FAQs
Frequently asked.
What's the difference between Keystone and a full ERP like Dynamics 365 or SAP?
Keystone is a production operations platform, not a full ERP. It handles the operational core — batch traceability, production planning, dispatch, COAs and pallet labels — and integrates with your existing accounts package (Sage, QuickBooks, Xero, AccountsIQ). A full ERP like Dynamics 365 Business Central (used by Sysco Software's Food 365) covers finance, HR, CRM and manufacturing in one system, but costs 5–10× more, takes 4–12 months to implement, and requires a Microsoft partner for customisation. If you have 50+ employees and need integrated financials, a full ERP may be the right call. If you're a 6–30 person operation that needs production traceability and dispatch quality without the enterprise overhead, Keystone is purpose-built for you.
Does Keystone meet FSAI traceability requirements?
Keystone provides full forward and backward batch traceability — from the milk delivery or raw-material intake through to every customer dispatch. The FSAI requires food businesses to record which foods came from which suppliers and which customers received which foods, available on demand. Keystone goes beyond the minimum by tracking at batch/lot level with an immutable audit trail, which is the standard that BRCGS and major retailers expect. Full trace lookups complete in seconds, not hours.
Can Keystone generate dispatch notes formatted for specific Irish retailers?
Yes. Keystone includes pre-built PDF templates for Tesco Ireland, Lidl, M&S, SuperValu, Centra, SPAR and Musgrave. Each template matches the retailer's expected format — COA per batch with weight, pH, salt and moisture data, customer-specific product codes, and multi-pallet label layouts. Custom layouts are available through the built-in Designer.
How does Keystone's pricing compare to MRPeasy and Wherefour?
Keystone uses flat per-site pricing: €790/month for a single site with all core modules unlocked and unlimited reasonable-use users (most teams: 5–15 people). No per-user charges and no feature tiers. MRPeasy starts cheaper per user (€49/user/month) but is a generic MRP without food-specific features — no COAs, no Irish retailer dispatch formats, no FSAI traceability workflows. At 10 users, MRPeasy costs €490–€1,490/month depending on tier, plus it lacks the production depth that food manufacturers need. Wherefour is closer in capability but is US-focused (FSMA rather than FSAI) with custom-quoted pricing typically running higher than Keystone.
How long does implementation take?
Pilots scoped to go live in 30 days for €2,500 — 50% refundable if you don't proceed within 14 days of pilot end. The pilot gets you live on your real data with your real customers in 30 days — not a sandbox demo. Full implementation (including historical data import and retailer integrations) is typically scoped at €4,950–€16,500 depending on complexity, quoted in writing before you sign. Compare this to 4–12 months and €35K–€75K for a Dynamics 365 implementation.
What types of food manufacturers use Keystone?
Keystone is purpose-built for batch-based food production with retailer or foodservice customers — dairies, cheesemakers, bakeries, meat processors, prepared food manufacturers, and food wholesalers with batch traceability needs. The founding customer is Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers. If your operation doesn't involve batch-based production or retailer dispatch, Keystone may not be the right fit — and we'll say so.