Business loans for breweries and distilleries

Ardent Capital Group brings the same method to every client: execution and strategy, clear advice for smart lending, and long-term growth. That means the right lender, structure and timing, straight advice so you borrow with confidence, and today's deal built toward where you want to be tomorrow. We are specialists in helping business owners secure finance to purchase their own property, and we understand the complex structures that often sit around it, including multiple trusts, holding companies and self-managed super funds. Through that work we also understand what the business needs from its cash flow, and where an overdraft or line of credit fits for working capital. For a brewery or distillery, where the balance sheet is built on stock that legally cannot be sold yet, that means the desks among our 60-plus bank and non-bank lenders that understand the trade and lend on the strength of the business, not property alone. We stay on as production grows. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

It depends on how quickly you need it and what you are willing to offer as security. Unsecured facilities are assessed mainly on trading strength and can be arranged in days, which suits a limit of $100K to $500K. Secured facilities, backed by property or plant, support larger amounts and price better, and make sense once you are funding a major purchase or an acquisition. Most established operators end up with a mix, and we shape which sits where.

It depends on your trading, your structure and the purpose, but lending here commonly runs from $100K to well into seven figures, and our range extends to $100M for larger operators. Tanks, plant and maturing stock can all support a facility, which often means more capacity than a producer assumes from the property position alone. The binding constraint is usually serviceability rather than security, and we shape the funding early so you know your number before you commit.

Yes, and the plant is normally the security rather than your home. Tanks, fermenters, stills, canning and bottling lines, refrigeration and cold rooms and kegs can all be funded new or used, including imported plant. Terms are typically matched to the life of the asset, and established businesses can often be assessed on bank statements and BAS rather than full financials. Dealer and manufacturer finance programs are available too, and we compare them against a bank facility.

In the right circumstances, yes, and it is the question that matters most for distillers. Product sitting in barrel is a real asset that legally cannot be sold yet, and a generalist credit team reads that as dead weight. Lenders that understand the category will look at the maturing inventory and your contracted distribution rather than turnover alone. It works best alongside a facility secured on the plant, subject to serviceability and lender approval.

No. Plenty of operators fund growth without touching the family home, either through unsecured facilities assessed on trading, or by securing against the equipment being purchased. Property security widens the range of lenders and structures open to you, so it is worth considering once you are borrowing well into seven figures. The choice is yours, and we will show you what each option costs before you commit.

An unsecured facility can often be approved within 48 hours and funded inside a week where the business is established and the BAS and bank statements are current. Secured facilities take longer, typically two to four weeks, because a valuation is involved. The practical advice is to open the limit before you need it, ideally when you are planning the spend rather than when the invoice is already due. Timeframes are indicative and subject to lender appetite and approval.

Yes. Many lenders assess established businesses on 6 to 12 months of bank statements and recent BAS rather than full year-end financials, which suits operators whose accounts lag the current run rate. It works best where the trading account shows regular receipts and the ATO position is current. If you have a payment plan in place, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Yes, and it is a commercial property deal rather than a working capital one. A production site turns on floor drainage, power, effluent and ceiling height, so a producer who has fitted out a shed to suit their process is usually better off owning it. Owner-occupiers can generally borrow a higher proportion of the purchase price than an investor would, and a cellar door adds a retail component the valuer will assess separately. Our commercial property team handles these end to end through our brewery and distillery property loans service.

By sizing the limit to include it rather than hoping it fits. Excise falls due as product leaves bond, which is often before your distributor or venues have paid you, so it lands squarely in the worst part of the cycle. A revolving line sized to your release schedule covers that window and repays as the receipts arrive. If you are already on an ATO payment plan, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Most of the time, no. We are paid a commission by the lender once your facility settles. Where a deal requires significant preparation or involves unusual complexity, a small mandate fee may apply. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.

Although we are based in Sydney, we service clients across all major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, along with their surrounding regional areas. Wherever your business is located, we can arrange your finance.

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, such as a property loan for your brewery or distillery, we also assist with brewing and packaging equipment finance and working capital. On asset finance, that covers tanks, packaging lines, refrigeration and commercial vehicles. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit and cash-flow funding. We also arrange commercial mortgages if you are buying or refinancing a production site.