Aptean handles the compliance. Harold handles the paperwork.
Built on Dynamics 365 Business Central with hundreds of food-specific features on top, Aptean F&B covers allergens, recipes, recalls and variable weight. Reading an inbound supplier PDF isn't on that list. Harold does that part.
Why food businesses run Aptean F&B
Aptean's food and beverage line — including the tools that came from JustFood, bcFood and Foodware — sits on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, giving industry depth on a platform that isn't going anywhere.
A platform with a future
Building on Business Central means Microsoft's roadmap, security and update cycle underneath, rather than a proprietary stack whose longevity depends on one vendor's fortunes.
Allergen and recipe depth
Primary and sub-allergen identification at ingredient level, allergen profiles per recipe, tracked forward and backward through production. Adding that to a generic ERP means costly customisation.
Built for the audit
Quality auditing, vendor performance management and traceability designed against standards like BRC, so an audit is a report rather than a project.
Variable weight understood natively
Catch weight is treated as normal in the data model, because in food it is.
Business Central doesn't read PDFs either
The strength of sitting on Business Central is that you inherit Microsoft's platform. The limitation is that you also inherit its gaps — and turning an arbitrary supplier's PDF into structured, coded, validated lines is one of them.
For a food processor that gap is expensive. Inbound documents carry pack configuration, net weights and lot references, and a mistyped weight doesn't just cost margin — it can break a traceability chain you'll be asked to reproduce.
Users also report that modifying reports and custom parts of the solution without paying the vendor is awkward. That's a reason to solve data quality before the data arrives, rather than building reports to catch it afterwards.
Don't customise the ERP to fix the inbox
The tempting move is to have your partner build capture into the ERP. It's also the expensive one: customisation on top of a vertical solution on top of a platform means three layers to maintain, and every Business Central update becomes a regression test.
Keeping the extraction layer outside the ERP means your Aptean configuration stays standard and upgradeable. Harold changes independently of your ERP release cycle, and your supplier templates aren't tied to a version.
The system that handles your compliance should stay boring and supportable. Put the messy part somewhere else.
How Harold works with Aptean F&B
Train Harold per supplier
Upload example documents and highlight where the values sit — pack size, net weight, lot code, unit — including inside description text. Under ten minutes per supplier.
Validate against your rules
Totals recalculated, weights and extensions checked, supplier and GL codes matched to your own reference data, exceptions flagged before anything is posted.
Hand clean data to Aptean
Harold outputs in the structure you define. Because Aptean F&B sits on Business Central, the platform's standard integration surface is available for writing that data in.
Why food processors and distributors choose Harold
Keeps your ERP standard
No customisation, no add-on module, nothing to regression-test against the next Business Central update. Your Aptean configuration stays supportable.
Catch weight handled properly
Pulling pack quantity and unit weight out of a single description line, then computing total weight from them, is what Harold was built to do.
Protects the traceability chain
Lot references and weights are validated before import rather than corrected afterwards, so what enters your compliance record is right the first time.
Free to start, no paywall
Full features from day one, no credit card. Evaluate it on real supplier documents before committing.
Common questions
Does Harold require changes to our Aptean configuration?
No. Harold runs outside the ERP and produces validated data in the structure you specify. Your Aptean and Business Central configuration stays standard.
How does the data reach the ERP?
Aptean Food & Beverage ERP is built on Dynamics 365 Business Central, so the platform's standard integration surface is available. Harold also produces an import-ready file where a direct connection isn't practical.
Can it handle catch weight and lot codes?
Yes. Extracting multiple values from a single text line, including pack quantity, unit weight and lot references, is Harold's core capability, and you can apply your own formulas to the extracted values.
What happens when Business Central updates?
Nothing. Harold isn't installed into the ERP and has no version dependency, which is the main reason to keep the extraction layer outside it.
Keep Aptean F&B. Lose the data entry.
Start free, no credit card required. Train Harold on one supplier and see the output before you spend anything.
Try Harold free