The Pinch Points
Why Food & Beverage Makers Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
Food and beverage is brutal on cash flow — perishable ingredients, expensive production runs, and national retailers who pay the slowest. A national order means fronting slotting, co-packing, and ingredients before net-60. Banks worry about spoilage; our lenders read your retail contracts. Sound familiar?
Costco Says Yes, $120K Upfront
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.
Bottling Line Maxed at 85%
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.
Ingredient Costs Up 20%
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.
Freezer Down, Inventory at Risk
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.
Private-Label Run, Net-45
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.
Add a Canning Line in 12 Weeks
A national club retailer wants you to add a ready-to-drink line in aluminum cans — a $1M annual program — but your plant only runs bottles. A canning line and seamer run $260K, and they want first production inside 12 weeks.
What an operator said
“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
Start Here
See Your Range in 60 Seconds
No credit check, no documents to start, and an estimated funding range on the spot. No one contacts you until you’re ready to move forward.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for the Trade
What We Fund for Food & Beverage Makers
Production Lines, Financed
Bottling, canning, and filling lines are the plant. Equipment financing funds the line with the equipment as collateral, and Section 179 writes off most of a line upgrade the year it’s running.
Retail Orders, Funded to Fill
A national retailer says yes and the ramp — ingredients, co-packing, slotting — lands before they pay net-60. PO financing and working capital fund the production run so a career order doesn’t get turned down for cash.
FSMA and HACCP, Funded on Deadline
A preventive-controls upgrade or recertification isn’t optional, and inspection dates don’t move. Working capital funds compliance fast enough to keep the plant producing and pass on time.
Seasonal Production, Real Funding
Holiday and harvest runs need ingredients 90 days before revenue. A seasonal line, plus factoring on net-60 retail invoices, funds the build and turns slow-paying receivables into cash to start the next run.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for Food & Beverage Makers
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on your revenue, not a perfect credit file.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USDA/FDA compliance upgrades | FSMA preventive controls, HACCP recertification, and facility upgrades to pass inspection — non-negotiable costs with fixed inspection dates. | Working Capital | $75K–$150K | 1–3 days |
| Packaging line upgrade | Current bottling or canning line caps production — an upgrade doubles throughput and cuts per-unit cost 15%. | Equipment Financing | $100K–$300K | 3–7 days |
| Cold-storage & refrigeration expansion | Walk-in freezer capacity limits production batch sizes — adding 2,000 sq ft of cold storage expands what the plant can run. | Equipment Financing | $75K–$2M | funds in days |
| Ingredient pre-buy for seasonal demand | Holiday production runs need ingredients ordered 90 days before revenue arrives — suppliers want prepayment on specialty items. | Business LOC | $75K–$200K | 1–3 days |
| Labeling and nutrition compliance | New FDA nutrition labeling rules require reformulation testing, label redesign, and packaging inventory write-off. | Working Capital | $75K–$120K | 1–3 days |
The Products
How Food & Beverage Financing Is Structured
Most food and beverage files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured to the equipment, ingredients, or order in front of you. Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
| Amount | Term | Best For | Funding Speed | Typical Structure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | Ingredients, co-packing, retail ramp | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, daily/weekly ACH |
| Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 2yr–10yr | Bottling, canning, and filling lines | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Invoice Factoring | $75K–$5M+ | Per invoice | Net-60 retail receivables | 1–2 days | Invoices secure the line, no PG typically |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Seasonal ingredient buys | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on a Bottling/Canning Line — Worked
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“A retailer doubles your order and the only question that matters is whether your line can fill it. A $180K bottling and canning line is the answer — capacity you own instead of co-packing margin you hand away. A small down, the rest financed, and §179 deducts the entire $180K this year. More throughput and a smaller tax bill, same twelve months.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
How It Works
From Application to Funded
One application, 70+ lenders competing, a dedicated specialist, and most files funded in days.
60-second estimate
Enter your numbers — no credit check, no documents. You see an estimated funding range on the spot.
