CFO services for food, beverage, and supplement brands.
Consumables expire, ship cold, and are made in runs that tie up cash months before the sale. We bring finance leadership that values inventory by date, costs the cold chain per order, plans production against sell-through, and keeps recall exposure on the risk register where it belongs.
The finance problems that define this segment.
Inventory has a date on it.
Best-by and expiry dates make slow stock a write-off; valuation must reflect remaining shelf life by lot.
Cold-chain and temperature-controlled shipping is expensive and seasonal.
Insulated packaging, ice packs, expedited service, and summer surcharges raise cost per order and damage risk.
Production runs tie cash.
Co-manufacturer minimums, ingredient purchases, and packaging orders precede sales by months; run sizing is a cash decision.
Lot tracking and recall exposure.
A recall carries product loss, logistics, notification cost, and reputational damage; traceability and insurance are finance matters.
Regulatory and labeling compliance by category and market.
Supplements, allergens, and claims carry compliance cost and risk.
Subscription and replenishment drive lifetime value (LTV).
Consumables are replenishable; cohort repeat and subscription economics define the business.
Retail and marketplace channels differ sharply.
Retail slotting, promotions, and chargebacks; marketplace fees and competition; each channel has its own margin.
How we run finance here.
- Lot-level inventory valuation with expiry-based reserves and a slow-lot action process.
- Cost to ship per order including packaging, ice, expedited service, and seasonal surcharges; contribution after shipping by product and season.
- Production planning — run sizes against sell-through, co-manufacturer terms, ingredient and packaging commitments, 13-week cash.
- Recall readiness — traceability, insurance coverage, reserve policy, cost model.
- Compliance cost budgeting by category and market.
- Cohort and subscription economics for replenishable products.
- Channel contribution — storefront, marketplace, subscription, retail after terms, chargebacks, and promotions.
- Owner or sponsor pack with inventory dating and production commitments first.
Key metrics we build and report.
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Inventory by months to expiry and reserve | Obsolescence exposure |
| Contribution after shipping by product and season | Real margin |
| Cold-chain cost per order and damage rate | Shipping economics |
| Production run size vs. sell-through | Cash tied in runs |
| Co-manufacturer and ingredient commitments | Working capital |
| Repeat rate and subscription share | LTV engine |
| Channel contribution | Channel strategy |
| Retail promotion and chargeback cost | Retail economics |
| Recall insurance coverage vs. exposure | Risk |
| Gross margin after landed and packaging cost | Product economics |
Worked example.
A specialty beverage and supplement brand, $19M revenue, co-manufactured, storefront plus retail.
The plan: expiry-based reserve and liquidation; seasonal shipping pricing or packaging change; co-manufacturer renegotiation for smaller runs; retail promotion governance; subscription push with cohort tracking.
Where we’ve done this.
Packaged-food and beverage brands; supplement and wellness consumables; pet-food companies; brands moving from storefront to retail; sponsor-backed consumables companies. Pattern-level only.
How do we value inventory that expires?
By lot and months to expiry, with a reserve schedule and a liquidation process; we build and run it.
Summer shipping is destroying margin. Options?
Seasonal surcharges, packaging changes, regional fulfillment, or a summer ship-schedule; we model each on contribution.
Our co-manufacturer minimums are too high. What can finance do?
Quantify the cash and obsolescence cost of the minimum and bring that to the negotiation; we prepare the case.
What should we hold for recall risk?
Insurance sized to exposure, traceability that limits scope, and a reserve policy; we quantify the exposure.
Further reading.
The 13-Week Cash Forecast for a Behavioral Health Group
How to build and run a rolling 13-week cash forecast in a behavioral health practice — collections by payer, payroll timing, a worked example, and the decisions it makes possible.
Read article → InsightWhy Cash-Basis Books Mislead a Behavioral Health Practice — and What a Real Close Looks Like
How accrual accounting, revenue by date of service, and an allowance for uncollectible claims change what a behavioral health owner sees — with a worked comparison and a close checklist.
Read article → InsightInternal Controls in a Growing Behavioral Health Practice: Where the Money Leaks and How to Stop It
The control weaknesses common in behavioral health groups — cash handling, billing adjustments, payroll, vendor payments, and refunds — with a worked example of what a single gap can cost and a practical control framework for a practice with a small office team.
Read article →Insights for this vertical.
E-commerce-specific insights are being published.
Tell us about the business.
One conversation about where the numbers stand and what the next stage needs from finance. We will tell you where we can help, where you need someone else, and what it would cost.
The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute accounting, tax, legal, or investment advice. Sales tax, indirect tax, customs, and cross-border compliance obligations depend on the specific facts of the business and change frequently. Figures in examples are illustrative. See our full Legal Disclaimer.