container Purchasing to Pallet Distribution Without Spreadsheets or Cost Blind Spots.
NEX helps food and beverage distributors connect orders, inventory needs, purchasing, container shipments, landed costs, 3PL storage, pallet breakdown, customer fulfillment, and true margin visibility in one system.
Orders & Inventory Needs
Purchasing
Container Shipments
Landed Costs
3PL Storage
TL;DR
NEX gives food and beverage distributors visibility from demand to fulfillment.
Managing purchasing, container shipments, 3PL storage, inventory allocation, pallet breakdown, and customer distribution across spreadsheets creates gaps you cannot see. NEX connects the operational flow so every cost, quantity, and allocation stays accurate.
Who it helps: food and beverage distributors managing imported goods, container purchases, pallet distribution, 3PL storage, and frequent customer orders.
What it connects: customer demand, inventory needs, purchasing, shipping documents, landed costs, warehouse storage, pallet allocation, and fulfillment.
Operational outcome: complete visibility across operations, real margins on every order, and less manual reconciliation.
Best fit: distributors that need to scale from container purchasing to smaller, more frequent pallet or customer-level orders.
Your Reality vs. NEX
Most food and beverage distributors do not have an operations problem, they have a visibility problem.
Supplier cost may be tracked, but freight, customs, duties, forwarder costs, storage, handling, and pallet-level fulfillment are often treated as overhead. That makes products appear profitable when they are not.
Today
× Container purchases are managed manually.
× Inventory and allocations are tracked in Excel.
× Landed and warehousing costs are treated as expenses.
× Teams have limited visibility into true product margins.
× Scaling into smaller, more frequent orders adds operational complexity.
With NEX
✓ Customer demand and inventory needs drive purchasing decisions.
✓ Multiple orders can be consolidated into a single purchase order.
✓ Landed costs are added to shipments and reflected in inventory value.
✓ 3PL storage costs can be applied to inventory on an ongoing basis.
✓ Inventory can be allocated and fulfilled at container or pallet level.
What Is It?
What is food and beverage distribution software?
Food and beverage distribution software helps distributors manage demand, purchasing, inventory allocation, container shipments, landed costs, warehouse storage, pallet breakdown, customer fulfillment, and margin reporting in one connected workflow.
Can customer demand drive purchasing decisions?
Are landed costs reflected in inventory value?
Are 3PL storage costs tied to products?
Does every sale show true product cost and margin?
Food and beverage distribution software is more than stock tracking.
For food and beverage distributors, the real challenge is connecting demand, purchases, container shipments, freight, duties, storage, pallet allocation, fulfillment, and margin reporting.
How it works
NEX connects orders and inventory needs to purchasing, then carries that operational data through container shipments, landed costs, 3PL storage, pallet breakdown, and customer fulfillment.
Why it matters for growing distributors
When freight, customs, duties, forwarder, storage, and handling costs are treated as overhead, margin decisions are based on incomplete information. NEX ties those costs to the product so profitability reflects reality.
Core Capabilities
Built for container purchasing, pallet distribution, and true cost visibility.
NEX helps food and beverage distributors connect demand, purchasing, landed costs, freight, 3PL storage, pallet breakdown, fulfillment, and margin reporting into one traceable workflow.
Demand & Purchasing Alignment
Consolidate customer demand and inventory needs into one purchasing workflow so purchases are based on real demand, not spreadsheets.
Multi-Currency Operations
Buy and sell in different currencies while preserving original values across purchasing, inventory, sales, and reporting.
True Landed Cost Tracking
Add freight, customs, duties, and forwarder costs to shipments so inventory reflects true product cost before the sale.
Forwarder & Freight Control
Generate shipping documents and track forwarder costs, including quoted versus actual costs, to reduce freight surprises.
3PL & Warehousing Costing
Apply storage and handling costs to inventory on an ongoing basis instead of treating them as disconnected expenses.
Container to Pallet Distribution
Purchase by container, receive into inventory, and allocate or fulfill at container or pallet level with full allocation tracking.
