Leelanau Coffee reached FDA & FSMA compliance in four months.
Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company has been roasting fresh coffee in northern Michigan since 1993. Founded by Steve Arens in Glen Arbor and later joined by his brother John, the company grew from a small local coffee shop into a well-established roasting business serving customers through its café, nationwide mail orders, wholesale partnerships, and specialty and grocery retailers.
Freshness has always been central to the operation. Leelanau roasts coffee in small batches, packs orders fresh for shipment, and sources green coffee beans from brokers according to its quality standards.
As the business expanded beyond its local roots, the systems supporting production needed to evolve as well. Leelanau wanted to strengthen its food safety program ahead of an external food safety evaluation and needed a more organized way to manage HACCP activities, operational records, checklists, traceability, recall procedures, and food safety documentation.
FoodReady combined food safety consulting with a digital management platform to bring these processes together in one connected system. Within four months, Leelanau Coffee had strengthened its food safety program to meet FDA and FSMA compliance requirements while giving employees a simpler, more efficient way to manage food safety day to day.
Four months to a more organised, compliant food safety program.
4 months
Reached
One System
HACCP, records, checklists and traceability
Digital Records
Operational food safety activities
Recall Ready
Recall procedures supported
HACCP logging
Product traceability
Digital checklists
Mobile food safety management
A growing roasting business needed more than great coffee to stay ready.
Leelanau Coffee had spent decades building its reputation around quality and freshness. What began as a small Glen Arbor coffee business grew into a multi-channel operation serving café customers, online buyers, wholesale accounts, specialty retailers, and grocery stores.
As the business expanded, having a formal and organized food safety program behind every batch became increasingly important. Leelanau initially connected with FoodReady while preparing for an external food safety evaluation and needed to strengthen its systems around FDA and FSMA requirements.
The company also wanted to make routine food safety activities easier to manage and document. HACCP logs, production records, checklists, traceability information, recall procedures, and supporting documentation needed to be brought into a more structured system rather than managed through disconnected processes.
The goal was not simply to prepare for a single evaluation. Leelanau needed a system that could help the team stay organized and maintain food safety practices as part of everyday roasting operations.
What Leelanau Coffee needed
- FDA & FSMA compliance - Bring the food safety program in line with applicable federal requirements
- HACCP management - A structured way to document and maintain food safety controls
- Digital operational records - Replace fragmented records with organized information
- Food safety checklists - Create repeatable workflows for routine activities
- Product traceability - Better visibility into materials and finished products
- Recall planning - Maintain the records needed to support an effective response
- Mobile accessibility - Give employees a practical way to complete records
- External evaluation readiness - Make required food safety documentation easier to retrieve and review
How Leelanau turned into a system employees could use.
FoodReady worked with Leelanau Coffee to strengthen both the formal food safety program and the daily workflows supporting it.
Food Safety Program Review
The project began as Leelanau prepared for an external food safety evaluation. FoodReady reviewed the company’s food safety requirements and helped identify the controls, documentation, records, and procedures needed to strengthen compliance with FDA and FSMA standards.
This process gave Leelanau a clear roadmap for bringing separate food safety activities together into a more structured and connected program.
HACCP & Food Safety Records Organized
Leelanau began using FoodReady to manage its HACCP logs and broader food safety documentation in one place. Rather than treating HACCP records as isolated paperwork, the company could organize them alongside the operational records supporting its food safety program.
This gave management better visibility into required activities, completed records, and day-to-day food safety performance.
Operational Checklists Digitised
Recurring food safety and operational tasks were moved into digital checklists, giving employees a simpler way to complete required activities while creating consistent, retrievable records.
For management, the system also made it easier to verify task completion without relying solely on paper documentation.
Product Traceability Strengthened
Traceability became part of Leelanau’s broader FoodReady workflow. For a coffee roaster managing green bean receiving, production, and distribution across multiple sales channels, structured records help connect incoming materials with finished products.
FoodReady brought that information into a more organized system, making traceability records easier to manage and access.
Recall Procedures Supported
FoodReady also supported Leelanau’s recall planning by connecting the records needed to respond to potential product issues. By organizing food safety documentation, operational records, and traceability information within one system, Leelanau built a stronger foundation for recall readiness and response.
Mobile Food Safety Management
Leelanau also adopted FoodReady’s mobile application, allowing employees to access and complete food safety activities directly as part of their daily work.
This reduced reliance on separate paper or desktop processes and helped make food safety a routine part of operations rather than something managed only when an inspection approached.
FDA & FSMA Compliance
With FoodReady’s consulting guidance and digital tools, Leelanau strengthened its food safety program within four months, reaching compliance with applicable FDA and FSMA standards.
Beyond updated documentation, the company gained a more structured food safety management system designed to support day-to-day operations and ongoing compliance.
What FoodReady delivered
HACCP management
FDA compliance support
FSMA compliance support
Digital operational records
Food safety checklists
Product traceability
Recall plans
Mobile food safety tools
Food safety documentation
External evaluation preparation
Compliance improved. Daily food safety became easier to manage.
Within four months, Leelanau Coffee strengthened its food safety program to meet FDA and FSMA standards while bringing critical activities into one organized system.
Leelanau could manage HACCP logs, operational records, digital checklists, traceability, recall procedures, and broader food safety documentation through FoodReady.
Because compliance was not a one-time project, the company needed a practical way to keep employees following the system after the initial preparation period. FoodReady’s software and mobile application helped make those processes part of everyday operations.
For Operations Manager John Merchant, the biggest benefit was the simplicity and organization the system brought to food safety management.
"The FoodReady app is a helpful, easy-to-use tool that helps us stay organised."
Food safety needed to be organised without getting in the way of production.
Leelanau has spent decades refining how it sources, roasts, packs, and delivers fresh coffee. Its food safety system needed to support those operations without adding unnecessary administrative complexity. FoodReady gave the company a more connected way to manage compliance records while keeping food safety integrated into everyday operations.
HACCP records stayed organized
Food safety logs could be maintained within one system instead of being scattered across separate documents and workflows.
One automated flow chart
Digital checklists converted recurring food safety responsibilities into activities employees could consistently complete and document.
Traceability supported recall readiness
Product records and recall procedures could be managed alongside the broader food safety program.
Mobile access kept the system practical
Employees could interact with FoodReady through the mobile application, helping make recordkeeping easier to incorporate into daily work.
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In 15–30 minutes we'll map FoodReady to your process, plug in your real HACCP plan, and show you the auditor's view before the call ends.
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15–30 minutes. We map FoodReady to your process, plug in your real HACCP plan, and show you the auditor view before the call ends.