This Is Why You're Here
Why Food & Beverages Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
Costco wants to carry your product — 5,000 units/month. Initial production, packaging, and slotting fees cost $120K. This is a career-defining order but the upfront capital is massive.
Your bottling line is running at 85% capacity. A $180K upgrade would double throughput and reduce per-unit costs by 15%. Every month you wait, you’re leaving $12K on the table.
A key ingredient supplier raised prices 20%. Your committed orders total $200K in product. You need $40K in extra working capital to absorb the increase and fulfill orders.
Your walk-in freezer compressor died on a Friday afternoon. $14K repair, plus $35K in perishable inventory at risk if it’s not fixed by Monday. Your insurance deductible is $5K and the claim takes 30 days.
A regional grocery chain wants a private-label run — 10,000 units at $8 each. Co-packing, labels, and ingredients cost $55K upfront. They pay net-45 after delivery. That’s a $25K profit you can’t afford to pass on.
Whole Foods approved our hot sauce line — 2,000 units a week. We needed $135K for a bottling line upgrade and co-packing deposits. Basecamp had the funds in our account in 3 days.
Maria S., Food Production Owner, Austin, TX
Food & Beverage Financing
Get Your Food & Beverage Business Funded in 60 Seconds
Slide the calculator to see your estimated approval range. Then answer 3 quick questions to lock it in. No documents needed. Soft-pull pre-qual.
See What You Could Qualify For
Slide to your average monthly bank deposits.
Estimated Approval Range
Based on 100-150% of monthly revenue
Soft-pull pre-qual · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for Your Business
Why Food & Beverage Businesses Choose Basecamp
Retail Orders Can't Wait for Banks
Costco says yes and you've got 30 days to ramp production. Slotting fees, co-packing deposits, ingredient inventory — $120K upfront. Your bank takes 3 weeks just to review. We fund in days.
We Understand Perishable Inventory
Your ingredients spoil. Your finished product has a shelf life. Banks treat food inventory like furniture inventory. Our lenders understand FIFO, cold chain, and why you can't sit on $80K in raw materials for 6 months.
FDA Compliance Doesn't Pause for Cash Flow
A $40K FSMA upgrade or HACCP recertification isn't optional. Fail it and you shut down. We fund compliance costs fast enough to meet inspection deadlines.
Seasonal Production Gets Real Funding
Holiday runs, summer beverage spikes, harvest season — you need $150K in ingredients 90 days before the revenue shows up. Our lenders underwrite around seasonal cycles, not against them.
Bobby's Take
Bobby's Playbook for Food & Beverage
Most food and beverage manufacturing operators walk into a bank and get steered toward general commercial real estate financing or generic equipment loans. What banks miss is that $400K production-line equipment plus inventory float plus distribution capital plus USDA-compliant facility expansion usually needs three different products from three specialists, not one generalist loan. Capital stacking changes the math. Here's how to position your transaction so the right specialists see it first.
Three things determine whether a food and beverage manufacturing transaction closes: customer mix (regional grocery, foodservice distributor, private-label co-pack), USDA or FDA inspection status, and your raw-material supply contracts. Not your personal FICO. Not your time in business. Specialist food and beverage lenders care about whether your monthly contract revenue supports a $5,000-$9,000/month payment — and whether your inspection record and supply contracts give the file the regulatory and operational floor it needs.
The biggest mistake food and beverage manufacturers make: applying without showing the breakdown between branded retail and co-pack or private-label revenue. The lender sees mixed deposits and underwrites to the variability of branded retail. The fix: separate co-pack contract revenue from branded retail. Specialist food and beverage lenders price co-pack and private-label contracts as the most predictable recurring revenue. Generalist lenders treat all food revenue as transactional.
regional grocery rollout revenue forfeited
Where this gets interesting at scale: a food and beverage manufacturer adding a filling line, expanding cold storage, or building out a second processing facility doesn't need ONE loan. They need equipment financing for the new line + a working capital line for raw-material inventory + invoice factoring on the longer-paying foodservice and grocery accounts + sometimes a SBA 504 for a USDA-inspected facility purchase. Four products, multiple lenders, one application — that's how single-line food and beverage shops scale into multi-line co-pack operations.
The food and beverage manufacturers who scale fastest aren't the ones who waited until they had every grocery account locked in before adding capacity. They're the ones who had filling capacity ready when a regional grocery chain or foodservice distributor offered an additional SKU. Turning down a regional rollout because you can't add filling capacity is $80,000-$200,000 in annual contracted revenue. Run the numbers in 60 seconds — see what 70+ specialist lenders will offer your food and beverage manufacturing business this week.
Bottom line:
Food and beverage manufacturers get priced like restaurants when co-pack and private-label contracts are recurring contracted revenue. Separate them on the file — that's how a specialist sees regulated production strength.
