---
title: Doudlah Farms Inventory Management & Risk
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-04-03-doudlah-farms-marketing-amazon-ecommerce-inventory-call-135275772.md
tags:
- doudlah-farms
- inventory
- ecommerce
- amazon
- popcorn
- beans
- risk-management
layer: 2
client_source: null
industry_context: null
transferable: true
---

# 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 [[clients/doudlah-farms/_index|Doudlah Farms]] 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:

1. **New lower-priced brand** (e.g., "FarmRite") — sell non-ROC beans under a distinct sub-brand, similar to the Old World popcorn model. See [[knowledge/brand-strategy/doudlah-farms-sub-brand-strategy|Sub-Brand Strategy]].
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.

---

## Related Articles

- [[clients/doudlah-farms/_index|Doudlah Farms Client Overview]]
- [[knowledge/ecommerce-strategy/doudlah-farms-amazon-performance|Amazon Performance & Sales Trends]]
- [[knowledge/brand-strategy/doudlah-farms-sub-brand-strategy|Sub-Brand Strategy (Old World / FarmRite)]]
- [[knowledge/ecommerce-strategy/doudlah-farms-popcorn-launch|Popcorn Launch Strategy & TS Foods Co-Packing]]
- [[meetings/2026-04-03-doudlah-farms-amazon-ecommerce-inventory-call|Meeting Notes: April 3, 2026 Strategy Call]]