Batches
Bean-to-bar traceability for your cocoa, ingredient and finished-product batches, linked to evaluations and shelf-life studies.
What it is
A batch is the inventory unit you record and link to your evaluations and shelf-life studies. Each batch captures the origin, supplier, quantity and status of a lot of cocoa, an ingredient or a finished product, so you can prove exactly which lot every sensory profile comes from. It's the foundation of bean-to-bar traceability.
Pro plan and above. Batches is part of the sensory analysis module: on the Starter plan, the whole module is locked behind an upsell message inviting you to upgrade to Pro; closing it returns you to the Sensory analysis hub. Pro and Studio have full access.
The Batches in the sensory module are a bean-to-bar traceability unit: they serve to link each lot of cocoa, ingredient or finished product to your tastings and studies. They are not an inventory or order management system.
How to get there
- URL:
https://app.areacacao.com/sensory-analysis/batches - How to get there: from Sensory analysis, open Batches.
Batch list
The main screen shows:
- Header with the title Batches and the subhead "Bean-to-bar traceability: each batch is the inventory unit you link to evaluations and shelf-life studies." and the New batch button.
- Filters:
- Type: All, Cocoa beans, Cocoa liquor, Ingredient, Finished product.
- Status: All, Quote, Sample received, Approved, Received, In use, Depleted, Rejected.
- Search (name, code, origin): filters by commercial name, internal code or origin (placeholder Madagascar 70%, MAD-2026...).
- Card list: each card shows the commercial name, the type, the internal code, the supplier, the geographic origin, the last-updated date and a badge with the status. The badge color helps you read the status at a glance: green for Approved and Received, chocolate for In use, red for Rejected and gray for the rest.
- ← Back to sensory analysis link.
Click a card to open the batch detail.
If you haven't created any batch yet, you'll see the message No batches yet with the Create first batch button. The system invites you to create your first cocoa, ingredient or finished-product batch to start linking evaluations and studies.
If the list doesn't load, you'll see the notice "Couldn't load the batches"; when opening a batch for editing that doesn't load, "Couldn't load the batch". It's usually resolved by reloading the page.
Create a batch
Click New batch
This opens the creation form. The header reads "Create an inventory unit to link it to evaluations and shelf-life studies."
Fill in the form
Fields marked with an asterisk are required:
- Type (defaults to Cocoa beans).
- Status (defaults to Quote). When creating, you can only choose from: Quote, Sample received, Approved, Received and In use.
- Commercial name (placeholder Madagascar 70% Sambirano).
- Internal code (optional, e.g. MAD-2026-Q1-001).
- Supplier (optional, e.g. Pacha Cacao).
- Geographic origin (optional, e.g. Sambirano Valley, Madagascar).
- Quantity and Unit (defaults to kg).
- Reception date.
- Recommended expiry (optional).
- Notes (optional): harvest, supplier notes, transport conditions.
Click Create batch
If the commercial name is empty, the button stays disabled and, on trying to save, you'll see "Commercial name is required." On saving, AreaCacao takes you straight to the detail of the batch you just created. If you'd rather not create the batch, click Cancel to return to the list without saving.
The Depleted and Rejected statuses don't appear when creating a batch: you can only assign them later when editing it.
Batch detail
When you open a batch you see:
- Header with the batch name as the title, the type and internal code as the subtitle (e.g. Cocoa beans · MAD-2026-Q1-001), the status badge and the Edit and Delete buttons.
- Batch data card: Type, Supplier, Geographic origin, Quantity (with its unit), Reception date and Recommended expiry.
- Notes, if any.
- Chronological timeline: a timeline that records the batch's milestones: the batch's creation, its edits, the evaluations you link, the start of shelf-life studies and the recipes created with that batch. It's the visual reading of its bean-to-bar traceability.
- ← Back to list link.
Edit a batch
Click Edit to open the form pre-filled with the same fields as the creation form. The difference is that here the Status selector includes all statuses, also Depleted and Rejected. Click Save changes to confirm or Cancel to return to the detail without saving.
Delete a batch
Click Delete. A confirmation appears with the batch's commercial name in straight quotes and the notice "This action is reversible from the admin panel." On confirming, the batch is hidden from the list.
The deletion is a soft-delete: the batch isn't lost and can only be recovered from the admin panel.
If you open a batch that no longer exists (or that has been deleted), you'll see Batch not found with the notice "The requested batch doesn't exist or has been deleted."
Why it matters
- Regulatory traceability. If a B2B customer asks which specific batch a bonbon comes from, you can answer.
- Per-batch quality. Comparing sensory profiles of the same cocoa across different batches of the year detects harvest or processing variations.
- Blending decisions. Knowing which batch A and which batch B, blended, give the profile you're after.