Bobby Friel
Founder, Basecamp Funding
What You're Up Against
The Real Challenges Food & Beverages Face
Pricing Transparency
What Food & Beverage Funding Actually Costs
Rates and terms depend on credit, revenue, time in business, and lender. Every business is unique — see what 70+ lenders will offer you in 60 seconds. Soft-pull pre-qual.
These are industry averages. Your actual rate depends on your revenue, credit profile, and time in business — it could be lower. Run your specific numbers in 30 seconds.
Calculate Your Real Cost →Tax Strategy
Section 179 Breakdown for Food & Beverages
Finance the equipment. Keep your cash. Take the deduction. Your bottling/canning line costs $108,000 after taxes and you never touched your reserves.
Bobby Friel
Founder, Basecamp Funding
How It Works
From Application to Funded in 5 Steps
No paperwork avalanche. No bank lobby. No guessing.
60-Second Intake
Tell us about your shop, what you produce, and monthly revenue. No P&L upload yet.
Soft Credit Screen
We screen options with no impact on your FICO or your supplier credit lines.
Manufacturing-Specialty Lenders Compete
70+ lenders who fund CNC shops, fabricators, and assemblers review your file in parallel.
One Specialist, Multiple Term Sheets
Your funding specialist walks through equipment finance, working capital, and PO/invoice structures.
Choose Your Offer, Sign, Get Funded
E-signature. Capital lands in time to keep production on schedule and POs flowing.
Food & Beverage Capital Uses
What Food & Beverage Businesses Use Funding For
Equipment & Machinery
CNC machines, lathes, presses, conveyors, welders. Finance upgrades without draining cash reserves.
Raw Materials & Inventory
Steel, resin, lumber, components. Lock in bulk pricing and fill large orders without cash crunches.
Facility Expansion
New production lines, warehouse space, cold storage. Scale your footprint to match demand.
Workforce & Hiring
Skilled operators, engineers, floor supervisors. Staff up for large contracts and seasonal surges.
Technology & Automation
Robotics, ERP systems, IoT sensors, AI quality control. Invest in Industry 4.0 without cash strain.
Supply Chain Resilience
Dual-source suppliers, safety stock, domestic reshoring. Protect against disruptions and tariff exposure.
Full Transparency
What Kills Your Qualification (And What Doesn't)
Most lenders won't tell you this upfront. We will.
✅ These Won't Stop You
These Can Be Deal-Breakers
Need commercial insurance for your food & beverage business?
Commercial insurance is required for most equipment loans over $50K. InsuranceService365.com covers manufacturers across 29 states.
Don't Wait Until You Need Funding to Get Funded
Manufacturing revenue is concentrated — a few large customers, net-30/60 terms, raw materials due upfront. The shops that scale steadily funded equipment and working capital BEFORE the big PO landed. By the time you're scrambling for a $200K CNC down payment, the customer is already shopping a competitor. Pre-qualify when production is steady.
Ready?
See What Your Food & Beverage Business Qualifies For
Slide the calculator, answer 3 questions, and a specialist pulls your options within the hour.
See What You Could Qualify For
Slide to your average monthly bank deposits.
Estimated Approval Range
Based on 100-150% of monthly revenue
Soft-pull pre-qual · No obligation · Estimate only
Other Manufacturers Specialties We Fund
Click any specialty for tailored financing options.
Recommended Products
Recommended Funding for Food & Beverage Businesses
Working Capital
Fund raw materials and payroll before customer payment arrives.
Learn More →Equipment Financing
Finance CNC machines, presses, and production equipment — asset-backed.
Learn More →Invoice Factoring
Convert net-30/60/90 invoices into same-day cash.
Learn More →Business Line of Credit
Draw for materials and tooling as production orders fluctuate.
Learn More →FAQs
Food & Beverage Business Loan FAQs
Food & Beverage Manufacturing Loans — $10K to $20M+
Costco calls and wants 5,000 units a month. That's the best day of your life — until you do the math. Slotting fees, co-packing deposits, $80K in ingredient inventory, a $180K bottling line upgrade. And they pay net-60. So you need $250K before you see a dime. Banks hear "food manufacturing" and start asking about spoilage risk. Our lenders hear it and ask about your retailer contracts. Big difference.
Food and beverage is brutal on cash flow. Ingredients are perishable, production runs are expensive, and your biggest customers pay the slowest. But a $150K bottling upgrade that doubles throughput? That pays for itself in 8 months. A $40K FSMA compliance upgrade that keeps your plant open? Not optional. We connect you with 70+ lenders who fund food manufacturers daily. $25K ingredient orders to $2M facility buildouts. One application. 60 seconds. Soft-pull pre-qual.
Stop Letting Raw Material Costs Outpace Customer Payments. Get Your Food & Beverage Operation Funded Today.
60 seconds. Soft-pull pre-qual. No obligation.
See What You Qualify For →Soft-pull pre-qual · Free to check · Nationwide