Doudlah Farms Inventory Management & Risk

Overview

As of April 2026, Doudlah Farms is running at ~$5k/day in sales with strong upward momentum. Inventory management has become a critical operational concern — particularly for yellow popcorn, which faces a near-term stockout risk. This article documents the current inventory picture, top-selling SKUs, known risks, and contingency strategies discussed in the ^[1] April 2026 strategy call.

Top-Selling SKUs

The following four products drive the majority of Amazon and website revenue and should be prioritized for inventory continuity:

Rank	Product	Notes
1	White Popcorn (Doudlah Farms)	Highest volume; ample stock
2	Yellow Popcorn (Doudlah Farms)	Critical inventory risk (see below)
3	Black Beans, 5 lb	Booming; ~1,200 units in FBA
4	Cornmeal	Consistent performer; ~24k lbs on hand + 24k reserved

Black beans in 25 lb bags rank fifth. Rye flour (1.5 lb bags) is an emerging performer showing promising growth.

Yellow Popcorn: Critical Inventory Risk

Current Situation

On-hand inventory: ~120,000 lbs (after cleaning shrinkage from ~140k lbs across three semi loads)
Next crop availability: January–February 2027 at the earliest — approximately 8–9 months away
Sales velocity: ~800 units/month × 6 lbs = ~4,800 lbs/month for Doudlah Farms brand alone
Old World yellow popcorn adds additional draw on the same inventory pool

At current velocity, Doudlah Farms brand alone would consume ~38,400 lbs over 8 months, leaving meaningful buffer — but Old World demand and any sales acceleration could erode that margin quickly.

Risk Factors

Yellow popcorn is the #2 seller and a key revenue driver
The 2025 crop is fully committed; no additional ROC/Demeter-certified yellow popcorn can be sourced externally
A stockout would damage Amazon ranking, Subscribe & Save retention, and overall momentum

Contingency Strategy

Protect Doudlah Farms ROC stock by sourcing non-ROC organic yellow popcorn for the Old World brand.

Old World is labeled as organic only (not ROC or Demeter), making it eligible for third-party organic sourcing
Substituting non-ROC organic corn into Old World preserves the full ROC/Demeter inventory for the premium Doudlah Farms brand
This mirrors the existing Old World strategy used for popcorn generally

Action owner: Monitor monthly velocity against remaining inventory; trigger sourcing search if projected runway drops below 3 months.

Cornmeal Inventory

On hand: 24,000 lbs (12 pallets × ~2,000 lbs)
Reserved: Additional 24,000 lbs held to cover year-end demand
Sales velocity: ~500 units/month × 5 lbs = ~2,500 lbs/month (~1.25 tons/month)
Runway: ~9–10 months on current stock; additional reserve extends through year-end
The 1.5 lb yellow cornmeal bag is an unexpected strong performer (~$5k/month) and should be monitored for restocking needs

Bean Inventory

Product	Approx. On-Hand	Notes
Pinto Beans	~127,000 lbs	High inventory; commodity perception limits premium pricing
Black Beans	Large quantity	One semi-load is non-ROC (sourced externally)
Cranberry Beans	Not yet cleaned	Pending cleaner run
Small Reds	Not yet cleaned	Pending cleaner run
Navy, Kidney, others	Smaller quantities	Selling organically; minimal marketing effort

Non-ROC Bean Inventory

One semi-load of black beans is non-ROC certified and cannot be sold under the Doudlah Farms or Bean Vivo ROC supply agreements. Options discussed:

New lower-priced brand (e.g., "FarmRite") — sell non-ROC beans under a distinct sub-brand, similar to the Old World popcorn model. See ^[2].
Bulk/B2B offload — price competitively to move volume through B2B or institutional channels.

Rye Flour

SKU: 1.5 lb bags
Performance: ~167 units/month, ~$2,300/month — growing meaningfully
Status: Early-stage but promising; no inventory concerns flagged

Inventory Monitoring Cadence

Mark Doudlah to email a warehouse inventory report to Mark Hope on a regular basis to enable proactive reorder and risk flagging. This is especially critical for yellow popcorn given the 8–9 month gap to next crop.

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