A specialist is assigned
A real funding specialist — not an algorithm — reviews your file, usually within 24 hours.
70+ lenders compete
Your application goes to the marketplace. Competing offers typically land 24–48 hours later.
You pick the offer
Compare structures and terms with your advisor. No obligation until you choose to sign.
Funded in days
From same-day working capital to a multi-piece stack, most files fund in days — not the bank’s 60–90.
Underwriting
What Underwriting Looks At
Funding here leads with what your business actually does — your revenue and cash flow. The specialist desk reads the real picture from your statements, then matches it to the lenders most likely to fund it.
How you’re evaluated
Revenue-first
sized off your top line, not just your balance sheet.
Cash-flow driven
your bank statements show how the business really runs.
Bank-statement underwriting
even a down year is read off 4 months of statements.
Story-driven
a big new contract, a seasonal swing, a turnaround in progress: context the raw numbers miss counts too.
What to have ready
↳Had a loss year? It’s read off the bank statements — 4 months, not 6.
Start fast, finish complete
The operators who fund quickest come to the specialist review with these ready — but you don’t need all of it to start. Your signed application and bank statements are what unblock the review; the rest can follow as trailing docs. Real term sheets come once the lenders can see a true business overview, so the move is simple: get the application and statements in right away, and don’t let a missing tax return hold up your term sheets.
Credit, straight
Qualification
Who Gets Funded — and Who’s Not Ready Yet
A straight read saves everyone time — here’s the line between a food & beverage file that funds and one that isn’t ready yet.
↳Time in business is a factor, not a gate — newer crews with strong revenue still qualify.
Not ready yet isn’t a no — it’s a checklist. Most of it is fixable in a quarter or two, and your advisor will tell you straight which gaps to fix before a file goes in.
The Operator's Guide
Food & Beverage Manufacturing Financing
Fronting the Ramp Before the Retailer Pays
When a national retailer says yes, you get one shot and the ramp lands first — slotting fees, co-packing deposits, $80K in ingredient inventory, maybe a line upgrade — and they pay net-60. So you need six figures before you see a dime. Banks hear ‘food manufacturing’ and ask about spoilage risk. Our lenders ask about your retailer contracts and your production schedule, and they fund around the cycle.
One Application, 70+ Lenders
Bottling, canning, and filling lines, ingredient pre-buys, FSMA and HACCP compliance on deadline, and factoring that turns net-60 retail invoices into cash — the capital a maker needs to fill a national order. We connect you with 70+ lenders who fund food and beverage manufacturers every week. $75K to $5M+. One application, soft-pull review to start.
Common Questions
Food & Beverage Financing — Questions, Answered
Yes. Purchase order financing, working capital, and lines of credit all cover production costs for large orders. If a retailer orders $200K in product and your production cost is $120K, PO financing can advance up to 90% of the order value.
Equipment financing covers the refrigeration, lines, and build-out, and a working-capital line carries the slotting and co-packing deposits — both sized on your retailer revenue and funded in days, not the 60–90 a bank build-out loan takes. Structures run $75K–$5M+.
A revolving line of credit lets you stock up on ingredients before peak production and repay from sales revenue. Working capital provides a lump sum for one-time large purchases. Both fund in 24 hours to 3 days.
No. Soft credit pull only — zero FICO impact.
PO financing advances against the retailer's order to cover co-packing and ingredients, and working capital handles slotting and the ramp. Equipment financing covers any line upgrade the volume requires. A soft-pull review shows terms without touching your credit.
Recommended Funding
The Products That Fit Food & Beverage Work
Equipment Financing →
Finance bottling lines, canning systems, and pasteurizers — the equipment is the collateral.
Working Capital Loans →
Fund ingredient inventory and production costs for large retail orders.
Business Line of Credit →
Draw for seasonal ingredient purchases and repay from product revenue.
Equipment Financing →
Finance refrigeration, bottling, and production-line build-outs — the equipment is the collateral, funded in days.
Other Manufacturing Sectors