Case Study: Kowalski's Markets eliminates manual AP data entry and saves 40+ hours/week with DocuWare

Gourmet grocer eliminates manual AP data entry, creating shared process ownership by using accounting automation software

Kowalski’s Markets, an upscale gourmet grocer with 12 Twin Cities locations, faced growing pains from paper-based accounts payable: one corporate accountant spent 3–4 days a week typing invoice data while department managers duplicated entry to compile reports, making invoice handling slow, error-prone and difficult to manage as the chain expanded.

Kowalski’s piloted and then rolled out on-premises DocuWare, scanning invoices at each store, using Intelligent Indexing to auto-extract fields, electronic routing for review and a tight Sage integration. The change eliminated more than 40 hours of weekly data entry and 384 boxes of physical records per year, improved vendor relations and early-payment discounts, enabled instant cost analysis and self-serve access for managers, and created shared process ownership while freeing staff for higher-value work.

Kowalski’s Markets

Tony Olufson

Accounting Manager