Fractional CFO for food & beverages companies
Food and beverage is a wholesale-led P&L for almost any brand past the founder-led DTC stage. Gross-to-net carries slotting fees, scan-down promotions, free-fill, MCB and chain allowances, and what looks like 40-point gross margin on the invoice often lands closer to 25 after trade. The category sees steady roll-up activity from strategic CPG and PE-backed platforms.
Trade spend accounting separates serious F&B finance from amateur. The recurring work is gross-to-net by retailer and SKU, COGS and co-packer margin tracking, working capital tied up in inventory and receivables, and the velocity data that decides whether the next ACV gain is real growth or shelf churn.
Flow provides financial modelling, FP&A and fractional CFO advisory to food and beverage companies across packaged food, beverages, functional and better-for-you brands, snacks, frozen and refrigerated, and ingredient and supplement businesses. Our startup CFO work moves the brand from invoice-gross to net-of-trade thinking.
KPIs to track for "food & beverages" startups
We're very 'KPI-driven' fractional CFOs, and we make sure to monitor the right metrics for your startup.
Net revenue
Gross margin
Trade spend as % of gross
Velocity per door per week
ACV-weighted distribution
Repeat purchase rate
DTC share of revenue
Days inventory outstanding
Advertising as % of revenue
Co-packer cost per unit
Financial modelling for "food & beverages" 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.
Trade spend and gross-to-net by retailer
Slotting, scan-downs, MCB, free-fill and chain allowances modelled by SKU and retailer to walk invoice gross to true net revenue. Forty-point invoice margin lands closer to twenty-five after a Whole Foods or Kroger programme.
Velocity per door and ACV build
Velocity per door per week against ACV-weighted distribution gains by retailer, brand and SKU. Separates real consumer pull from ACV expansion that has not yet translated into rate of sale.
Co-packer and COGS unit economics
Co-packer tolling, ingredient cost, packaging and freight built into a unit COGS by SKU and production run. Surfaces the run-size economics that decide whether the next year of growth is funded or constrained.
Working capital and receivables cycle
Days inventory, retailer payment terms and co-packer deposits modelled into a working capital cycle by channel. Tells you the cash hole between purchase order and retailer payment that growth has to fund.
Channel mix (wholesale / DTC / Amazon / food service)
Net contribution by channel after trade, fees and fulfilment, including food service and ingredient B2B where relevant. Makes clear which channel funds brand build and which is profitable on a standalone basis.
Strategic-ready P&L bridge
Brand-level P&L restated the way General Mills, PepsiCo or a strategic CPG buyer reads it: net-of-trade, contribution after marketing, and standalone EBITDA. Frames the asset for the buyer the board will eventually call.
Founders and investors we've worked with
We've supported winning builders across food & beverages 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 food & beverages and beyond.
Simple pricing
No hidden costs, no complicated long-term contracts. We understand how important flexibility is for food & beverages 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 food & beverages 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 food & beverages 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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