Inventory Visibility & Allocation
See available, allocated, and incoming inventory across orders, warehouses, containers, and fulfillment workflows.
Fulfillment Execution
Manage picking, packing, shipping, partial deliveries, and customer fulfillment with traceability from order to delivery.
Allocation
Commissions
Best Fit Use Cases
Built for food and beverage distributors with inventory, fulfillment, and customer workflow complexity.
01
Import-Heavy Food Distributors
Best for teams managing container purchases, freight, customs, duties, forwarders, landed costs, and multi-currency buying.
02
3PL Storage and Warehouse Operations
Useful for distributors that need to apply storage and handling costs to inventory on an ongoing basis.
03
Container to Pallet Distribution
Strong fit for companies buying by container and fulfilling smaller, more frequent customer orders at pallet or partial-order level.
04
Distributors Replacing Spreadsheets
Ideal for teams moving beyond Excel-based purchasing, inventory allocation, cost tracking, and fulfillment coordination.
Compare Options
NEX vs. spreadsheets vs. traditional ERP for food and beverage distribution.
NEX gives growing food and beverage distributors a practical middle path between manual
tracking and rigid enterprise systems.
| Capability | Spreadsheets | Traditional ERP | NEX |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demand & Purchasing |
Purchasing relies on spreadsheets or guesswork | Available but often rigid | Customer demand and inventory needs drive purchasing decisions |
| Container Purchasing |
Container purchases managed manually | Strong but complex | Multiple orders can be consolidated into a single purchase order |
| Landed Cost Tracking |
Freight, duties, and forwarder costs are separate | May require customization | Landed costs are added to shipments and reflected in inventory value |
| 3PL Storage Costing |
Warehouse costs treated as disconnected expenses | Often difficult to maintain | Storage and handling costs can be applied to inventory on an ongoing basis |
| Pallet Allocation | Allocation is tracked manually in Excel | Complex setup | Inventory can be allocated and fulfilled at container or pallet level |
| Margin Visibility | Products appear profitable when they may not be | Available but often hard to access | Every sale reflects true cost and real margin |
| Best Fit | Very small teams | Large enterprises | Food and beverage distributors scaling from containers to pallets without cost blind spots |
Implementation Process
How NEX connects the food and beverage distribution workflow.
Discovery & Workflow Mapping
Map orders, inventory needs, purchasing, container shipments, landed costs, 3PL storage, pallet breakdown, fulfillment, and reporting.
Module Planning
Prioritize the workflows needed first, such as purchasing, inventory allocation, landed cost tracking, warehouse costing, or fulfillment.
System Configuration
Configure purchasing rules, shipment workflows, cost allocation, warehouse storage costing, pallet allocation, permissions, and dashboards.
Data Setup
Prepare customers, products, suppliers, inventory, shipments, purchase orders, freight costs, storage costs, and order history.
Training & Rollout
Train purchasing, operations, warehouse, fulfillment, finance, and leadership teams around one connected workflow.
Optimization
Refine dashboards, allocation workflows, shipment costing, warehouse cost rules, and margin reporting as order volume grows.
Expert Insight
Supplier cost is only part of the story. True margin depends on every cost that happens before fulfillment.
For food and beverage distributors, freight, customs, duties, forwarder costs, 3PL storage, handling, pallet breakdown, and customer fulfillment all affect product profitability. NEX connects these costs so margins reflect reality.
NEX Operations Team
Enterprise Workflow & Business Systems
Measurable Outcomes
Complete visibility from container
purchasing to customer fulfillment.
Aligned
Demand & Purchasing
Customer demand and inventory needs guide purchase decisions instead of spreadsheet guesswork.
Visible
True Product Cost
Freight, customs, duties, forwarder, storage, and handling costs can be tied to inventory value.
Traceable
Container to Pallet
Purchase by container, receive into inventory, and allocate or fulfill at container or pallet level.
