Overview
Master Product is a way to group similar/the same products from different suppliers as one overall "product".
Master Product groups will be visible on your COGs reports - Making it easier to look at your costs and variances for a group of products, rather than analysing costs/variances for individual items across your reports.
Setting up Master Products
Creating a Master Product Group
To create a Master Product Group:
Head to 'Suppliers & Products', then to the 'Master Product'.
In the top right hand corner, click the "Create Master Product" button.
Enter the master product Name, Class & Category (optional), and the Unit of Measure for the product.
You can edit these settings at any time by clicking 'View Details'.
⚠️ Important: The products added to the Master Product Group must have the same Unit of Measure you set for the group. You may need to update the product details if you want to add a product with an alternative UoM.
Adding/Removing Supplier Products from a Master Product Group
There are two ways you can add a Supplier Product to a Master Product Group.
Option 1 - via Product Details:
Head to 'Suppliers & Products', then to 'Suppliers'
Browse through your Supplier's product lists to find the product you'd like to add to the master group.
Click the "Edit" button next to the Product
In the 'Master Product' field use the drop down to assign this product to a Master Product group
Make sure to "Save Changes" when you've finished.
This product will now be assigned and visible in the Master Product Group!
Option 2 - via the Master Product Group page
Head to 'Suppliers & Products', then to the 'Master Product'.
Find the Master Product Group you'd like to add a Supplier Product to and click 'View details'
Click 'Add supplier products to the list' in the 'Linked Supplier Products' section
Search and select the Supplier Product(s) you'd like to add
Click "Add Product"
To remove a Supplier Product from a Master Product Group:
Click the Bin icon next to the product within the Master Product Group
Clear the Master Product field in the product details page
⚠️ Important: Once a Supplier Product has been added to a Master Product Group it will no longer show in Live Stock Level, COGs, Storage Areas, Waste or Transfers as an individual product.
Setting the Default Supplier Product
Every Master Product Group must have a default Supplier Product set. The price of the default product set will be used for the Master Product Group.
Simply use the 'Set as Default' toggle to set which Supplier Product should be the default.
⚠️ Important: When you add your first Supplier Product to a group it will automatically be set as the default - be sure to change this is another products price should be used.
Site Exception Defaults
It's possible to set site-specific exceptions, where certain sites need a different Supplier Product set as default.
For example, you may have Whole Milk as a Master Product Group with two Supplier Products within the group.
Most sites order their milk from Supplier A and so this is the Default for the group. However one site orders their milk from Supplier B, and so this site requires their default to be different.
Setting an Exception Default:
Click 'Add another exception' within the 'Set site exception for default product' section
In the 'Site' dropdown select the site(s) you want to set an alternative default for
Choose from the dropdown the Supplier Product that should be the default
You can set up multiple exception defaults, but a site cannot have more than one exception default set.
💡 Tip: Within your COGs reporting when viewing at a site specific level the exception default price will be used. However, when viewing 'all sites' the overall groups default price will be used.
Using Master Product Groups in Recipes
Master Product Groups can be added to recipes instead of individual Supplier Products. This is particularly useful when you order the same ingredient from multiple suppliers.
Why use Master Products in recipes?
When you add a Master Product Group to a recipe, the system understands that any of the Supplier Products within that group could be used to make the recipe. This means:
✅ Multi-supplier flexibility - If you order the same ingredient from different suppliers (like flour from Supplier A and Supplier B), you only need to add the Master Product Group once instead of creating separate recipe versions for each supplier.
✅ Accurate COGS calculations - The system automatically uses the correct Supplier Product price based on your default settings. If most sites use Supplier A but one site uses Supplier B, the COGS will reflect the right price for each site as long as you've set up site exception defaults.
✅ Easier recipe management - Update the Master Product Group once rather than editing multiple recipes when supplier details change.
💡 Tip: For recipes using Master Products, make sure you've set the correct default Supplier Product (and any site exceptions) so your COGS calculations reflect the actual products being used at each location.
How to add a Master Product Group to a recipe
When adding an Ingredient to a recipe simply select 'Master Product' as the ingredient type.
In the dropdown search and select the Master Product Group.
Set the Quantity and Unit of Measure
Master Product Groups can also be set as Variable Ingredients in recipes.
POS Matching Master Product Groups
Menu Items and Modifiers can be POS matched to Master Product Groups, allowing the system to track stock usage and calculate COGS based on your actual sales.
When POS matching to a Master Product Group, an 'MP' symbol will appear in the dropdown to help you identify Master Products from individual recipes or products.
Why POS match to Master Products?
If you sell a product that could come from multiple suppliers, matching to the Master Product Group ensures accurate stock depletion and COGS calculations regardless of which supplier's product was actually used.
For example, if you sell bottled Coca Cola and source it from two different suppliers, you can POS match the Coca Cola Menu Item to your Coca Cola Master Product Group. When a bottle sells, the system will:
Deplete stock from the overall Master Product Group
Calculate COGS using the Default price for that group
Stocktakes and Live Stock Levels
Master Products in Stocktakes
Master Product Groups can be added to Storage Areas in the same way individual Supplier Products can.
Once a Supplier Product has been added to a Master Product Group, it will no longer be available to count individually during stocktakes. Instead, you'll input the count for all Supplier Products within the group under the Master Product Group itself.
Why count Master Products as a group?
This approach is particularly useful when you order the same product from multiple suppliers but can't distinguish which supplier's stock you're counting on the shelf.
For example, if you stock butter from two different suppliers in the same storage area, you can count all butter units together under the Master Product Group rather than trying to separate them by supplier.
⚠️ Important: If a Supplier Product is already added to a storage area and you then add it to a Master Product Group, the individual product will either convert to the Master Product Group or be removed if the Master Product Group is already present in that storage area.
Master Products in Live Stock Levels
Master Product Groups appear in Live Stock Levels alongside individual Supplier Products. The 'Type' column will display "Master Product" to help you easily identify these groups in the table.
Within the logs, you'll see:
Overall logs for the Master Product Group as a whole
Individual purchase logs for each Supplier Product within the group
This gives you visibility into both the combined stock movements and the specific supplier-level detail when you need it.