Gilfresh Produce Ltd
How Acumatica ERP helped Ireland's leading fresh produce business manage and streamline complex food operations, balancing tight timeframes with multiple growers, farmers and retailers across the country with greater efficiency and ease…
In fresh food production, timing is critical. Crops don’t wait, produce deteriorates as soon as it is out of the ground, and retail demand is high. When you’re managing thousands of acres, multiple farm partners and growers, live production lines and strict traceability standards, operational visibility is essential.
That was the reality facing Gilfresh Produce Ltd, a third generation, family-run business in Ireland, dedicated to sourcing and distributing the highest quality produce to major retailers and food manufacturers. As the business expanded in scale and complexity across the country, its legacy systems struggled to keep pace.
Working with Cedar Bay, Gilfresh implemented Acumatica Cloud ERP, creating a single, real-time platform that now underpins production, stock management, financial control and regulatory compliance across the business.
ACUMATICA AT A GLANCE
ERP platform: Acumatica Cloud ERP
Implementation timeline: 14 months (Jan 2024 – March 2025)
Team size: 130–145 employees
Operational footprint: ~2,500 acres across family farms and partner growers
Industry: Fresh produce growing, packing, processing and distribution
WHAT WE DID
THE CHALLENGES
- Fragmented and retrospective data entry: Manufacturing information was often added to the old system after the fact, making real-time insights impossible.
- Limited access and user constraints: The old license-based system restricted the number of concurrent users, slowing operations and collaboration.
- Inefficient stock management: Stock tracking relied on external spreadsheets, requiring extensive manual checks and creating risk of errors.
- Slow financial reporting: Month-end accounts took weeks to process due to lack of integrated, real-time data.
- Siloed departments and duplicated data: Teams often worked independently, generating multiple versions of the same information.
- Inability to keep up with business pace: The speed of day-to-day operations exceeded the capabilities of the old system, limiting agility and responsiveness.
“We wanted an ERP system that could address the limitations of our previous platform and support the fast-paced nature of our business. ”
Elaine Neill
Head of Sustainability & Innovation
THE SOLUTION
After evaluating several ERP options against requirements, Acumatica emerged as the best fit, chosen by Gilfresh for its ‘flexibility, efficiency, real-time insight, and strong vendor support’.
Key decision factors, cited by Gilfresh, included:
- Cloud-based, real-time access for multiple users to work simultaneously with live data
- Risk management and implementation support
- Comprehensive functionality to meet operational needs
- Flexibility and ease of use
- Iterative, low-impact approach
“Acumatica met over 95% of our functional requirements, including core training and ongoing support within the base price.”
Elaine Neill
Head of Sustainability & Innovation
THE IMPLEMENTATION
As Acumatica Gold Partners, we delivered a structured, phased implementation designed to minimise disruption in a live food manufacturing environment.
Clear communication and ongoing support was essential to guide teams not used to working with large-scale IT projects.
Good support was central for a smooth transition and we worked with Gilfresh employees during the first initial period following go live while all users got used to the system and it got embedded into daily activities.
“Cedar Bay guided us through every stage and milestone. They communicated openly, found solutions to our requirements, and built clever functionality specific to our business.”
Elaine Neill
Head of Sustainability & Innovation
THE RESULTS
Enhanced collaboration and visibility
Teams now work from a single source of truth, reducing duplicated work, errors, and miscommunication across departments.
Transformational planning and forecasting
Production, inventory, and resource planning are more accurate and proactive, helping to avoid stock shortages, optimise scheduling, and improve overall operational efficiency.
Streamlined, efficient processes
Operations – from production tracking to month-end financials – are faster, cleaner, and less reliant on manual input.
Empowered staff with actionable insights
Live dashboards, reporting tools, and real-time data give staff the ability to make informed decisions quickly.
Scalability and adaptability
The system supports growth and evolving workflows without disruption, with tailored, value-added functionality and bespoke integrations.
Traceability and compliance
Full visibility of product and packaging history ensures accurate reporting and easier compliance with regulatory requirements.
“Acumatica has transformed the way we manage data, inventory, finance, planning, and operations, providing clarity, efficiency, and agility across the business. ”
Elaine Neill
Head of Sustainability & Innovation
KEY OUTCOMES
| Area | Before Acumatica | After Acumatica |
| Data & system visibility | Multiple versions of data across departments, duplication and errors | Single, centralised source of truth across production, inventory and finance |
| Production operations | Manual data entry and reactive processes slowed production flow | Streamlined production tracking with real-time updates and reduced admin |
| Planning & forecasting | Reactive scheduling, risk of stock shortages and inefficiencies | Proactive production, inventory and resource planning with improved accuracy |
| Decision-making | Delayed, inconsistent data limited strategic insight | Real-time dashboards enabling faster, confident management decisions |
| Scalability & growth | Legacy system restricted users and flexibility | Cloud-based platform supporting multiple users, evolving workflows and future growth |
WHY CHOOSE CEDAR BAY AS YOUR ACUMATICA PARTNER?
Gilfresh wanted a partner that shared their business values and ethos while also delivering solid Acumatica experience. We took the time to understand their processes and environment and then supported them with a tailored ERP system and phased implementation.
What we offer:
- Deep Acumatica expertise
- Cross-functional manufacturing knowledge
- Strong post go-live support, with workshops, end-user training and full project management
- Proactive approach resulting in minimal disruption to the business
Looking to freshen up the processes of your food production operations?
If your food or manufacturing business is struggling with siloed systems, manual processes, limited traceability or slow reporting, Acumatica Cloud ERP offers a solution.
Talk to Cedar Bay to discover how a phased, low-risk ERP implementation can help you operate with confidence, clarity and control.