Reduced
Manual Reconciliation
Eliminate re-entry across purchasing, shipments, costs, warehouse storage, allocation, and fulfillment.
Accurate
Order Margins
Every sale can reflect true cost and real margin, not just supplier cost.
Scalable
Smaller Orders
Support expansion from container-level purchasing to smaller and more frequent pallet-level customer orders.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for food and beverage distributors evaluating NEX for purchasing, landed costs, 3PL storage, pallet distribution, fulfillment, and true margin visibility.
-
What is food and beverage distribution software?
Food and beverage distribution software helps distributors manage demand, purchasing, inventory, container shipments, landed costs, warehouse storage, pallet allocation, customer fulfillment, and margin reporting in one connected workflow.
-
Can NEX help with 3PL storage costs?
Yes. NEX can support applying storage and handling costs to inventory on an ongoing basis rather than treating them only as disconnected expenses.
-
How does NEX improve margin visibility?
NEX ties product cost, landed cost, storage cost, handling cost, fulfillment activity, and sales data together so every sale can reflect more accurate cost and margin.
-
Does NEX support pallet-level distribution?
Yes. NEX can support distributors that purchase by container, break down inventory, and fulfill at pallet or smaller customer-order levels.
-
Does NEX support landed cost tracking?
Yes. NEX can help add freight, customs, duties, and forwarder costs to shipments so inventory reflects true product cost before the sale.
Trusted by 500+ Businesses
From manufacturers to service providers, NEX supports growing companies across
North America with the tools they need to run smarter, faster, and more connected.
We're very happy with our switch to NEX. The system is incredibly adaptable and fits seamlessly into our company's processes. Sophie and the NEX team are always quick to respond and provide support with any issues or adjustments we need. The automated reminders have been a game changer! They've helped increase traffic and save us valuable time. Overall, it's been a great experience and I highly recommend making the switch!
Overhead Material Handling IL., Inc
We had the pleasure of working closely with NEX during the implementation of their ERP solution for our business. Their professionalism, commitment to excellence, and willingness to go the extra mile were evident throughout the process. NEX's insights and support were invaluable, allowing us to streamline operations and achieve significant efficiencies. Our partnership with NEX has been outstanding, and we highly recommend their services to organizations seeking a reliable ERP solution.
Accounting & Finance, First Atlantic Commerce Ltd.
NEX was the first of many companies that we approached that finally understood our requirements and provide an end-to-end "out of the box" solution for our export business. They streamlined and automated our complex processes, from first customer touchpoint to getting the shipment delivered including all export documentation, eliminating hours of data re-entry and costly mistakes. The implementation and post sales support to get us trained and going was fantastic. We highly recommend NEX.
President, Broonson International
We're very happy with our switch to NEX. The system is incredibly adaptable and fits seamlessly into our company's processes. Sophie and the NEX team are always quick to respond and provide support with any issues or adjustments we need. The automated reminders have been a game changer! They've helped increase traffic and save us valuable time. Overall, it's been a great experience and I highly recommend making the switch!
Overhead Material Handling IL., Inc
We had the pleasure of working closely with NEX during the implementation of their ERP solution for our business. Their professionalism, commitment to excellence, and willingness to go the extra mile were evident throughout the process. NEX's insights and support were invaluable, allowing us to streamline operations and achieve significant efficiencies. Our partnership with NEX has been outstanding, and we highly recommend their services to organizations seeking a reliable ERP solution.
Accounting & Finance, First Atlantic Commerce Ltd.
NEX was the first of many companies that we approached that finally understood our requirements and provide an end-to-end "out of the box" solution for our export business. They streamlined and automated our complex processes, from first customer touchpoint to getting the shipment delivered including all export documentation, eliminating hours of data re-entry and costly mistakes. The implementation and post sales support to get us trained and going was fantastic. We highly recommend NEX.
President, Broonson International
NEX helps food and beverage distributors eliminate spreadsheet blind spots, reduce manual reconciliation, and scale operations with complete workflow and cost visibility.
