Fractional CFO for alcohol companies
Alcohol runs through the US three-tier system, with state-by-state licensing, federal and state excise, and bonded warehouse inventory all sitting between production cost and net revenue. DTC shipping is permitted only in a subset of states.
The central reporting problem is the gap between distributor shipments and retail depletions, and the programme spend, slotting and chain allowances that move between them. Ageing inventory across bourbon, scotch and tequila needs carrying cost and capitalised cellar interest, and federal excise and bond reporting have to sit alongside the operating P&L.
Flow provides financial modelling, FP&A and fractional CFO advisory to alcohol companies across spirits, craft beer, wine, RTDs and non-alcoholic adjacencies. Our startup CFO work covers depletion reporting, bonded-warehouse accounting and the three-tier gross-to-net bridge.
KPIs to track for "alcohol" startups
We're very 'KPI-driven' fractional CFOs, and we make sure to monitor the right metrics for your startup.
Net revenue
Depletions
Distributor inventory days
Gross-to-net %
Gross margin
Excise duty as % of revenue
On-trade vs off-trade mix
Velocity per door
ACV-weighted distribution
Advertising as % of revenue
Financial modelling for "alcohol" startups
As fractional CFOs, we build KPI-driven financial models that are insightful and easy to maintain.
Financial modelling is both art and science - models must be robust, but also understandable, and useful for both internal planning and VC fundraising purposes. Hire a fractional CFO who knows how to handle both sides of the equation.
Three-tier gross-to-net bridge
Producer revenue walked down to retail-equivalent net through distributor margin, chain allowances, slotting, scan-down and depletion incentives. Shows where headline shipment growth is funded by programme spend rather than true depletion.
Depletions vs shipments reconciliation
Distributor shipments out of the producer reconciled monthly to retail depletions by state, brand and SKU. Surfaces inventory loading at distributor level that will reverse in the following quarter.
Federal and state excise model
TTB federal excise and state excise modelled by product class, ABV band and ship-to state, including bonded-warehouse movements and tax stamp inventory. Separates duty-paid and bonded stock as distinct working-capital pools.
Aged inventory and cellar interest
Bourbon, scotch and tequila barrelled stock carried with capitalised interest, evaporation and barrel cost absorbed into COGS as liquid ages. Forces an honest view of carrying cost against the planned bottling year.
On-trade vs off-trade channel P&L
Volume, net revenue and contribution split between on-premise, off-premise chain, independent and DTC in permitted states. Makes clear which channel is funding brand build and which is paying the rent.
Velocity per door and ACV
Velocity per chain door per week against ACV-weighted distribution gains, by brand, package and state. Separates real consumer pull from shelf-space additions that have not yet translated into depletion.
Founders and investors we've worked with
We've supported winning builders across alcohol and beyond.
TBô
We acted as fractional CFO to TBô, a Zurich-based tech-enabled DTC male underwear brand, building a bottom-up financial / operating model with cohort-level KPIs and positioning the company for its next venture round.
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Onlogist
We acted as fractional CFO to Onlogist, a Hamburg-based online marketplace for last-mile vehicle transfer, providing confidential valuation guidance and operating model support.
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Marcura
We acted as fractional CFO to Dubai-based Marcura, owner of maritime payroll and B2B payments platform MarTrust, advising on the strategic e-Wallet vendor selection and supporting product/finance integration.
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Hector
We acted as fractional CFO to Hector Aurumi, a Dubai-based specialist software house with AI/ML, IoT and data science expertise, providing confidential valuation guidance to the management team.
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Bonart
We've worked as fractional CFO with Bonart, a Zurich-based independent Swiss strategic advisory and execution platform for PE and investor fundraising, providing long-term confidential valuation guidance.
See moreRecent fractional CFO track record
See our fractional CFO and financial modelling experience across alcohol and beyond.
Simple pricing
No hidden costs, no complicated long-term contracts. We understand how important flexibility is for alcohol startups.
Per month
- Accounting / FP&A tech stack implementation
- Monthly financial statements and reporting pack
- Quarterly board pack with detailed financial analysis (with variance analysis vs. budget, relevant KPI observations etc.)
- Investor-friendly output
Per month
- Everything in Core, plus
- Operating model (via an online platform like Runway or Excel-based)
- Ongoing model maintenance, refining projections, burn/runway management
- Customer cohorts modelling, churn and retention analysis
- LTV / CAC, unit economics analysis
- Cap table management
Per month
- Everything in Grow, plus
- M&A / fundraising support; review of business plan
- Pitch deck preparation
- Investor approach strategy / list building
- Due diligence support and deal negotiation
- Valuation as required and free access to Multiples Pro
Packages shown are illustrative, final pricing is tailored to client requirements.
Explore our fractional CFO offering for similar verticals
We're a specialized fractional CFO to consumer products companies.
Our fractional CFO experience spans across all consumer products verticals.
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We know tech inside & out.
We provide fractional CFO services to companies operating across the entire tech.
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We help you scale by providing fractional CFO advice, through fundraising and a successful M&A exit.
VC fundraising for alcohol companies
We help you prepare materials, reach out to investors in our extensive network, negotiate fair term sheets and structure the VC round.
Learn moreM&A for alcohol companies
We advise winning tech companies on M&A exits, and over the years successfully executed numerous transactions with both financial and strategic buyers.
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Schedule a call to get a health check on your business and see how we could help.
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