The Pinch Points
Why Bakery Owners Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
A bakery stacks two cash problems at once — six-figure equipment and a wholesale book that pays net-30 on product already delivered, all while the ovens fire before dawn. Sound familiar?
The Baking Equipment
Deck and rack ovens, spiral mixers, proofers, and sheeters run $50K–$150K — the production equipment a bakery's volume depends on.
The Wholesale AR Gap
Wholesale accounts — cafes, grocers, restaurants — pay net-30 on product already delivered; a bakery with wholesale business carries $20K–$80K in receivables.
The Ingredient Inventory
Flour, butter, and specialty ingredients bought to hit margin and volume tie up cash that turns into product before it turns into revenue.
The Early-Labor Reality
Baking runs on overnight and pre-dawn labor, a payroll carried daily against revenue that arrives on the wholesale calendar.
The Display & Retail Build-Out
A retail bakery front — cases, counter, seating — is $30K–$90K on top of the production side.
Adding Capacity or Buying a Bakery
Expanding production or acquiring another bakery is a $200K–$1M move — equipment, the wholesale book, and working capital.
What an operator said
“Our wholesale business grew faster than our cash could keep up — every new grocery account meant more product fronted and another net-30 wait. The AR line let us say yes to the accounts and finance the second oven we needed to fill them.”
A. Lindqvist · wholesale & retail bakery · Minneapolis, MN
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 Bakeries
Equipment Financing With §179
Finance the ovens, mixers, and proofers; the equipment is the collateral, and §179 writes off the gear the year it's in service.
A Line Against Wholesale Receivables
A working line advances against net-30 wholesale AR, turning delivered product into cash now.
Working Capital for Ingredients & Labor
An unsecured, revenue-based working line funds the ingredient inventory and the pre-dawn payroll between wholesale collections.
Revenue-Based Capacity & Acquisition Capital
Expand production or acquire a bakery on revenue-based, capital-stacked financing — not an SBA queue.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for Bakeries
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on the bakery's revenue, not a perfect credit file.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale-AR gap | Banks won't lend against bread already delivered | Revenue-Based Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 1–3 days |
| Six-figure ovens | Ovens and mixers are five- to six-figure buys | Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3–7 days |
| Pre-sale ingredient cost | Ingredients and pre-dawn labor are paid before sale | Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 1–3 days |
The Products
How Bakery Financing Is Structured
Most bakery files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured to the equipment and the wholesale AR in front of you. Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
| Amount | Term | Best For | Funding Speed | Typical Structure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3yr–7yr | Ovens, mixers, proofers, retail build-out | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | Ingredients and pre-dawn labor | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, revenue-based |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Ongoing ingredient and labor draws | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
| Revenue-Based Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–24mo | Bridging the net-30 wholesale AR | 1–3 days | Repays as a share of daily card sales |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on the Ovens & Mixers — 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 bakery is two cash problems stacked on top of each other — the equipment is expensive, with ovens and mixers running into six figures, and the wholesale side pays you net-30 on bread you already baked, boxed, and drove across town. Meanwhile the ovens fire before dawn and the payroll runs whether the wholesale checks have landed or not. The bakeries that grow are the ones who finance the equipment and bridge the wholesale AR instead of choking on both. We fund the ovens — §179 returns roughly $42,920 on $116K — and a line against the wholesale receivables. Bake the volume, deliver the accounts, and get paid for it before net-30 says you can.”
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 bakery 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
Bakery Financing
Two Cash Problems Stacked on One Counter
A bakery is equipment-heavy and cash-flow-tight at the same time. Deck ovens, mixers, proofers, and sheeters run into six figures, and the wholesale accounts — cafes, grocers, restaurants — pay net-30 on product baked, boxed, and delivered days ago. Meanwhile the ovens fire before dawn and the ingredient inventory ties up cash that becomes product before it becomes revenue. A bank looks at the thin margins and the receivables and wants two years of returns; the second oven and the next wholesale account don't wait.
One Application, 70+ Lenders
We fund bakeries on the operation's revenue, not a perfect credit file — equipment financing for the ovens, mixers, and proofers with §179 on the gear, a line against the wholesale receivables, and working capital for the ingredient inventory and pre-dawn payroll. Expanding production or acquiring a bakery stacks revenue-based instead of an SBA queue. One application, 70+ lenders, soft-pull review.
Common Questions
Bakery Financing — Questions, Answered
Yes — equipment financing covers the ovens, mixers, and proofers; §179 writes them off the year in service.
Yes — a working line advances against net-30 wholesale AR.
Yes — an unsecured, revenue-based line funds the inventory and payroll between wholesale collections.
Signed application, four months bank statements, P&L, balance sheet, two years returns; losses → four months statements. Soft credit pull only — zero FICO impact to see your range.
Yes — equipment and the wholesale book stacked revenue-based, not an SBA 7(a) loan.
Recommended Funding